Matthew 5:21-30
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21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
The last time we were in Matthew, we spoke of the Salt and Light, what the purpose of salt was as both a seasoning and a preservative and light as being used to illuminate the way to protect us from the hazards along our paths. This compares to the Christian life in that we are to season the world with God’s Word, making it more savory and desirable. We are also to preserve the Word of God - not in our own interpretations, but keeping with the original intent and aligning it with the whole context of scripture. A Christian should also be a light in a dark world. Darkness symbolizing satan, Light symbolizing Jesus. Light allows us to illuminate darkness, pushing away the evil in this world and showing the pitfalls, hazards, and harm that could come by stumbling around in a dark world.
In Chapter 5 verses 17-20, we discussed the fulfillment, not the abolishment of Law by the coming of Jesus Christ. He came so that the law WOULD be fulfilled, not done away with or nullified. In contrast with the law, Jesus came to SHOW us how God wants us to live, not just telling us how we should live.
In this portion of scripture, we will go further into our attitudes and actions as a Christian, looking at anger.
Anger
Anger
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’
22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
What is the comparison made between murder and anger?
Which commandment did Christ address?
Christ leads off with a reminder of the sixth commandment
13 “You shall not murder.
Life should be respected, cherished, and protected. No life, including ones self, is to be taken at your hand. Now, there are provisions in the Law that protects someone who might unintentionally take the life of another person - taking into account the motive, not just the act. Christ moves into more than just the act of murder, but the attitude in which hatred becomes the motive for murder. At times, we want to look at the sixth commandment strictly as the willful taking of a life, however the real issue here deals with the misinterpretation of Law. Man interpreted this Law to say what we want it to say - by applying it to the act of murder - but failed to look within and see the cause behind what would make one want to commit murder.
Murder is deeper than just the act itself, it is also a culmination of anger, bitterness, hatred, rage, the desire to strike out, and defilement of ones spirit. You see it is the anger itself that brings one to the point of sin.
It is the growth of anger that is so dangerous. How many of you have gotten a small thorn or splinter stuck in one of your fingers? Have you ever tried to pick it out, only to have it too deep or in a place too sensitive to successfully remove? While that thorn or splinter stays inside you, it continues to cause pain. Bump it the wrong way and it lets you know it’s still there! But over time, that thorn or splinter will cause that finger to eventually swell, become red, maybe even infected - we call that an angry wound. You see, it’s not just the fact that the thorn is there, but also the lingering effects it has - it will fester until if finally comes to a head.
Unresolved anger will do the same for us - it usually comes as something that is too painful to remove. If allowed to stay it will become irritated, swelling and becoming painful to the point it may also fester. It becomes an internal infection that will eventually come to a head. Unlike the splinter, once the infection and swelling has pushed it to the surface, once released it brings relief. Unresolved anger, and the lashing out that comes with it does not bring relief, but only more anger and eventually destruction. How does it destroy someone? Once their true heart is found out, it can ruin ones reputation and destroy a person intellectually and spiritually. Does this mean one should never get angry? Of course not, we see a picture in scripture of Christ getting angry, but He sinned not. This is a justified anger.
How does unrighteous anger differ from justified anger?
Justified anger is when someone becomes upset over those who are sinning, doing wrong, and are being selfish in their behavior.
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting there.
15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; do not make my Father’s house a house of trade.”
In this show of justified anger, we find a lack of toleration of the sin and selfishness of the money changers who were profiting off the backs of others. But, in driving them out - Jesus still did not sin.
22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
A believer can distinguish between unrighteous anger and justified anger with the motive - justified anger is never selfish, it serves a purpose, has a legitimate reason, and seeks to correct the situation in the best way possible.
Moving on, the purpose for not allowing oneself to sin through anger is it holds a judgment from God. We not only run the risk of being held accountable by our peers or our judicial system for a crime we commit during the sin, but we also run the risk of facing the danger of hell fire (Gehenna). This indicates the fate of one who dies in sin and faces the final and eternal separation from God.
Instead, we should try to live peaceably with everyone if possible. This includes reconciling with those in whom we disagree and may get angry towards.
23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison.
What is reconciliation?
Reconciliation is the restoration of a relationship!
Christ here speaks of two things about reconciliation.
Do it quickly. Reconciliation is needed for true worship to be possible among believers. If we realize we have a problem with someone, THEN is the time to seek them out and restore that relationship with them - be reconciled. Why is this so important? Reconciliation is the foundation of our restored relationship with our Creator. If we cannot
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
For worship to be acceptable to God, we must not only be reconciled with Him, but also with all our brothers and sisters in Christ.
A broken relationship caused by anger can hinder worship. It becomes meaningless unless that relationship is restored.
Worship is the time for us to reflect and examine our heart to see if there is any wrong feelings we have towards others, and gives us an opportunity to restore those relationships.
Some people may choose to avoid worship so they can avoid the inevitable - forgiveness and restoration through reconciliation. Christ makes a clear point here, get things right with each other, get into worship together, or your punishment will be doubled.
By avoiding reconciliation, you postpone the inevitable and you run the risk of a deeper hurt and damage being done. The time for reconciliation is when there is still some open communication between the parties. It should be done as soon as possible, but before the sun goes down on a persons wrath.
26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,
By allowing time to go by, we create a barrier in our heart that keeps us from true worship. We can’t pray with hardness in our hearts. It creates a barrier on our words, the intent, and even our sincerity of prayer. And finally, Christ tells us we could die before we are able to reconcile with others, and we would then be forced to face judgment with some unconfessed sin.
What is further issues with holding on to unreconciled anger?
There is an earthly danger. Barriers can lead to serious action ranging from legal suits to imprisonment. Such action is tragic to God and among God’s people. It leads to bitterness, hurt, loss, it damages our testimony and the name of Jesus, it causes others to view Christianity as no better than their own way of living, it can cause injustices to be done, someone will always be taken advantage of, it may cause fights, suffering, even death, and most importantly it may cause a weaker brother or sister to turn away from the faith forever.
There is also an eternal danger. Life does not last, the final judgment IS coming, and a person’s judgment for holding a grudge against a brother will be severe.
26 Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
What judgment lies ahead for the one who will not reconcile with another?
Judgment is the terrible end to anger.
Christ made three strong points.
a. Judgment is sure. “The uttermost farthing,” the last cent must be paid.
b. There will be no escape. “Thou shall by no means come out.” There will be nothing and no one to deliver a person from the judgment
c. Reconciliation should be sought quickly: right now—before judgment, for Christ has borne all punishment for every believer