Expelling Anger Series

Worship was a major concern of the scribes and Pharisees, directly or indirectly the focus of almost everything they did. They spent much time in the synagogues and in the Temple. They made sacrifices, offered prayers, gave tithes, and carried on religious activities of every sort. But it was all heartless external ceremony.

• One of the greatest pitfalls in the instruction of children is to focus on external obedience while neglecting heartful devotion. When we neglect the heart in instruction, especially in teaching about honouring God, we train little Pharisees. That is why so many teens show so little interest in the things of faith once they leave home. Parents who spent all their time in focusing on external ritual obedience find out too late that they neglected the essence of proper worship in heart-felt devotion.

In Matthew 5:23, So /Therefore refers back to Jesus’ point that sin, just as righteousness, is first of all internal. As long as there is internal sin, outward acts of worship are not acceptable to God. Jesus continues to focus on the particular sin of hatred against someone else, a brother in the broadest sense. Reconciliation must precede worship.

The scene of offering your gift at the altar was a familiar one to Jews. Every Jew realized that sin caused a breach in one’s relationship with God, and that the sacrifices and offerings were intended to restore a right relationship with Him. Jesus said, “if you remember that your brother has something against you.” Unresolved conflict has priority and must be settled.

• Notice it is that the situation here is when your brother has something against you. It is not sufficient to say that this is his problem, let him deal with it. Matthew 18 deals with the situation when we have something against another. In this situation it deals with the flip side. What is the “something” that Christ refers to?

The phrase your brother has something against you could also refer to anger or hatred on the brother’s part. That is, even if we hold nothing against him, if he is angry with or hates us, we should do everything in our power to be reconciled to him. Obviously we cannot change another person’s heart or attitude, but our desire and effort should be to close the breach as much as is possible from our side and to hold no anger ourselves even if the other person does.

• We cannot guarantee that another person will agree to be reconciled with us, but we should make every effort “as far as it depends on” us (Rom 12:18).

Regardless of who is responsible for the break in relationship-and often there is guilt on both sides-we should determine to make a reconciliation before we come before God to worship. True worship is not enhanced by better music, better prayers, better architecture, or even better preaching. True worship is enhanced by better relationships between those who come to worship.

• When one in our family or school or a friend has something against you, we have a responsibility to act.

• This is the courageous and mature action. This shows character and forges bonds much closer than casual friendliness.