How to Make a Murderer

In 2012, Carl Erickson drove an hour south to knock on the door of a former high school classmate. Without a word, he pulled the trigger, killing a man he had not spoken to in 50 years. The cause? A grudge he had nursed since high school, stemming from a locker-room prank. A single moment of humiliation, left unchecked, had fermented into murder.

It’s a shocking story. But what if Jesus is telling us that the same destructive force lurks inside every human heart? What if murder is not just an extreme action but a process—a slow, internal unraveling that begins long before any physical violence takes place?

The Unseen Path to Murder

In Matthew 5:21-26, Jesus challenges His followers with a radical interpretation of the commandment against murder. He says, “You have heard that it was said… ‘You shall not murder…’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.”

This is where Jesus makes a crucial shift. He isn’t just prohibiting external violence; He’s exposing the heart’s internal processes. Jesus lays out a three-step progression that, if left unchecked, can transform any of us into murderers—not necessarily with our hands, but with our words, our attitudes, and our contempt.

Step One: Shaming

The first step is casual insult. The Greek word moros (from which we get “moron”) refers to belittling language—something we say in frustration, maybe to someone’s face or behind their back. It’s playground taunting, a throwaway insult, but Jesus warns that it’s more serious than we think.

Step Two: Contempt

Insults progress into contempt, a deeper form of disdain where a person is seen as worthless. The term Raka (a guttural, dismissive sound) expresses disgust. Contempt isolates, dehumanizes, and removes people from the circle of our concern. We cease to care about their well-being.

Step Three: Murderous Rage

Jesus then references a word describing the smoldering anger that Cain harbored before he killed Abel. When we allow our anger to fester, it doesn’t remain static. It grows, takes root, and seeks an outlet. It might never manifest in physical violence, but it will lead to destruction—ruined relationships, deep wounds, and a spirit that is increasingly cut off from God’s heart.

The Murderous Heart

Jesus’ warning is not about merely avoiding violent crime—it’s about transforming the way we see others. We don’t have to physically take someone’s life to be guilty of murder.

We can kill with our words. We can kill with our silence. We can kill with our indifference.

Jesus reveals that every human bears the image of God, and when we devalue someone—even in our thoughts—we are violating the sanctity of that image. But He doesn’t leave us there. Instead of just telling us what not to do, Jesus gives us a vision of what life in His Kingdom looks like.

The Way of Kingdom Righteousness

Rather than simmering in anger, Jesus calls us to be people of active reconciliation. He gives two examples:

Notice that both examples demand initiative. Jesus isn’t just saying, ‘Don’t be angry.’ He’s saying, Be the kind of person who values reconciliation so deeply that you act on it.

The Right Questions to Ask

Instead of fixating on technicalities (e.g., “What counts as an insult?” “How much anger is too much?”), Jesus invites us to examine our hearts:

So what does this look like in everyday life? It’s not about nitpicking legalistic rules (“Okay, I won’t call them a moron, but I will call them an idiot”). That’s missing the point. Instead, Jesus calls us to a whole new way of thinking:

The call of Jesus is not just to not murder—it’s to become the kind of people who love deeply, forgive freely, and refuse to let anger take root. When we walk in kingdom righteousness, we don’t just avoid murder—we actively choose life. We choose reconciliation. We choose love. And in doing so, we become the salt and light Jesus calls us to be.