THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (part eight)
Matthew 5:21-26
As we continue our series, we come to the place where Jesus stresses the importance of dealing with our anger and mending relationships. We’ve all been angry at someone. The question is-what has that anger produced? If we don’t properly deal with our anger it will result in bitterness, resentment and hatred. It can cause us to inflict harm. That’s not the attitude or behavior of a follower of Christ. What about when we know someone is angry with us? What should we do then? Let’s see what Jesus has to say about all of that.
1) When you're angry with your brother (21-22).
Matt. 5:21-22, “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."
Jesus is going deeper than just the command of do not murder and into addressing the heart of the matter. This coincides with how God addressed Cain. God knew there was murder in Cain's heart towards his brother. He warned Cain to get control of his murderous thoughts. Unfortunately, Cain didn't listen and he killed his brother. Here Jesus goes after the same principle.
Before we actually commit murder, we have murderous intentions in our heart. Even if someone acts on impulse they still had evil thoughts about the person beforehand. And even if you're a serial killer and kill people at random you're still being fueled by murderous thoughts.
So Jesus is addressing the sins of the mouth and heart here. He's taking it further than just the act of murder and the consequences derived from that.
"Anyone who is angry with his brother". Some manuscripts have: “angry with his brother without cause”. There are some legitimate reasons to be angry with someone. If I've been abused or cheated or slandered or sinned against some other way. But there are plenty of reasons that are not legitimate too. When I'm going by assumptions or when my anger is fueled by selfishness or pride; things like that.
So Jesus isn't saying that if you get angry you're going to face God's judgment. Everyone gets angry. And anger in and of itself isn't a sin. But it can become sin if we don't have the right reaction to it.
Eph. 4:26-27, “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”
He didn’t say, “Don’t get angry.” He said, “do not sin". Don't get angry for the wrong reasons or wrong causes. And don’t let it linger because you'll allow the devil to grab a hold of your heart and mind.
There were two Greek words used for anger. One was for the anger that comes and goes quickly. Then the other, used here in Matthew 5:22, was for the anger that festered and grew. That’s not to say there’s no problem with anger that flares up and dies quickly but the most damaging and consequential form of anger is the one that is the slow burn, where we keep throwing logs on the fire until we reach a boiling point and explode.
Raca, means, empty-head. Today it would be like calling someone stupid or moron. Jesus is saying if you do this you will have to answer for it. Anger can cause us to be venomous in our speech and say hurtful words. Laurence Peter said, "Speak when you're angry and you'll make the best speech you'll ever regret."
And if your viciousness goes so far as to call someone a fool, you'll be in greater danger. This doesn't compute with us who think calling someone a fool isn't that big of a deal. But if a person said this back then they would really be calling someone morally deficient or Godless (Psalm 14:1: 'the fool says in his heart there is no God'.)
In today's language it would be like telling someone, 'go to hell' or that they're going to hell. Basically, Jesus is saying if this is your sincere wish for your fellow man then you are in danger of such judgment. In Jesus’ day, to call someone a fool was a serious accusation. No one would consider saying such a thing unless anger had reached the point of hatred.
It’s not that calling someone a fool punches our ticket to hell but Jesus is calling attention to the direction that someone who has that level of hatred is going. One may have thought that murdering someone in thought or with words was no big deal; only the actual act was something to be taken seriously.
One may justify themselves saying, “Well, at least I’ve never killed anyone.” But we see we have no reason to boast. While none of us here may be guilty of actual murder, we're likely to be guilty of being angry enough to wish it upon someone; even if it was just once. And if we have hatred toward a fellow Christian, we are a murderer.
1st John 3:15, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” Jesus wants us to see that breaking the commandment of “do not murder” is something deeper than just the act itself. Before it’s an act it’s a thought. Jesus wants us to take what’s going on in our hearts and minds seriously before we get to the breaking point.
2) When your brother is angry with you (23-24).
Matt. 5:23-24, “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."
