Anger! – Matthew 5:21-26
Anger! – Matthew 5:21-26
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 10, 2019
Angry words can never be taken back. Society’s standard of foul and angry words has declined in recent years, but we don’t have to decline with it, we should think about how to honor God with our speech. We please the Lord with our tongue when we show discernment. Proverbs 10:19 reminds us that “He who restrains his lips is wise”. When we do speak, we are to filter the words that escape our lips: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23 NIV). Paul’s warns us to “let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).
How can we keep our anger contained? How do we remain calm in a world that seems to be filled with hatred, evil, and ungodly behavior? Jesus in the Beatitudes sets an almost impossible situation where we are to speak right and think right all the time. Jesus did this to startle his listeners and to shock them into listening to what he was teaching about himself. And here he gives us some practical advice on what to do when we get angry with one another. Let’s discover what Jesus teaches…
READ: Matthew 5:21-26
A young lady remarked, “As I was reading the text message on my phone, my temperature started to rise and my blood began to boil. I was on the verge of shooting back a nasty answer when an inner voice told me to cool down and reply tomorrow. The next morning after a good night’s sleep, the issue that had upset me so greatly seemed so trivial.” In dealing with anger Jesus teaches us…
I. We can murder others with our angry words! (Vv. 21-22)
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, “Raca,” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.
1. Jesus reminds the crowd and his disciples of the commandments of God. He relates, “You have heard it said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’” “You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13 NIV)” Jesus was also commenting on some of the prevailing opinions among the Jewish leadership of his day to show that the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was defective. Remember he had just related that if their righteousness did not exceed that of the Pharisees they would not see the kingdom of heaven. The people needed a better righteousness or they could not be saved. Jesus illustrates what he meant by that better righteous-ness by showing that the common opinions of the scribes were incorrect. This is why he immediately remarks, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Jesus is equating a person’s irrational anger to that being the same as murder! The Pharisees thought it perfectly okay and even righteous to be angered at the Romans or anyone who did not agree with them; this is how they could later justify murdering Jesus and using the Romans to do their dirty work! Jesus understood that irrational anger could lead a person to totally dismiss those one disliked and thereby “murder” them. He continues by reminding them that “Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin.” God views all human life as sacred and to dismiss someone by calling them a “fool” was the height of arrogance and yet the Pharisees did it all the time. “But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” To God it demonstrates one’s intent and the sinfulness of their heart and was in danger of being condemned to hell, “Gehenna” meaning valley of Hinnom, the valley south of Jerusalem where fires consumed the city’s garbage. This became an apt name for the eternal punishment of the wicked. Jesus is reminding us that we can murder others with our angry words!
EXAMPLE: On the playground is not uncommon for children to get into arguments. We may think it is childish and just part of growing up but words can be hurtful and especially name calling. When adults carelessly use ungodly references or names for others it is just as childish and ungodly. Regretfully, I must confess that I am often tempted to respond in anger more than I would like to admit. I constantly find myself having to put into practice familiar Bible truths, such as “Be angry, and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26 NIV). Thankfully, God has given us his Spirit who will assist us in our battle with our sin. Peter and Paul called it the “sanctifying work of the Spirit” (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2 NIV). We need to remember that we can murder others with our angry words!
Jesus could have just given his listeners an admonishment for their bad behavior and then let it go but he then gives them how they can resolve the issue of angry words used in haste. Jesus continued by teaching that…
II. We can be reconciled for our angry words! (Vv. 23-24)
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
1. Jesus is not giving us a set of rules we have to put into effect in order to be forgiven by God. Sadly there are those who actually think that this is exactly what Jesus was doing but he is not. What Jesus begins to do is to teach us through example how we are to come before God when we do sin and how we are to treat one another when we act horrendously. The Pharisees were intent only on the external act in worship. They looked not at all to the internal state of the individual. If a man conformed to the external rites of religion, however much envy, and malice, and secret hatred he might have, they thought he was doing well. Jesus taught a different doctrine. It was of more consequence to have the heart right than to perform the outward act. How many of us have been dismissive of our parents, our children, siblings, neighbors, or fellow believers? How could anyone say they love God and yet harbor in their heart ill feelings toward another? We could never go to worship! Jesus puts it in a way everyone could fully understand. He related “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.” I must insert here that Jesus will later tell us what the two greatest commandments of God are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (and to)… Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV)”! Here he is sharing how they could do this when they realize that they have offended another by their hateful words. If they realized it they were stop what they were doing, even if was going to worship God, and “First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” This would have been shocking behavior to the Pharisees who thought their worship was far more important than anything including people’s view of them! What Jesus is describing here is not the actual act we are to do but rather how we are to respond when we realize we have offended someone else with angry words. And in his example Jesus is teaching us that we can be reconciled for our angry words!
