Message, January 8, 2012: Matthew 5:1, 2, 21-26 – Jesus on Anger
5:1 Seeing the crowds, [Jesus] went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
5:21 “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 Sermon on the Mount is one portion of the Bible that all of us should think about and take to heart. In this sermon Jesus teaches us about the inner character of a true Christian and the behavior which flows from that character. For Jesus, true Christian faith always leads to a change of character, and that change of character always leads to changes in the way a person lives from day to day. If a person professes faith in Jesus, however sincere, but that faith does not result in a changed way of life over time, it may be evidence of self-deception rather than rebirth.
In our study so far, we have seen that there is a logical flow to the sermon. Jesus began with The Beatitudes in verses 1-12, which show us the kind of character that is brought to life within us by the Holy Spirit when we first come to believe. To the extent that we actively and intentionally cultivate the character traits that Jesus talks about in those verses, we become more and more conformed to the image of Christ Jesus himself. This is the main task of the Christian life, and our God expects each and every one of us who believe in His Son to be engaged in it.
In verses 13-16 Jesus teaches that this task of conforming our character to his image is not some private personal matter between us and God alone which has no public implications. He insists that we who believe in him are to be “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” That is, as our character is conformed to his, the behavior which follows from it will have a positive influence on that part of the world where each of us can make a real difference. Our families, our friendships, our local communities and workplaces, and so on will all be made better through the influence of people like us when we act out the faith that is in us.
In verses 17-19 Jesus taught us that he has no intention of falling into either of the two great dangers of religion: 1.) legalism, which says that we are saved by obeying rules and laws; and 2.) lawlessness, which says that since we are saved by grace through faith no commandments or rules or laws apply to us except the law of love. I spoke about that last time, so I won’t repeat what I said. If you are interested you can pick up a hard copy of that mediation on the table in the vestibule, or download a copy at my personal website: www.thewhitefields.com.
Beginning with today’s passage, and continuing all the way through verse 14 of chapter 7, Jesus provides a number of concrete examples of how true Christians are to respond to some of the most common, and difficult, situations that we may face from time to time on our journey through this life. What he says here may make some of us feel uncomfortable and even offend us. But we need to attend to Jesus’ words, because he means what he says. This is what men and women who have the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit can look like as their character and behavior become more and more conformed to his.
In our verses this morning, Jesus teaches us the Christ-like response to a very serious sickness of the heart: anger. He begins in verse v. 21: “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’” Jesus is referring to the 6th Commandment: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), and also to other places in God’s Law which require the death penalty after a person has been judged guilty of murder in a trial: “If anyone kills a person, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses. [. . .] you shall accept no ransom for the life of a murderer, who is guilty of death, but he shall be put to death.” (Numbers 35:30, 31)
There was nothing new about this teaching. Jesus’ disciples, and the unbelieving Pharisees and scribes, and the onlookers who were listening to his sermon all knew that murder was punishable by death, and they accepted it. Jesus knew that when they heard what he said they would probably shrug and think to themselves: “I have never murdered anyone. My hands are free of blood. Since I have obeyed this commandment of the Law I am a righteous person, and I can stand before God and look Him in the eye with a clear conscience.”
Don’t we all do that from time to time? For example, we read the 6th Commandment, and most of us can honestly say that we have never violated it. We have never murdered anyone. We’re not like those people whose faces we see on the news who killed their spouse in a jealous rage, or a friend in an argument over a video game, or a total stranger because he looked at us wrong or was wearing a pair of expensive tennis shows. Compared to people like that we are just fine. So we sit back, satisfied with ourselves, confident that we enjoy God’s favor because we obeyed the letter of the Law at the most superficial, legalistic level.
However, Jesus now reminds his listeners – including us – that God sees through our obedience to the letter of the Law. With perfect clarity, He looks upon the orientation of the heart which lies at the root of our behavior: “. . . the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7) More than that, the Lord holds us accountable for the thoughts and intentions of the heart. The writer of Hebrews tells us: “the word of God [discerns] the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12, 13)
This shines a very different light on the command “You shall not murder” doesn’t it? Jesus appears to begin his discussion of Christ-like character and behavior with the act of murder, but his real topic is not the act murder at all, but the angry disposition of the heart that in its most extreme form can lead to murder (vv. 21, 22): “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.”
How very interesting that Jesus begins his discussion of Christ-like character and behavior with the topic of anger. This suggests that anger in all of its forms was as common, and as destructive, in his day as it is today.
A secular psychologist, Solomon Schimmel, wrote a book on “The Seven Deadly Sins.” In the chapter on anger, he says this: “Of all the emotions, anger is one of the most common and most powerful. It assumes various forms designated by terms such as fury, wrath, ire, resentment, vengeance, and indignation. Hardly a day goes by without most of us experiencing some measure of anger [. . .] Of the seven deadly sins, anger is the most responsible for unhappiness and psychopathological behavior. [. . .] As a psychotherapist I spend more time helping clients deal with their anger than with any other emotion.” You don’t need to be a psychotherapist to see how true that is.
As a pastor, I am always surprised at the extent to which anger drives things in human relationships, including churches and families. The old saying that the squeaky wheel gets the grease is very true, and also very sad. It is unfortunate, but the chronically grumpy, chronically complaining, chronically discontented and unhappy people are too often the ones who get their own way. Not because they are right, but because no one wants to waste time and energy arguing with them. They are also the ones who are most difficult and demoralizing to be around in a church or a family or the workplace or any other space where people get together. If you know someone who is chronically angry, you know how emotionally and spiritually draining their unhappiness and anger can be.