It's interesting that Jesus uses the word, therefore. How do the previous verses fit with these two when it seems to be flip flopping? Jesus just got done explaining how serious anger is. First he highlighted what we are in danger of when we are angry without cause. So, now that we know that, we should care enough about our brother that when we know he's angry with us we should try to put out the fire before he ends up in a precarious situation spiritually.
“And there remember.” When God puts someone on your heart, he does it for a reason. We shouldn't just dismiss it. We might look at it as a distraction meant to pull us away from our worship but when God does it we need to respond to it or else it will disrupt our worship.
“Your brother has something against you”. It’s one thing to deal with the anger in your own heart toward someone, it’s one thing to address someone that you’re angry with; but to be proactive when someone is mad at you is something else entirely. We might think, "I'm not mad at him, he's mad at me. So, that's his problem; he needs to work that out." Although he needs to deal with his anger, that doesn't mean I'm not responsible to do something.
Sometimes we downplay it. “It was no big deal; they just need to get over it”. It’s easy to minimize it when we’re the offender. Sometimes we don’t know why someone is mad at us. So our reaction might be, “I don’t have a problem with him. He’s the one with the problem, let him come to me.”
But Jesus wants us to see that it if we know there's a problem we need to address it-no matter who's at fault. As the Fourfold Gospel commentary puts it, “The lesson teaches us to be reconciled with all who bear grudges against us, and says nothing as to whether their reasons are sufficient or insufficient, just or unjust.” Sometimes we are at fault; sometimes we’re not.
Regardless, because of what Jesus just said about the consequences for anger, we should care enough about our brother to not want to see him suffer judgment for the anger he has toward us. Do we care enough about our fellow Christian’s spiritual state to try to resolve an issue they have with us so they don’t continue to allow any bitterness or resentment to eat away at them?
Do we love them enough to try to dismantle these issues so they don’t lash out at anyone else? Because isn't that what often happens? I’m angry at you but I take it out on others. If I can help to diffuse the ticking time bomb by initiating reconciliation then why wouldn’t I?
“Leave your gift at the altar”. Max Lucado said, “As far as I know, this is the only time God tells you to slip out of church early.” Our religious duties are important but Jesus explains what holds greater importance: peace, harmony and love. If we have no desire to try to resolve problems with fellow Christians, that will hinder our worship. A quote goes: “If God’s forgiving, reconciling work does not find expression in our relationships, then our worship of God is empty.”
Jesus wants us to care enough to make an attempt at reconciliation. He wants us to be the bigger person and make the first move. You might say, "I tried that and it didn't work". We can’t make someone reconcile with us; we can just do our part.
Rom. 12:18, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” If you've tried but the other person is unwilling then you can't do much else except pray for them. But we should ask ourselves, 'did I do my best to resolve it? Or did I talk to them once and since they didn't seem receptive I just wrote it off?
Did I communicate my love for them and that it bothers me that we have this problem and that it's not God's will for us to be this way?' I think most of the time when someone says, "I don't like that you're angry with me. I don't want to fight anymore. This isn't what God wants so let's put this to rest", it will be well received.
But even if it isn't well received at first, you've done your part and hopefully set the stage for their defenses to come down eventually-paving the way for reconciliation; or at least an amicable cease fire. Either way, Satan loses his foothold and a person is saved from the dangers of spiritual destruction.
What if my brother is a long way away? If you can’t go to him physically you do it another way. Call, write, facebook him; whatever-just make the effort. If you don’t know where they are or how to get a hold of them ask the Lord to make it possible. If you have the will, let the Lord make a way.
What if they're deceased? You can settle it in your heart with the Lord. However, you may still be able to make it right. Perhaps this person has a close friend or relative. You could go to them and express your humility and desire to want to make things right.
Perhaps they, through knowing about the situation, have been harboring some sort of bitterness towards you; even though it had nothing to do with them. But by you taking the initiative to settle the matter, reconciliation can take place between you and them. Whether I'm angry at you or you're angry with me, the important thing to do is deal with it ASAP.
