Anger Management
Matt. 5:21-26
PSCOC
5/6/07
Introduction: Minor League Manager looses it!
I watched a minor league manager completely loose control when a base runner was called safe on a steal. He disagreed. So, he came out and began yelling in the umpire’s face, which is sometimes just considered part of the show in baseball. But he progressed to demonstrate the slide into second base, pick up the base and force it right into the umpire’s face and then heaved into the outfield. Then he came back to yell at the umpire some more and began covering home plate with dirt. Of course, being ejected at this point, he went back to the dugout and began tossing bats onto the field. Then he took a bottle of water, yelled at the umpire some more, poured the water on home plate and covered it in mud. He threw down the bottle, yelled at the ump some more and finally stormed off the field. He was suspended and assigned to anger management classes.
The TV media had a fun time with this footage. It was amusing, because of such an out of control tirade over a seemingly minor disagreement. But to Jesus, anger is no laughing matter. In fact, he says that when anger is directed at your brother it is equal to murder. Wait a minute Jesus! You go too far! Why I’ve been angry with brother “so and so” for years and I wouldn’t murder him. If that’s you, then Jesus has something to say to you of urgency this morning. He will give you a reason why you should care if you are reconciled to your brother. Jesus again transcends the LOM and sheds new light on what it means to live in relationship with God and with one another.
Move 1: Anger kills (read 5:21, 22).
Jesus has stated that we must have a righteousness that surpasses the Pharisees to enter into the kingdom of heaven. That was startling statement to his audience, because they excelled in external righteousness, but as Jesus expounds upon the Law it becomes clear that he is not simply addressing external law keeping, though it is important in some cases, but he is elevating the law to account for our hearts and our attitudes.
Certainly, Jesus affirms that it is wrong to murder. Jesus’ makes his statement in a startling authoritative way. “You have heard it said” (quoting the LOM), but I say to you.” Jesus is claiming himself as the ultimate interpreter and expositor of the law. He’s not removed it (17), but he has the authority to give the law its true meaning. That’s quite a position to claim for yourself, but Jesus can get away with it, because of the divine authority that he speaks with. The last two verses in Matt. 7 tell us the people were “amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority.” No doubt. Jesus elevates and redefines their most sacred possession, the LOM.
So, Jesus affirms that it is wrong to murder. We all nod in agreement here. Preach on, Jesus! And it makes us feel good, because we aren’t likely to go and out and murder someone. Jesus reminds us that the one who murders is subject to the judgment. Here he probably means the communal judgment of the people.
Jesus doesn’t exactly say that anger is the same as murder, but he implies as much when he links judgment to both of them. “But I say to you anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to the judgment.” Here the judgment is something beyond a human court, because only God can look inside the heart and see anger. But this is shocking! Maybe no one here is actually murdered someone, but we’ve all been angry.
Jesus doesn’t qualify what he says, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do a little discerning here. We all know the verse that tells us to sin in our anger, implying that you can be angry and not sin. We also know that Jesus was angry when he chased out the money changers. God burned with anger many times in OT. It is not right to read these words as absolute prohibition on anger. What Jesus is speaking of is harboring anger in our hearts towards our brother, allowing that anger to destroy my relationship with another brother or sister. The implication is that wishing for my brother’s demise is the same in the heart as physically murdering him. And that hits much closer to home.
Jesus is not content to leave it there. He’s that if we call someone ‘Raca’ that we will be answerable to the Sanhedrin. You’re thinking, “I’m good on that one. I don’t have a Sanhedrin and I have never called someone ‘Raca’!” Considering the context, Sanhedrin, which was usually a reference to a Jewish ruling council, is most likely a reference to a more ultimate judgment, which Jesus is building toward. And you may not have called anyone ‘Raca’, but I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve ever gone to your car after a church meeting and banged the steering wheel in frustration and yelled, “Idiot!” It isn’t that Jesus is legislating against a particular word, but it’s the contempt in the heart that we have for one another that leads to insulting labels.
Ill.: I remember once when I was a child my dad had done something silly in parking the car. I yelled out, “Dad! You fool!” Of course, I didn’t mean anything by it, but my mom’s quick reprimand was upon me. I suppose she was reacting to this passage that where Jesus says that if we call someone fool we are in danger of hell fire. It’s probably a good idea not to be calling people fool, but it is not the particular word that Jesus is concerned with as much as the contempt and disdain we harbor for our brother or sister in our hearts, which, in the heart, is all the same as murder. Jesus is addressing our attitudes that give rise to external actions. Those attitudes can put us in danger of God’s ultimate judgment. We cannot love God and hate our brother. We cannot harbor anger against a man or woman made in the image of God and still know God.
Move 2: Your worship must first be demonstrated in reconciliation to your brother (read 23, 24).
