Anger
I want to see a show of hands—who’s ever murdered someone? Ok, I thought we’d have at least one. Of all of the Ten Commandments, that should be the easiest not to break. But we’ll see today, from the heart of Jesus, we are far more guilty than we think we are. Last week we saw that Jesus didn’t come to abolish the law/instruction—He came to fulfill it. Out of His teaching on the law, he now is going to give six different instances where He contrasts peoples’ understanding of the law with the law’s real intent.
Jesus seeks to 1) overthrow erroneous traditions, and 2) authoritatively present the real meaning of Old Testament instruction.
Look at the previous passage, verses 17 and 20. Jesus is about to give teaching not that counters Moses, but that counters the Scribes and Pharisees, who were the teachers of the Law/Instruction of Moses.
Sinclair Ferguson says, “The real contrast in this section is between the meaning of the law according to Jesus and the meaning of the law according to religious tradition and the ancient teachers. It may be that the words to the people long ago should be translated ‘by the people long ago,’ that is, the religious teachers, not the authors of Scripture.”[1] Even in trying to honor and keep the Word of God, we can misrepresent and dishonor the Word of God.
What we also see here is that Jesus is speaking authoritatively. He’s not relying on other’s interpretations—He’s giving the true meaning of the Old Testament instruction, so He says, “You have heard it said…but I say to you…” (21-22) And Jesus has complete authority. It is by Him that all things existed were created (Col 1:16). It is by Him that all things hold together (Col 1:17). It is His name of which every knee will bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth (Phil 2:10). Jesus has complete authority. He knows what He’s doing. He’s the one who gave the Law, so He knows the real purpose of the Law.
Sin originates in the heart.
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.
Murder begins in the heart with anger. That’s the real meaning of the sixth commandment, “You shall not murder” (Ex 20:13). You can see that real meaning in relation to the Old Testament Law—Leviticus 19:17 says, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” The New Testament shows us what it should look like for us if we are to live as Kingdom-citizens, which is what Jesus is getting to the heart of in this Sermon on the Mount. Ephesians 4:31 says, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.” Colossians 3:8 says, “But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.” How much anger should be put away? All of it.
You might ask, “Do I have a right to be mad at this person?” If you do have the right, then ask yourself this: “Does Jesus ask that question?” No—He doesn’t. Anytime we not only hate somebody, but have anger in our hearts towards somebody, we are doing something that Jesus has instructed us not to do. Well, you may say, “Jesus got angry at the Pharisees and at those in temple when He turned over the tables.” You are correct. And you are not Jesus. You may say, “Well, Ephesians 4:26 says, ‘Be angry and do not sin.’” You are correct again. It then also says in the same verse, “do not let the sun go down on your anger.” You’re angry, it’s saying—Stop being angry. Deal with it. We are not Jesus. We have a very difficult time being angry and not sinning. I would even say it’s impossible for us.
You might say now, well, that’s just your interpretation. You are correct yet again. It is, but after much study—seeing the same interpretation over and over. D.A. Carson perhaps says it best:
“Someone may well ask, “But didn’t Jesus himself get very angry sometimes? Yes, that is true. He was certainly upset with the merchandising practiced in the temple precincts (Matt 21:12). Mark records Jesus’ anger with those who for legalistic and hypocritical reasons tried to find something wrong with the healings he performed on the Sabbath (Mark 3:1). And on one occasion Jesus addressed the Pharisees and teachers of the law, “You blind fools!” (Matt 23:17). Is Jesus guilty of serious inconsistency?
Indeed there is a place for burning with anger at sin and injustice. Our problem is that we burn with indignation and anger, not at sin and injustice, but at offense to ourselves. In none of the cases in which Jesus became angry was his personal ego wrapped up in the issue. More telling yet, when he was unjustly arrested, unfairly tried, illegally beaten, contemptuously spit upon, crucified, mocked, when in fact he had every reason for his ego to be involved, then, as Peter says, “he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats” (1 Peter 2:23). From his parched lips came forth rather those gracious words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).”[2]
Sin originates in the heart, and the heart is deceitful above all things (Jer 17:9). If there is continual friction in your heart, it says a lot more about the state of your heart than it does about the circumstances that are causing that friction.
Hear what Martyn Lloyd-Jones says:
“For us as Christians to feel enmity in our hearts is, according to our Lord Jesus Christ, to be guilty of something which, in the sight of God, is murder. To hate, to feel bitter, to have this unpleasant, unkind feeling of resentment towards a person without a cause is murder. Indeed, let me remind you that there are some authorities who say that this qualifying phrase ‘without a cause’ should not be there. In some of the manuscripts it is omitted. It is impossible to decide exactly on grounds of textual criticism whether it should be included or not. But even taking it as it is, it is a tremendous demand; and if we leave out the qualifying phrase it is still more so. You should not be angry with your brother. Anger in the heart towards any human being, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith, is, according to our Lord, something that is as reprehensible in the sight of God as murder.”[3]
We are not to devalue an image-bearer of God.
Why is murder wrong? It’s not just because it’s the law—it’s because man is created in the image of God. You stand in the place of God when you take the life of an image-bearer of God (Deut 32:39; 1 Sam 2:6). Bonhoeffer said, “The brother's life is a divine ordinance, and God alone has power over Life and death.”[4] We see this intended purpose stated clearly after Noah leaves the ark: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” (Gen 9:6)
Not only is murder wrong because it takes the life of an image-bearer of God, but devaluing the life of an image-bearer of God is just as wrong. That is what Jesus is getting at here in His explanation. I say “devaluing their life,” because that is what Jesus is showing by the examples he gives to explain what He’s saying.