A person who indulges in chronic anger and discontent may dismiss all of this with rationalizations such as: “Didn’t Jesus get angry from time to time?” or “Well, that’s just the way I am” or “Why shouldn’t I be angry? After all, there are a lot of things to be angry about in this world, in this family of mine, in this church, in this office, on this stretch of I-66.” Of course much of this true. There are a lot of things to be angry about in the world, especially if we expect the world to acknowledge that I am the center of it all, and that everyone and everything should revolve around me and my opinions and my desires, and if they don’t I will be angry.
Rationalizations like these will not do. Jesus is very clear that anger, in all of its forms from chronic discontented grumpiness at one of the spectrum all the way over to murderous rage at the other end, is a spiritual problem that is inconsistent with a character that is being conformed to his image by the Holy Spirit.
God has told us that we are to love one another, and that love fulfills the law (Romans 13:8). Since an angry disposition of the heart is a denial of love, Jesus teaches us that God takes anger very seriously and will hold us accountable for it (v. 22): “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.” This extravagant language underscores the deadly seriousness of an angry, wrathful heart in the eyes of God. Such anger is inconsistent with the image of Christ that we believers are supposed to reflect.
Jesus expects that every true Christian will examine himself and consciously, intentionally strive to become more like him. This includes recognizing and dealing with every aspect of our character and behavior that is inconsistent with his. When a true believer falls into a pattern of unChristlike behavior such as anger, he will not lose his union with God – that is impossible – but he will grieve the Holy Spirit, and lose the peace and joy and comfort of fellowship with God.
So then, if you are a genuine Christian, and you know that your faith in Jesus is not just lip service but authentic, and if you recognize that anger has taken root in your heart and your life, what are your supposed to do about it? You may say: “Pastor, I know that this is problem for me. I am like a volcano that is always simmering and rumbling and ready to pop off at any moment, but I cannot change. This is too much a part of me and who I am. What do you want me to do?”
That is a very good question, and the first thing to understand is that I agree with you. You cannot change the orientation of your heart by your own strength or will power. Some habits, such as the habit of anger, are too deeply ingrained to be cured by ourselves, especially if we have nurtured them for a lifetime. So what can you do? Here are a few things to remember.
First: remember that Jesus is not laying down a law. He is not demanding that you first try harder to purge all anger from your heart and your behavior before you can be accepted by God. Jesus is preaching this sermon to disciples who have already been accepted by God through His gracious choice alone. That’s what the Apostle Paul meant when he wrote: “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses [i.e. totally unable to anything at all to save ourselves], made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Ephesians 2:4, 5)
If your faith in Jesus is authentic then you must remember that you are 100% saved, 100% accepted by God, and 100% adopted into the household of faith where you can now address God as Jesus did, as: “Abba” which means “Dear Father.” Nothing can change that, not even your failures. When you fail in your struggle to be more Christ-like, you need not despair or grow discouraged or think that God has rejected you. God remains your dear Father Who delights in forgiving you and helping you, if only you will humble yourself before Him and ask for His forgiveness and help.
Second, remember that Jesus tells us that if our anger has caused problems with other people nothing – literally nothing – is more important than that we actively and intentionally work to make things right. In the words of the book of Hebrews, we are to “strive for peace with everyone” (Hebrews 12:14). In verses 23-26 Jesus gives two examples of what he means by that.
In the first example Jesus tells us that when our anger has ruptured our relationship with another person, making peace is more important than participating in worship (vv. 23, 24):“if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
Nothing is more inconsistent for us who are being conformed to the image of Christ in our character and behavior, than to come to worship while harboring anger or bitterness or hatred toward another person.
The second example that Jesus gives applies to an extreme situation when our anger has so outraged or offended another person that that other person actively seeks revenge, in this case in a court of law (vv. 25, 26) “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. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.”
Our anger toward other people can set off a chain reaction of angry responses which may quickly spin out of control. Anyone who has gone through a messy divorce or gotten embroiled in a lawsuit with a homeowners association or a former business partner knows just how quickly anger can escalate. Jesus says that unless we come to our senses and take the initiative to make amends, we and those around us will suffer the consequences.
Finally, remember that if anger is problem for you, as a Christian you have within you a strength that is not your own. The Holy Spirit is the great gift that Jesus left to the church, and the Spirit indwells every true believer.
The Spirit is our comforter and helper who provides whatever we lack to become more Christlike. If you lack patience and are perpetually irritated with the weakness and folly of other people, ask for it and the Spirit will provide it. If you lack humility and set yourself up as the judge of other people, ask for it, and the Spirit will provide. If you would like to rein in your hair-trigger temper, or extinguish the embers of smoldering wrath, then ask for what you lack and the Spirit will provide.
That’s why Jesus assured us: “Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” (John 16:24) But I warn you, the Spirit will also set before you many opportunities to exercise the gift that He gives, patience, humility, self-restraint, so that it will become strong through use.
Friends, Jesus expects that every true Christian be engaged in the lifelong process of becoming more and more conformed to his image. That is evidence that the Spirit of God dwells within us. As we draw on that Spirit, we will receive whatever our character and behavior lacks to become more and more like the character and behavior of Jesus, and we will find that we have peace and joy and comfort in believing, and that our small corner of the world is becoming a better place through us.