EXAMPLE: “Now go and tell your brother that you are sorry” my father admonished me. My retort was, “What if he doesn’t care?” My dad reminded me that I had been given only one brother and that I would always be his brother no matter what. It did not matter how he responded but rather how I acted. And here in Matthew’s gospel we discover a wonderful picture of how we can readily approach God anytime we have sinned! It does not matter where we are we can come before him and be forgiven! Also if we say we love God but do not care about those we have offended then what does that truly say about our love of God? This is where the Pharisees failed but Jesus pointed to a new covenant of reconciliation between us and God and one another! We can be reconciled for our angry words!
Words mean things. If they didn’t then we would not use them to express ourselves. This is why Jesus knew that words said in anger can truly be hurtful and can literally “murder” another’s character. As believers we need to be careful of our words and anger. Jesus teaches us that…
III. Unreconciled anger will lead to judgment! (Vv. 25-26)
Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
1. The consequence of not being reconciled Jesus expresses in the language of courts. The adversary (the one you offended or perhaps God himself who becomes our adversary when we do not confess our sin) shall deliver us to the judge, and then to the executioner and he shall throw us into prison! If we are unwilling to be at peace with others how will God deal with us? God’s dealings with those that harbored these feelings towards those who would not be reconciled with their fellow believers results in the example of punishment inflicted by human courts! That is, he would hold us as violating the sixth commandment and would punish us accordingly. Murdering someone can occur when we willingly know we have sinned and refuse to confess our sin or be forgiven by others! We should therefore “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.” It is like when I would call my brother a stinky name and I knew as soon as I did I had better say I was “sorry” and mean it or suffer the consequences! Jesus related if we did not immediately do what we know we are supposed to do in such a situation we could suffer the consequences: “Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.” Jesus is not suggesting that the believer will never be forgiven and thereby end up in hell for an eternity, because we know this to be patently false. What Jesus is teaching is the seriousness of our angry words and our ungodly actions! His disciples, his followers, were to act differently than even the pious Pharisees! God wanted us to be holy because he is holy and he knew this was totally impossible because we are ungodly in our attitudes and actions! It is only through the shed blood of Jesus we are made holy and can be seen as righteous! We could surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees in Jesus! Our ungodly anger will lead us to an eternity in prison: “I tell you the truth you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” We can never pay the debt we own without Jesus’ sacrifice! Unless we take care of it through our faith in Jesus our unreconciled anger will lead to judgment!
EXAMPLE: David McCasland writes: “A friend told me about the time he was watching football on TV as his young daughter played nearby. Angered by his team’s bad play, he grabbed the closest thing and threw it down. His little girl’s favorite toy was shattered, along with her heart. My friend immediately embraced his daughter and apologized. He replaced the toy and thought all was well. But he didn’t know how much his fury had frightened his 4-year-old, and she didn’t know the depth of her pain. In time, however, forgiveness came. Years later he sent an identical toy to his daughter when she was expecting a baby. She posted a photo of the toy on Facebook with the words, ‘This gift has a very long story going back to my childhood. It wasn’t a happy story then, but it has a happy ending now! Redemption is a beautiful thing. Thanks, Grandpa!’” When we are the victim of anger, God asks us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (v.32). Unreconciled anger will lead to judgment!
Restored relationships are not easy, but they are possible by the grace of God.