Look at this picture [Charlie Brown]. If somebody—let’s say Lucy—were to call him a derogatory name, what would it be? “Blockhead.” Ok, now look at this picture [Mr. T]. What would he have to say about someone? “I pity the fool!” That’s saying the same thing. That’s what “fool” here in verse 21, raca, means. It means “empty-headed,” or “idiot.” Matthew Henry says, “Raca, is a scornful word, and comes from pride.” Again, when you talk ill of another person, or talk down to them—when you devalue them as an individual and image bearer of God—it comes from pride. It comes from a sinful heart.
If you are thinking ill about someone else, especially a brother or sister in Christ, to the point where you devalue them as a person, you are doing something that God doesn’t do to you. A few weeks ago, we turned to our neighbors and to ourselves and spoke truth. We said, “You are a dirty rotten sinner.” That’s the truth! But that’s not what God calls you when you have been redeemed! If you have been reconciled to God through the blood of Jesus, He calls you son. He calls you daughter. He calls you friend. He calls you saint. He calls you forgiven. He calls you clean. He calls you His. How we treat our fellow man is intricately intertwined with our relationship to God.
Fractured relationships invalidate worship.
Jesus teaches that broken relationships with others hinders our worship of God. Bonhoeffer has this to say about it:
“Otherwise however liturgically correct our services are, and however devout our prayer, however brave our testimony, they will profit us nothing, nay rather, they must needs testify against us that we have as a Church ceased to follow our Lord. God will not be separated from our brother: he wants no honour for himself so long as our brother is dishonoured.”[5]
Sinclair Ferguson states it this way:
“Is Jesus saying that the only important thing in worship is right relationships with our fellow men? Hardly! He recognises that our relationship with God is primary, but we always appear before God as those who are related, rightly or wrongly, to our fellow men. What we are before God involves how we are related to others. And if we are at enmity with others, how can we come into the Lord’s presence with clean hands and a pure heart? It is monstrous to think that he will find our hypocritical offering acceptable.”[6]
Jesus illustrates this in verses 23-24. He portrays a worshipper traveling eighty miles to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice at the temple, only to leave it at the altar and return to Galilee, taking a week or more, to reconcile with a brother or sister before presenting the offering. One commentator explains the significance: “The improbability of the scenario emphasizes Jesus’ point, that the importance of right relationships demands decisive action.”[7] This shows how seriously Jesus takes reconciliation.
Seek peace without delay.
Jesus mentions judgment. He references civil judgment and courts of the land, but the grander picture is of greater importance. He mentions Hell—specifically Gehenna.
Here’s what one commentary says about Gehenna:
“Gehenna, which had come to represent among the later Jews (not in the time of any Old Testament writer) the place of future punishment. The history of the word is worth studying. Originally, it was the Greek form of Ge-hinnom (the Valley of Hinnom, sometimes of the “son” or the “children” of Hinnom), and was applied to a narrow gorge on the south of Jerusalem (Joshua 15:8). There Solomon erected a high place for Molech (1Kings 11:7). There the fires of that god had received their bloody offerings of infant sacrifice under Ahaz and Manasseh (2Kings 16:3; 2Chronicles 28:3; 2Chronicles 33:6). Josiah, in his great work of reformation, defiled it, probably by casting the bones of the dead and other filth upon it (2Kings 23:10-14); and the Jews on their return from captivity showed their abhorrence of the idolatry of their fathers by making it, as it were, the place where they cast out all the refuse of the city. Outwardly, it must have been foul to sight and smell, and thus it became, before our Lord’s time, a parable of the final state of those in whom all has become vile and refuse.”[8]
Jesus purposefully paints an intense, grotesque picture of judgment that is deserved for those who devalue lives of their fellow men. This picture is painted as means to portray urgency. Jesus is saying this—to them and to you: Seek peace with one another. Seek peace with God. This is exactly how it has been demonstrated to us in the gospel. Romans 5:6-8 says, “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
And we see all of this played out clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:17-19: “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.”
As we conclude, I want you to hear sobering words from D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones:
“Thank God, His terms are very easy. They are just this, that I face and acknowledge this sin and confess it utterly and absolutely, that I stop any self-defence or self-justification, though there was provocation from this other person. I must just confess and admit it without any reservation to God. If there is something in actual practice that I can do about it I must do it at once. I must humble myself, make a fool of myself as it were, and let the other person gloat over me if necessary, as long as I have done everything I can to remove the barrier and the obstacle. Then He will tell me that all is right. ‘I will settle with you’, He will say, ‘indeed I will forgive it all because, though you are a guilty and foul sinner before Me, and the bill you owe Me is one you can never pay, I have sent My Son into your world and He has paid it for you.”[9]
[1] Sinclair B. Ferguson, The Sermon on the Mount: Kingdom Life in a Fallen World (Banner of Truth, 1987), 81.
[2] D.A. Carson, The Sermon on the Mount: An Evangelical Exposition of Matthew 5-7 (Baker Book House, 1978), 41-42.
[3] D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1959), 224.
[4] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship (Macmillan, 1979), 143.
[5] Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship, 145.
[6] Ferguson, The Sermon on the Mount, 84.
[7] R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (W.B. Eerdmans, 2007), 203.
[8] Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
[9] Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 230.
