Matthew 5:21-26 comprises the following sections:
In this section, Jesus is teaching on the sixth of the Ten Commandments and therefore deals with murder. The first murder recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, that of Cain by Abel, involved anger that arose in a brother in the context of offering sacrifices. Those same scriptures first refer to the sort of anger that Jesus addresses here in a warning from Joseph to his brothers. In both cases the issue motivating hostility is an unwillingness to accept the authority of the individual whom God has appointed as their saviour. It is therefore noteworthy that Jesus teaching in verses 21-22 contains a stark warning to those who rejected his authority, derived from the outcome of an infamous murder. Moreover, that verses 23-26 address reconciliation between brothers in a sacrificial context.
Matthew 5:21-26 contains some solid moral teaching, but within the context of Jesus early ministry it also packed a powerful political punch.
. . . commentary continues with Matt 5:21-22