Conclusion:
We can murder others with our angry words! We can be reconciled for our angry words! Unreconciled anger will lead to judgment!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
March 10, 2019
Angry words can never be taken back. Society’s standard of foul and angry words has declined in recent years, but we don’t have to decline with it, we should think about how to honor God with our speech. We please the Lord with our tongue when we show discernment. Proverbs 10:19 reminds us that “He who restrains his lips is wise”. When we do speak, we are to filter the words that escape our lips: “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23 NIV). Paul’s warns us to “let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth” (Ephesians 4:29 NIV).
How can we keep our anger contained? How do we remain calm in a world that seems to be filled with hatred, evil, and ungodly behavior? Jesus in the Beatitudes sets an almost impossible situation where we are to speak right and think right all the time. Jesus did this to startle his listeners and to shock them into listening to what he was teaching about himself. And here he gives us some practical advice on what to do when we get angry with one another. Let’s discover what Jesus teaches…
READ: Matthew 5:21-26
A young lady remarked, “As I was reading the text message on my phone, my temperature started to rise and my blood began to boil. I was on the verge of shooting back a nasty answer when an inner voice told me to cool down and reply tomorrow. The next morning after a good night’s sleep, the issue that had upset me so greatly seemed so trivial.” In dealing with anger Jesus teaches us…
I. We can murder others with our angry words! (Vv. 21-22)
You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, “Raca,” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell.
1. Jesus reminds the crowd and his disciples of the commandments of God. He relates, “You have heard it said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’” “You shall not murder. (Exodus 20:13 NIV)” Jesus was also commenting on some of the prevailing opinions among the Jewish leadership of his day to show that the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was defective. Remember he had just related that if their righteousness did not exceed that of the Pharisees they would not see the kingdom of heaven. The people needed a better righteousness or they could not be saved. Jesus illustrates what he meant by that better righteous-ness by showing that the common opinions of the scribes were incorrect. This is why he immediately remarks, “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.” Jesus is equating a person’s irrational anger to that being the same as murder! The Pharisees thought it perfectly okay and even righteous to be angered at the Romans or anyone who did not agree with them; this is how they could later justify murdering Jesus and using the Romans to do their dirty work! Jesus understood that irrational anger could lead a person to totally dismiss those one disliked and thereby “murder” them. He continues by reminding them that “Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin.” God views all human life as sacred and to dismiss someone by calling them a “fool” was the height of arrogance and yet the Pharisees did it all the time. “But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” To God it demonstrates one’s intent and the sinfulness of their heart and was in danger of being condemned to hell, “Gehenna” meaning valley of Hinnom, the valley south of Jerusalem where fires consumed the city’s garbage. This became an apt name for the eternal punishment of the wicked. Jesus is reminding us that we can murder others with our angry words!
EXAMPLE: On the playground is not uncommon for children to get into arguments. We may think it is childish and just part of growing up but words can be hurtful and especially name calling. When adults carelessly use ungodly references or names for others it is just as childish and ungodly. Regretfully, I must confess that I am often tempted to respond in anger more than I would like to admit. I constantly find myself having to put into practice familiar Bible truths, such as “Be angry, and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26 NIV). Thankfully, God has given us his Spirit who will assist us in our battle with our sin. Peter and Paul called it the “sanctifying work of the Spirit” (2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2 NIV). We need to remember that we can murder others with our angry words!
Jesus could have just given his listeners an admonishment for their bad behavior and then let it go but he then gives them how they can resolve the issue of angry words used in haste. Jesus continued by teaching that…
II. We can be reconciled for our angry words! (Vv. 23-24)
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
1. Jesus is not giving us a set of rules we have to put into effect in order to be forgiven by God. Sadly there are those who actually think that this is exactly what Jesus was doing but he is not. What Jesus begins to do is to teach us through example how we are to come before God when we do sin and how we are to treat one another when we act horrendously. The Pharisees were intent only on the external act in worship. They looked not at all to the internal state of the individual. If a man conformed to the external rites of religion, however much envy, and malice, and secret hatred he might have, they thought he was doing well. Jesus taught a different doctrine. It was of more consequence to have the heart right than to perform the outward act. How many of us have been dismissive of our parents, our children, siblings, neighbors, or fellow believers? How could anyone say they love God and yet harbor in their heart ill feelings toward another? We could never go to worship! Jesus puts it in a way everyone could fully understand. He related “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar.” I must insert here that Jesus will later tell us what the two greatest commandments of God are to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind (and to)… Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39 NIV)”! Here he is sharing how they could do this when they realize that they have offended another by their hateful words. If they realized it they were stop what they were doing, even if was going to worship God, and “First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” This would have been shocking behavior to the Pharisees who thought their worship was far more important than anything including people’s view of them! What Jesus is describing here is not the actual act we are to do but rather how we are to respond when we realize we have offended someone else with angry words. And in his example Jesus is teaching us that we can be reconciled for our angry words!
