Title: Being Better than Looking Good
Text: Matthew 5:21-26
Thesis: We make Christ known when we practice an exceeding righteousness… when our attitudes, thoughts, words and actions all reflect the spirit of Christ.
Epiphany Series: Encountering Christ in Epiphany
• On the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany Jesus urges his followers to be known as people whose inner dispositions are consistent with their exterior behavior. Resisting the urge to take a life is good… but resisting the anger that fuels the urge to lash out is even better. “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20
Introduction
This week I read a story about a boy who was sitting on the curb beside his lawn mower. As he sat there his pastor came by riding a bicycle. The pastor noticed the dejected look on the boy’s face and stopped to see if he could help… and after chatting a bit the pastor offered to trade his bicycle for the lawn mower. They made the trade and each went his way.
A few days later their paths crossed again and the pastor said, “I think you got the better deal. No matter how much I crank on that mower you swapped me, it just won’t start.”
“Oh,” said the boy, “It’ll start if you cuss it.”
“Well,” the pastor responded, “You know I can’t very well do that. I’m a pastor and I forgot about cussing a long time ago.”
The boy answered, “Just keep on crankin’, it’ll come back to you.”
You’ve probably said or heard it said that some things are enough to make a preacher cuss.
My suspicion is that most everyone, including pastors, has become angry enough to be on the verge of cussing over some thing or some one.
However, I did hear of one older gentlemen who was rather proud of the fact that he did not have a single enemy in all the world. He could not think of one for whom he felt animosity or who might hold animosity against him. When asked the secret to this pleasant and peaceful state of being he responded, “It’s easy! I just out lived all the dirty buggers.”
As we continue our reflection on the Sermon on the Mount I would like for us to see the key to the pattern of teaching that will unfold this week and next week. In Matthew 5: 20 Jesus makes an astounding statement that had to have rattled the cages of his listener’s perceptions of what it means to live a good life. Jesus said, “For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Jesus’ comment was sweeping in its implications. The Pharisees and teachers of the law were perceived to be people who most closely adhered to every jot and tittle of the law. If anyone was to have lived so as to earn the right to go to heaven, it was the Pharisees and teachers of the law. They kept the rules. They were meticulous in their attempts to fully define the law. So much so, that they took the 10 Commandments and carefully parsed each commandment so that everyone would know what they had to do, or not do, in order to have kept the law. The law was sacred to the Jewish people.
Yet Jesus quotes the law, then contradicts it and then substitutes his own teaching in place of it. Essentially, it would seem that Jesus literally had the audacity to point out the inadequacies of their sacred law.
Having made that bold and sweeping statement, Jesus went on to explain what he meant in Matthew 5:21-48. Jesus makes his point through a series of six illustrations, all of which follow a distinct pattern.
1. Statement: Each begins with the statement, “you have heard that it was said…” In saying this he is directly referencing the official teaching of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.
2. Contradiction: He then says, “But I tell you…” In saying “But I tell you…” Jesus is making a contradictory statement. Jesus is taking exception to what the Pharisees and teachers of the law believed fulfilled the requirements of the law.
3. Explanation: He then explained what he meant.
In all of this Jesus simply distinguishes between keeping the “letter” of the law and keeping the “spirit” of the law. Jesus is saying that you can keep the letter of the law and yet still have broken the spirit of the law. Jesus was saying that just because outwardly you manage to keep the law, inwardly you may have sinned and broken the law. In this series of examples Jesus is teaching his followers that their exterior and interior lives must be consistent if they are to be truly righteous people.
William Barclay states it very succinctly, “God alone can judge men. We see only a man’s outward actions; God also sees the secret of his heart. There will be many a man, whose outward actions are a model of rectitude, whose inward thoughts stand condemned before God.” (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Westminster Press, p. 137)
Jesus taught that we honor God and respect people not just through our actions, but with our thoughts and motives as well.
Let’s begin with his first example of how a person can outwardly justified but condemned for his inward thoughts.