3) Settle the matter (25-26).
Matt. 5:25-26, "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."
"Who is taking you to court”. This is saying that you have done something wrong and your enemy is pressing charges. When we do something against someone, typically we are quick to justify it. “They had it coming to them”. This can happen between neighbors. You have that one neighbor who's always doing things that annoy you. The one who parties like it’s 1999. The one who's dog is always leaving personal messages on your lawn. It’s so easy to want to even the score with that miserable neighbor.
Then that neighbor whom you’ve battled with for years finally does something that pushes you over the edge and you do something nasty to get even. They press charges. That just makes you even more upset. “How dare he; after all the stress and turmoil he’s put me through; he’s going to take me to court?” But the problem is; he has a case against you.
Then God prompts you to humble yourself and settle the matter. Go ask for terms of peace; ask his forgiveness. Your first reaction is, “God, you must be nuts. Ask him to forgive me? That’ll be the day. He should be asking my forgiveness for all the frustration he's caused me.”
We convince ourselves we’re in the right and God will vindicate us. But the way Jesus describes it in vs. 26 it’s like he's saying, “If you want to remain prideful and stubborn then it won’t go well for you. The time for reconciliation will be passed. No time to change your mind; then you will need to deal with the consequences of your actions.” This might seem unfair but it’s not when things are put in perspective.
Regardless of the other person being a pain in our behind we have no justification for our wrongdoing. Two wrongs don't make a right. [dog poop in front of church] We need to be the bigger person because we’re the Christian.
1st Pet. 2:11-12, “Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
As a Christian, we're supposed to be acting differently than we used to. We are to live such a good life around nonbelievers that even though they make an accusation against us, they will see us continue to act in accordance to our new nature and come to glorify God.
We need to guard ourselves from doing things that will become a matter for the courts. If there is wrongdoing on my part, I need to humbly try to make peace with the situation. There’s no glory in allowing a private matter to become a public disgrace. Settle the matter quickly before the newspapers get a hold of the story and your reputation is tarnished and your witness adversely affected.
But what about when we've been wronged? Sometimes we're quick to want to bring our adversary to court. But what if they want to settle the matter? We need to consider that because what if it were us? Wouldn't we want someone to work it out with us? Fender benders-sometimes we're at fault; sometimes we're not. How do we handle these situations? Are we quick to call the police or lawyer? [situation with break in at church] In all things we need to be like Christ.
Does this mean we let people treat us however they want to? Does this mean we let people get away with everything? No. But we do need to pick our battles. We can easily turn a small matter into a big problem. We need to handle situations with dignity and integrity. We can be both firm and fair. We can set boundaries without being extremists. We can take action without compromising our character.
But our top priority should be making sure that God is glorified; which means I'll need to swallow my pride. Jesus wants me to dissolve my anger, erase my bitterness, remove my hatred and practice forgiveness. He wants me to settle the matter-in my heart, with my brother and even with my enemy.
Evangelist D.L. Moody had a sharp temper, which he learned to control...most of the time. But there was one night when he was to deliver back-to-back services. During the break in between the two, Moody was standing near the door, greeting and welcoming the people coming in for the second meeting.
Suddenly a man approached him and delivered a highly offensive insult to Moody. Moody reacted and shoved the man, sending him down a short flight of steps. The man was not badly hurt but Moody's friends wondered how he could possibly preach the second service now. One remarked, "When I saw Moody give way to his temper, I said to myself, the meeting is killed. Everyone who saw what happened will hardly be in a condition to be influenced by anything he says."
But Moody went ahead with the meeting. He stood and with trembling voice he said, "Friends, before I begin I need to confess that I just yielded to my anger out in the hall. I want to confess my wrong before all of you and if the man whom I lost my temper with is still here, I want to ask his forgiveness and God's. Let us pray."
Instead of a lost cause, the meeting seemed especially touched that evening, with many people deeply and eternally impressed with the gospel." When anger is properly dealt with it makes a way for reconciliation and a testimony of humility and love.