EXAMPLE: “Now go and tell your brother that you are sorry” my father admonished me. My retort was, “What if he doesn’t care?” My dad reminded me that I had been given only one brother and that I would always be his brother no matter what. It did not matter how he responded but rather how I acted. And here in Matthew’s gospel we discover a wonderful picture of how we can readily approach God anytime we have sinned! It does not matter where we are we can come before him and be forgiven! Also if we say we love God but do not care about those we have offended then what does that truly say about our love of God? This is where the Pharisees failed but Jesus pointed to a new covenant of reconciliation between us and God and one another! We can be reconciled for our angry words!
Words mean things. If they didn’t then we would not use them to express ourselves. This is why Jesus knew that words said in anger can truly be hurtful and can literally “murder” another’s character. As believers we need to be careful of our words and anger. Jesus teaches us that…
III. Unreconciled anger will lead to judgment! (Vv. 25-26)
Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. I tell you the truth you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
1. The consequence of not being reconciled Jesus expresses in the language of courts. The adversary (the one you offended or perhaps God himself who becomes our adversary when we do not confess our sin) shall deliver us to the judge, and then to the executioner and he shall throw us into prison! If we are unwilling to be at peace with others how will God deal with us? God’s dealings with those that harbored these feelings towards those who would not be reconciled with their fellow believers results in the example of punishment inflicted by human courts! That is, he would hold us as violating the sixth commandment and would punish us accordingly. Murdering someone can occur when we willingly know we have sinned and refuse to confess our sin or be forgiven by others! We should therefore “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court.” It is like when I would call my brother a stinky name and I knew as soon as I did I had better say I was “sorry” and mean it or suffer the consequences! Jesus related if we did not immediately do what we know we are supposed to do in such a situation we could suffer the consequences: “Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.” Jesus is not suggesting that the believer will never be forgiven and thereby end up in hell for an eternity, because we know this to be patently false. What Jesus is teaching is the seriousness of our angry words and our ungodly actions! His disciples, his followers, were to act differently than even the pious Pharisees! God wanted us to be holy because he is holy and he knew this was totally impossible because we are ungodly in our attitudes and actions! It is only through the shed blood of Jesus we are made holy and can be seen as righteous! We could surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees in Jesus! Our ungodly anger will lead us to an eternity in prison: “I tell you the truth you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” We can never pay the debt we own without Jesus’ sacrifice! Unless we take care of it through our faith in Jesus our unreconciled anger will lead to judgment!
EXAMPLE: David McCasland writes: “A friend told me about the time he was watching football on TV as his young daughter played nearby. Angered by his team’s bad play, he grabbed the closest thing and threw it down. His little girl’s favorite toy was shattered, along with her heart. My friend immediately embraced his daughter and apologized. He replaced the toy and thought all was well. But he didn’t know how much his fury had frightened his 4-year-old, and she didn’t know the depth of her pain. In time, however, forgiveness came. Years later he sent an identical toy to his daughter when she was expecting a baby. She posted a photo of the toy on Facebook with the words, ‘This gift has a very long story going back to my childhood. It wasn’t a happy story then, but it has a happy ending now! Redemption is a beautiful thing. Thanks, Grandpa!’” When we are the victim of anger, God asks us to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (v.32). Unreconciled anger will lead to judgment!
Restored relationships are not easy, but they are possible by the grace of God.
Conclusion:
We can murder others with our angry words! We can be reconciled for our angry words! Unreconciled anger will lead to judgment!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2019 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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