Jesus gives two illustrations to help us understand the urgency of the matter. He’s taking away our excuses to simply put off reconciling with our brother. So, he gives us the image of a man coming to make a sacrifice in the Court of Priests. That it is such a solemn occasion underscores its urgency, but the application is much broader. God is not interested in your worship when you have had a falling out with your brother and you have not yet made an effort to repair it. In this illustration it assumes you’ve wronged your brother in some way, but later in Matthew 18 he places the burden on the one whose been wronged. Either way the responsibility is on the one who will listen to Jesus, and either way we can’t control the response and attitudes of the brother or sister, but we can our own.
Ill.: I know a brother who had quite a struggle with anger. He had subdued it admirably for some time. But one day he got into a disagreement with some of his other brothers at a CASA meeting. He became verbally abusive and physically confrontational, but Nick was a sincere heart. He knew the words of Jesus and they convicted him. When communion was passed that next morning, he passed the emblems without partaking. He then found each of his brothers in his meeting and apologized to each one and asked for their forgiveness, which, of course, his brothers were willing to do. Next time he took communion it meant something. Had he taken it anyway that morning it would’ve been hypocrisy. Though his anger was regrettable, his repentance and efforts at reconciliation were exactly what Jesus had in mind. God is not interested in our communion when we’ve broken communion with our brothers and sisters.
Move 3: Don’t leave undone what God asks of you (read 25-26).
The second illustration Jesus uses is a little more confusing. It seems out of place. Why is Jesus now telling us how to avoid going to court with our adversary? Jesus is still underscoring the urgency that we must have in reconciling ourselves to others.
He’s uses an illustration that his audience would understand. It was not uncommon for a person to be thrown into prison because they owed someone money. Then there was no chance of getting out until you found a way to pay the debt. However, if one was proactive and reached an agreement with their adversary before they came to the judge the situation could’ve been avoided. The judge probably is representative of God, underscoring the judgment theme in the text. The point is to be proactive in reconciling to your brothers and sisters or God will hold you accountable.
Move 4: Don’t wait for someone else to make the first move.
I don’t think that the answer for our anger is anger management. The solution is Jesus in our hearts. Where Jesus is; anger, contempt, and disdain will not remain. This is serious business. Jesus does not threaten divine judgment without cause. That is how important our relationships are to one another in God’s eyes.
Often what happens in a relationship is that there is a misunderstanding. Then both sides wait for the other to come say they’re sorry. When it doesn’t happen anger begins to boil inside. Then the two people begin to interpret each others comments and actions in light of this new festering anger, which leads to hate, which is in effect murdering one another in the heart. The worst part is that it leads to the breaking of our relationship with God. All along the way if one of the two had simply gone to the other and sought to be reconciled the story could’ve been different.
Some of you have harbored anger and hatred toward your brother or sister in Christ and you know it. Jesus is commanding you to move on that. Whether its been one hour or fifty years, today is the day that you go to that person and tell him you’re my brother or sister and let’s make this right for God’s sake and for our sake. The disciple absolutely refuses to be enemies with his brother or sister.
But you ask; “what if I go to my brother or sister and they refuse me?” That’s tragic, but you will not be in danger of God’s judgment. You’ve done what you could do and you continue to pray for that person and you love that individual as your brother and sister and leave it in God’s hands. Give God time to change them and you. But there’s no excuse for alienation between brothers that are disciples of Christ. We become dead to each other because we have murdered one another in our hearts.
It isn’t only that we are trying to avoid God’s judgment, but we are seeking to be a living testimony to our world of the love of Christ. “If you love one another, the world will know you are my disciples.” Our credibility as witnesses to the love and salvation of God is dependent on how we love one another. I believe in a world that is overflowing with anger that people will desire that kind of love. They aren’t just seeking how to manage their anger. They want to eradicate it. Angry, bickering Christians are not much help. However, disciples who refuse to let even the most intense disagreements destroy their relationship in Christ are truly salt and light in this angry world.
Ill.: I have a friend who was once full of anger. She could be profane and vindictive. She wanted nothing to do with God or his people. But one day some people who were not deterred by her constant negativity and anger invited her to go play broom hockey. She didn’t like people, but she loved broom hockey. So, she went. She was never the same. Her heart was touched by Christians living in such genuine love and fellowship that she couldn’t get away from them! She was still rough around the edges, prone to angry outbursts, skepticism, and drunken tirades. But she just couldn’t cut her ties with such committed brother and sisters. She eventually turned her heart over to God. And God did a miracle. He took the passion that once fueled her anger and turned it towards loving other human beings the way she had been loved by these Christians.
If you ever meet Marianne, you will find that she’s still got a hot temper and that she’s highly opinionated. But she loves intensely. Now she’s a vocational missionary in Japan where she shares God’s love with those that never heard of Jesus. I shudder to think of the incredible loss to the kingdom had Marianne come to us at a time when there was anger and alienation dominating the hearts of God’s people.
So, take action today. Go to work on healing your relationships. Don’t wait for your anger to place you before the judgment seat of God, instead together let’s hold up the light to the world that they too may know the love of our God.
Invitation: You can experience relationship with God today.
We are never at peace and we are alienated from God and his people, until we are reconciled to God through Christ. Then we are also reconciled to one another. Come to Christ and let the anger go and be filled with his love and the love of your brethren.
