We read together the 5^th Commandment and Luther’s explanation (on the back of the bulletin in bold italic): You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

Luther says: here we leave our own house and go out among the neighbors in order to learn how we should live among them, how people should conduct themselves among their neighbors. It is my personal opinion that this commandment is possibly the best remembered in terms of what remains in the heart or conscience of mankind. The 5^th Commandment was put there as a curb – to protect us. We don’t want anyone to take our life, so we understand that we should not take the life of others. But from the daily news it is also obvious that even this commandment is frequently broken, even in its narrowest meaning – actual murder.

In the Large Catechism Luther says: the occasion and need for this commandment is that, as God well knows, the world is evil and this life is full of misery. Therefore he has erected this and the other commandments to separate good and evil. … We must live among many people who do us harm, and thus we have reason to be their enemy. … God wants to have everyone defended, delivered, and protected from the wickedness and violence of others, and he has placed this commandment as a wall, fortress, and refuge around our neighbors, so that no one may do them bodily harm or injury.

The 5^th Commandment serves also as a MIRROR, to show us our sin. We might be quick to say that we have never murdered anyone, but the commandment is broader and deeper than murder alone. Luther says: wherever murder is forbidden, there also is forbidden everything that may lead to murder. … God wishes to remove the root and source that embitters our heart toward our neighbor.

One popular bumper sticker has the phrase: "Don’t get mad; get even!" That is the opposite of this commandment. Pastor Arthur Graf writes: The Westerns on TV have given some the impression that somehow it is an inborn right for a man to get even. If a man hurts you, you have a right to hurt him in return; if he kills your relative you upon your honor have to hunt him down and kill him. The government has this responsibility. But to the individual God says, "Avenge not yourselves. Vengance is Mine; I will repay." Romans 12:19 as it quotes Deuteronomy 32:35. {Graf p.121}

Besides causing or seeking to cause harm to another, Luther talks about another aspect of the 5^th Commandment. In the second place, this commandment is violated not only when we do evil, but also when we have the opportunity to do good to our neighbors and to prevent, protect, and save them from suffering bodily harm or injury, but fail to do so. If you send a naked person away when you could clothe him, you have let him freeze to death. (Luther gives several other examples, then goes on)

We see Jesus also expanding the people’s understanding of this commandment in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:21-22. You have heard that it was said to the people of long ago, "Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment." But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother "Raca" (which may mean "empty-head") is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says "you fool" will be in danger of the fire of hell."

Philip Yancey is a Christian author I respect. In one book he talks about the harshness of the Sermon on the Mount, with Jesus’ words like Be perfect, therefore, as your Father in heaven is perfect, and the part about hatred and bitter words we just read. Yancey says this: Every human society in history has had a law against murder. There are variations, of course: the U.S. allows killing in self-defense or in unusual circumstances. … But no society has come us with anything like Jesus’ enlarged definition of murder: "I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. … anyone who says ‘You fool’ will be in danger of the fire of hell." Growing up with an older brother, I fretted over this verse. Can two brothers weather the storms of adolescence without relying on words such as "stupid" and "fool." {The Jesus I Never Knew, p.132}

We need to remember that Jesus never made light of sin. He wanted people to recognize the seriousness of sin. Our SIN is the reason He had to suffer and die. Through this deeper understanding of the commandments He wants us to see our need for Him, our need for true repentance, our need for a Savior.

Only He perfectly kept this commandment, not only as an example for us, but so that His perfection could be credited to us. Only He suffered all the punishment for our breaking this commandment. Only He has the promise of forgiveness and new life that we need so much, to replace the death brought on by our sin. That is why we are here, each Saturday or Sunday, celebrating His Victory and Resurrection, because it means our Victory, Our Resurrection. In Him we die to sin and rise to new life – eternal life.

For us now, believers in Christ, the 5^th Commandment serves as our GUIDE. It is a guide for grateful hearts that want to give thanks to God. So, in thanks to god, we will avoid taking away human life. This includes plain old murder and also abortion, euthanasia and suicide. Instead of taking the life of others (or of self) we will entrust life to God. Remember that this does not forbid capital punishment – the Government is supposed to be one of God’s earthly representatives for protection of lawful people and punishment of the unlawful.

In thanks to God, the 5^th Commandment guides us to avoid hurting or harming our neighbor – doing or saying or even thinking anything which seeks to destroy or shorten or make bitter the life of others.

In thanks to God, this Commandment guides us to train our hearts and minds to remove hatred, revenge, anger or bitter words against our neighbor. Again, it guides us to leave to God and His rightful representatives (government) the responsibility to punish evil.

On the positive side, the 5^th Commandment guides our thankful hearts to help and support our neighbor, those nearby and those far away. Some examples are the opportunities to help hurricane victims through our financial gifts or our personal efforts, and to protect human life by our voting and encouraging our elected officials to do the same.

The Commandment guides us to train our hearts and minds to kindness, mercy, forgiveness toward our neighbors. Remember Jesus on the cross, praying forgiveness for those who have put Him there! As you may have experienced, we sometimes need a lot of help from the Lord to overcome our sinful attitudes towards some of those neighbors. His help is never lacking! Is our desire for that help always there?

Finally, the 5^th Commandment guides us, as Christ’s people, to seek to help our neighbor to avoid abuse of anything that harms body or mind. Cain may have tried to hide his breaking of this commandment with the question: Am I my brother’s keeper? But it was and still is God’s plan that we are responsible for one another. Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan makes clear that even those considered our enemies should be treated lovingly as our neighbor.

Let’s read the Commandment and meaning once more. You shall not murder. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need.

Today we pray God to help us – to help us see the deeper meaning of this Commandment. We pray God to help us – forgiving our many failings of the 5^th Commandment, in the wrongs we have done and said and thought and in the good we have neglected to do for others. May God help us by making us able to show love in all our actions – feeble as they may be – so that someone will see Jesus’ love through us and come to know His forgiveness and salvation! For that purpose – in our lives with our families and with all other neighbors – may God bless the use of the 5^th Commandment in our lives. Amen.