[Steve Myers] Are the 10 Commandments found in the New Testament? Most certainly, they are. Often times though, it may be hard to figure out where exactly they might be, and so we’ve been going through a number of the commandments to show where you can find them. And of course, a great place to start if you forget – well, where can I find them? – remember to look at Jesus’ teachings. Because throughout His ministry while He walked the earth, He focused back on the commandments. And in fact, number 6 focuses on murder. “Thou shalt not murder” is the specific commandment. But when you look to what Christ taught in Matthew chapter 5 – Matthew chapter 5, He deals with this very issue, and He just doesn’t focus on the killing aspect of the commandment. In fact, He multiplies the meaning of that commandment in Matthew 5:21. Here’s what He said: “You’ve heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’.” So there’s that Sixth Commandment. But He goes on, “Whoever murders,” He said, “will be in danger of the judgment, but,” Christ says, “I say to you whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Now then He goes on to continue that teaching. And He points to something so critical that it’s not just this physical act – that He brings it to the real spiritual intent of that commandment.

In fact, there’s a tradition with the Hebrews that deal with that very fact – that it’s not just about murder. But they have a little phrase that’s called “lashon hara”. Lashon hara.  It’s kind of difficult to read, maybe I can rewrite the “lashon” part. L-A-S-H-O-N. Lashon hara. And do you know what that means? That refers to an evil tongue or a slandering word. And it points to the intent of that commandment, that whether it’s slander, or whether it’s evil speaking, or whether it’s put-downs, or whether it’s gossip – all of those things, the lashon hara, the evil tongue, compare to the spiritual intent of the meaning of “Though shalt not murder.” And so that’s a critical aspect of what Christ taught. And if we remember that Christ came, in many ways, to give the spiritual intent of God’s law – certainly when it came to the Sixth Commandment, He did that very thing.

Join us next time for a few more of the commandments that we can find in the New Testament. We’ll see you then.