I. Good people do not murder, better people do not harbor anger.
“You have heard that it was said…, ‘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.” Matthew 5:21-22
Jesus raised the bar for understanding the spirit of the law. The letter of the law said that you must not murder another person. So if you manage to get through life without killing someone you have kept the law of God. However Jesus says that at the heart of the commandment, “You shall not murder…” is also the spirit of the law which implies that not only should you refrain from murdering someone, you must also manage the anger that would rise up and take a swipe at another person. In the simplest of terms, Jesus is saying that it is not enough to simply refrain from smacking another person, what is enough is that you refrain from the anger that makes you want to smack them.
This week I read a note on FaceBook from a grandma who commented that she had been playing dinosaurs with her little grandson, who had graduated from playing cars and is now into playing with dinosaurs. It reminded me of the man who worked and worked trying to unplug his bathroom toilet. Finally in desperation he dismantled the fixture and eventually found that a purple, rubber dinosaur was the culprit. His little boy had apparently flushed the dinosaur. He put the fixture back together and was a bit miffed that it still did not flush right, when his little boy came into the bathroom, spied his purple dinosaur and excitedly asked, “Daddy, did you find the green one too?”
I suspect he was no longer just a bit miffed!
There are different kinds of anger. However the anger Jesus speaks of is a smoldering, brooding anger that is long-lived and can tend toward turning into bitterness.
Anger is not a good thing.
A. Dwelling on one’s anger toward another person is a bad thing.
“…anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment.: Matthew 5:22a
In James the bible says, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.” James 1:19-20
In Colossians we are instructed to “put to death whatever belongs to our earthly nature… and rid ourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage and malice…” Colossians 3:5-8
In Ephesians Paul warns us to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger… and be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other Just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:31-32
The spirit of anger is at the very core of our emotions. And it is that spirit that prompts a person to lash out in anger toward another person… it is that kind of anger that verbally attacks another person and it is that kind of anger that strikes another person and it is that kind of anger that, if sufficiently fueled, does harm to others.
Researchers at the University of Utah have found that there is a price to pay when a married couple does not get along. They found that women who buried their anger rather than speaking out were more likely to succumb to heart disease than wives who were more vocal. And they found that when women become domineering and controlling, damage was done to their husband’s coronary health.
A British research project found similar results. After a twelve year study of British civil employees who were married, they found that those living in hostile marriage relationships were 34 percent more likely to experience chest pains, heart attacks and suffer other coronary trouble than those who were in loving relationships. And here’s the kicker. Even after considering all typical contributing factors such as obesity, smoking and drinking, those in troubled relationships were still at 23 percent greater risk for heart attack. (PreachingToday.com cited sources: "The fine art of marital dispute," The Week, 10-19-07, p. 22, "Study ties marital strife, heart disease," Associated Press, Yahoo New, 10.08.07, "A Bad Relationship Can Cause Heart Attack: Study," Reuters, ABCNews.com, 10.08.07)
Anger is not only unhealthy… it can be downright hazardous to your well-being.
But Jesus does not stop with that. He elaborates on what he means by deep-down, heart-felt anger toward another person. He continued to condemn the person who may refrain from taking the life of another person but who, down deep in his heart, actually despises that person.
Anger has a way of growing into something even uglier.
B. Despising another person is worse. Matthew 5:22b
“Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin.” Matthew 5:22
The word raca is not to be translated as a word spoken but rather as an attitude of contempt toward others. This attitude of contempt looks down on others. It thinks another person is a brainless idiot or a fool. Jesus says it is a bad thing to attack a man’s mental capacity.
But then he continues to say it is even worse to attack another person’s character.
C. Destroying another person’s character is even more so… worse.
“But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Matthew 5:22c
At first glance it would seem that Jesus is simply condemning a person who in anger lashes out and calls another person a fool. That is what Jesus was saying in the earlier point about despising another person. Here he speaks to angrily destroying another person’s character.
