Skip to content
Back to library
Illustrationobject lesson

Reiqa Mirror: Contempt Attacks God's Image

A mirror labelled IMAGE OF GOD turns Jesus' warning about Raca into a concrete act of reverence. Contempt does not merely wound people; it denies what God stamped on them.

Big Idea

When contempt calls a person empty, it aims at someone God has marked with His own image.

4-6 minconvictingyouth, young adults, mature adults

Delivery Script

Hook Jesus does not only judge violence after it becomes physical. He goes upstream to anger, contempt and the words that dehumanise.

1. Hold up the image. [hold the mirror facing the congregation, IMAGE OF GOD tag visible] Scripture begins here. Human beings bear God's image. Not some of them. Not the ones who have earned it. All of them. That is where Genesis 1 plants its flag, and Jesus never moves it.

2. Make it personal. [turn the mirror briefly towards yourself, then back to the room] This is true before a person performs. Before they succeed. Before they agree with you. The image is already there. It was put there by Someone else.

3. Read the warning. [open the Bible and read Matthew 5:22] Jesus is teaching about murder, and He goes deeper than the act. He names the contempt that drives the knife before the knife moves. The word He uses is Reiqa - Raca in many translations - an Aramaic word meaning empty. Worthless. Jesus says that word lands you before the court. Not because words are merely unkind. Because of what they are aimed at.

4. Cover the label. [press the blank label over part of the mirror] Contempt does this. It tries to cover God's label with my label. Empty. Worthless. Difficult. Disposable. Watch how small the blank label is, and watch how much of the mirror it intends to hide.

5. Remove the label. [peel the blank label away cleanly, hold the mirror up again] [read James 3:9-10] With the tongue we bless God, and with the same tongue we curse people made in His likeness. James calls that what it is: wrong. The mirror does not change because we covered it. God's mark does not lift because we refused to see it.

6. Name the reach. [set the mirror down facing the room] Jesus treats contempt as serious because the tongue is not only reaching for another person. It is reaching for God's stamp on that person. That is why it is weighed so heavily. The insult has a target behind the target.

Land So reconciliation in Matthew 5 is not etiquette. It is repentance for treating God's image as disposable. When contempt calls someone empty, it contradicts the word God already spoke over them at creation. We do not get to overwrite that.

Call to action Remove one contempt label from your speech this week and replace it with truthful, image-honouring words.

Transitions

In

Jesus does not only judge violence after it becomes physical. He goes upstream to anger, contempt and the words that dehumanise.

Out

So reconciliation in Matthew 5 is not etiquette. It is repentance for treating God's image as disposable.

Scripture Anchors

Cross-Testament

James 3:9

Hebraic Anchor

רֵיקָא

Transliteration

Reiqa

Root

ריק

Literal Meaning

Empty, worthless, void of substance

Common Translation

Raca (a term of contempt)

Props & Setup

Props Required

  • 1
    Safe mirrorAcrylic mirror is best for stage use.
  • 2
    IMAGE OF GOD tagLarge enough to read from the room or projected close-up.
  • 3
    Blank removable labelRepresents the attempted label of contempt without writing a slur.
  • 4
    BibleMark Matthew 5:22 and James 3:9-10.

Setup Instructions

  1. 1Attach IMAGE OF GOD visibly to the mirror before the demo.
  2. 2Keep the blank label hidden until the contempt moment.
  3. 3Prepare to explain that Reiqa/Raca is an ancient contempt term meaning empty or worthless.

Stage Execution

  1. 1Hold the mirror facing the congregation with IMAGE OF GOD attached. Say, Scripture begins here: human beings bear God's image.
  2. 2Turn the mirror towards yourself briefly, then back to the room. Say, This is true before a person performs, succeeds or agrees with me.
  3. 3Read Matthew 5:22 and name Reiqa/Raca as a contempt word meaning empty or worthless.
  4. 4Place the blank label over part of the mirror and say, Contempt tries to cover God's label with my label.
  5. 5Remove the blank label and read James 3:9-10.
  6. 6Say, Jesus treats contempt as serious because the tongue is reaching for God's stamp on another person.

Safety Notes

Use an acrylic or handheld mirror, not breakable glass. Do not invite the room to repeat insulting words or contemporary slurs; name the term once and move to Jesus' warning.

Theological Grounding

Matthew 5:22 intensifies the command against murder by exposing the contempt and anger that move in the same direction. Reiqa, often rendered Raca, is an Aramaic contempt term meaning empty or worthless, and Jesus places such speech under serious judgement. Genesis 1 and James 3 show why this matters: human beings are made in God's likeness, so contemptuous speech contradicts reverence for the Creator.

Preacher Tips

  • Do not ask the congregation to shout insults. That rehearses the very contempt Jesus forbids.
  • Keep Genesis 1 and James 3 in view, because Matthew 5 alone does not explicitly say image of God.
  • If using a mirror under bright lights, angle it down so it does not flash into anyone's eyes.
  • Use the blank label rather than writing a modern insult. People will fill in enough from their own memory.

If Things Go Wrong

1The demo sounds like all moral disagreement is contempt.

Recovery: Say, Jesus forbids dehumanising speech; He does not forbid truthful correction under love.

2Someone hears shame because they have used cruel words.

Recovery: Move to Matthew 5:23-24: Jesus calls us to reconciliation because repentance is possible.

3The mirror feels too self-focused.

Recovery: Turn it outward and say, This is about the person you are tempted to reduce, not admiring yourself.

4The ancient term becomes a novelty.

Recovery: Use Reiqa once, then return to contempt, image and reconciliation.

Adaptations

young children

Use a mirror and a heart sticker. Say, God made people, so we do not use words that squash them.

older children

Use two labels, God made and worthless, and ask which one Christians must refuse to place on people.

teens

Apply the blank label to comment sections, group chats and screenshots that turn people into jokes.

small group

Read Matthew 5:21-24 and James 3:9-10 before confessing one form of contempt the group normalises.

Response Prompts

1.Who are you tempted to label as empty or beneath regard?

2.How does the image of God change the way you speak about opponents?

3.What reconciliation step does Matthew 5 ask from you?

Application Questions

  • 1How can teachers confront sin without using contempt?
  • 2What speech habits in your community quietly attack the image of God?

Call to Action

Remove one contempt label from your speech this week and replace it with truthful, image-honouring words.

Focus Note

The mirror is not saying every person reflects God perfectly in action. Sin distorts us. But the image of God is not removed by our dislike, irritation or moral disagreement. Reiqa is the language of dismissal: empty, useless, nothing. Jesus forbids His disciples to turn another bearer of God's image into nothing with the mouth. Love begins by refusing contempt.

Cultural Notes

Insults differ by language and social setting. Do not import local slurs or humiliating examples. Use the broader category of contempt: words or tones that declare a person empty, useless or beneath regard.

Themes & Tags

LoveImage of GodTruth & Tongue
ReiqaRacaMatthew 5image of Godcontempt

Sermon Placement

mid illustrationresponse moment

Memorability

The mirror and label action is simple but morally sharp. It is strongest when linked directly to Matthew 5 and James 3.

Type

object lesson

Difficulty

moderate

Setup

minimal

Cost

under_10_gbp