“Do not kill.” – Exodus 20:13 (CEB)
The shortest commandment carries the most weight. Most of us read it and quietly excuse ourselves. We have never killed anyone. But Jesus traced this commandment back to its root, and the root is contempt. He said anyone who nurses anger or calls a brother a fool has already started down the road. The very first murder in the Bible, Cain and Abel, began as resentment between brothers, and ended with God saying Abel’s blood was crying out from the ground.
Violence against a neighbor is never private. It tears something in the whole community, and even the earth grieves it. We may not kill, but we can diminish, dismiss, and erase people with our contempt. Today, notice where contempt has crept into how you see someone. Every life around you bears the image of God. Guard it.
God, root out the contempt I have learned to live with. Help me see every person as one you made and love, and to guard their life and dignity. Through Christ I pray. Amen.