The word Jesus used is “moros” which means “fool.” But it does not mean a mental fool, it means a moral fool. Barclay points out that to call someone “moros” was not to criticize a person’s mental ability but rather to cast an aspersion on the person’s character. It was to angrily destroy a man’s reputation.
And Jesus said that anyone who in his anger destroys another person’s character deserves to go to hell.
We simply translate what Jesus said as those who destroy the reputation of others are in danger of the fires hell. Jesus said that such people are in danger of the fire of Ghenna.
Ghenna was known as the Valley of Hinnom. It is a real place southwest of Jerusalem. It is the place where Ahaz, one of Israel’s more notoriously evil kings, introduced the pagan worship of Moloch. In II Chronicles 28:3 there is reference to the sacrificing of children to Moloch… images of Moloch are of a rather hideous idol with outstretched arms welcoming worshippers to toss their children into the flames that burned in his belly. It was a horrible and hideous and unimaginably despicable place.
Eventually the Valley of Hinnom became the land-fill or city dump for the area. And it is said that the bodies of criminals and derelicts were also dumped there to be burned. William Barclay referred to it as a public incinerator. It was a place where the fires burned constantly. The smoke and the smells of burning refuse filled the air 24/7/365. So Ghenna was essentially a synonym for hell. And the person who angrily destroyed the reputation of another was in danger of spending eternity in the fiery wasteland of a place like Ghenna.
The matter of anger in broken relationships and unresolved issues is so important that Jesus says that a person should not think that he can have a good relationship to God when he is at odds with another person.
I regularly order long-stem, black, wild rice from Superior, Wisconsin. It is harvested from area rivers and lakes, cleaned and bagged. When the rice arrives it is packaged with directions. Bring three cups of water to a boil and stir in one cup of wild rice. Then bring to a boil again, reduce the heat and let the rice simmer for 55 minutes. The key to good rice is in the simmering. However the key to bad relationships is simmering anger.
Jesus does not want his followers to let angry and conflicted relationships simmer. He said...
D. Do what you can to be reconciled with those with whom you are angry or who may be angry with you.
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there and first go and be reconciled with your brother. Then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24
Jesus speaks to our initiating reconciliation on two levels.
1. Jesus tells his followers that if they are at odds with another person, before they can fully participate in worship they need to go and do what they can to right that relationship.
2. Jesus tells his followers that if they are involved in an angry and contested legal conflict, they are to settle things personally rather than process it though the public judicial system. Jesus said, “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way [to court].” Matthew 5:25
Jesus clearly wants the righteousness of his followers to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Jesus wants his followers to live by a higher standard that not only inhibits our taking the life of another in anger but also encourages us to deal in positive ways with the anger in our hearts, so to speak. In the mind of Christ the thought also counts. So Jesus is big on being reconciled with those with whom we are at odds. Deal with it and be done with it!
The Apostle Paul put a nice spin on the way Christians are to relate to others when he wrote, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18
Conclusion
Hopefully, having unpacked this first of six examples, we will have come to understand that Jesus wants his followers to observe more than the letter of the law. Jesus wants us to also observe the spirit of the law. Jesus wants us to know that the “thought” does count.
A flight attendant for a major airline watched as a passenger overloaded with bags tried to stuff his belongings into the overhead bin. Finally she informed him that he would have to check the oversized luggage. He angrily said, “When I fly other airlines, I don’t have this problem.” The flight attendant replied, “When you fly other airlines, I don’t have this problem either.”
More than three fourths of Americans believe angry behavior has increased in places like highways and the airways. An old study done In 1997 found there were 66 reported incidents of airline passenger rage. Just two years later, in 1999, there were 534 reported incidents of angry confrontations with angry fliers. And despite stiff penalties for behaving badly on airlines we frequently hear of angry and disorderly behavior by airline passengers. (USA Today, 7/18,2000)
At the heart of every outward demonstration of anger, we know there is always the inner disposition of anger that acts out in hostile outward behavior.
Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with is brother will be subject to judgment.”
