Gospel of Matthew Matthew 5:21-26 The King s Sermon Anger and Reconciliation In this monumental sermon Christ teaches us: To choose truth rather than tradition You have heard but I say unto you, is an expression found six times in this chapter. Jesus was not changing Scripture, but He was confronting the commonly misguided interpretation of Scripture. The scribes and Pharisees controlled what the people heard about God s Word, much like the Dark Ages when only the priests had the Scriptures and taught the people what they wanted them to know. By God s grace the Reformation put an end to the Dark Ages of the church because it put the Scriptures back into the hands of the common people. To prefer inner character rather than outward appearance Throughout the sermon Jesus expounded upon His statement in Matthew 5:20. To satisfy the spirit of God s law rather than the letter The Pharisees wrongly put the emphasis on rules rather than relationship with God. They emphasized outward conduct rather than inward motive. Jesus taught new standards for all who expected to be in God s kingdom. To focus on attitudes as well as actions The scribes and Pharisees had minimized the demands of God s Law by stressing only external obedience. Jesus taught that attitudes were more important than actions because our attitudes affect our actions. 1. The danger of unrighteous anger Murder is obviously a sin, but so is unjustified anger. The attitude of anger may lead to the act of murder. A. The serious penalty for murder Jesus confirmed the 6 th Commandment, Thou shalt not kill. Murder has been a problem since the dawn of human history. The first family had a murderer. Cain killed his own brother Abel. In due time God judged the world by a flood because of man s violent ways: Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Moses was a murderer, and so was David. Satan was a murderer from the beginning and ever since he has inspired others to commit murder (Jn. 8:44). All who commit murder are in danger of judgment. B. The serious problem of anger Jesus taught that not all anger is bad. There is a good, righteous anger. Even God has holy anger (Ps. 90:7, 11; Pr. 6:16-19), and Christ was justifiably angry at times (Mk. 3:1-5; Jn. 2:13-17). In 1731, Jonathan Edwards preached his unforgettable sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, and God s anger has not changed at all. We must distinguish between righteous anger and sinful anger: Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. We should be angry for the right reasons and we should express our anger in an appropriate manner.
The Bible condemns selfish anger that arises when we have been offended or our rights have been violated. God also condemns settled anger or what may be called bitterness. The Greek language had two words for anger: thumos, which is like a fire that starts with dried straw. This sudden kind of anger is quick to flare up and then quick to cool down. The second word is orge, a simmering, deep-seated anger. This kind of anger festers and grows. It is slow to develop and slow to diminish. This is the anger Christ refers to in His sermon. Consider these additional Scriptures: James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Even non-christian people understand that anger can be destructive and foolish. Cicero said that when anger entered into a situation nothing could be done rightly and sensibly. Seneca called anger a brief insanity. Jesus taught that unjustified, unrighteous anger is the frame of mind that leads to the act of murder and therefore it is a serious sin. Our jovial demeanor and words may be an attempt to cloak our deepest sinful desires. Consider these humorous statements: Clarence Darrow: I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure. Mark Twain: I didn t attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it. Irvin S. Cobb: I ve just learned about his illness. Let s hope it s nothing trivial. Jesus mentioned three levels of anger. First, there is anger without cause or unjustified anger. Secondly, there is anger that leads a person to call someone Raca. This was a word of contempt meaning empty-headed (blockhead, lamebrain). Thirdly, it was even worse to call someone a fool (Greek word, moros, from which we get the English word, moron). Raca was equivalent to calling someone stupid, but fool was to call someone a scoundrel or to call their character into question. Jesus said that someone with that kind of anger in his heart is fit for the judgment of hell fire. Hell fire is the translation of Gehenna, which means the Valley of Hinnom. This was the garbage dump for the city of Jerusalem and served as a vivid and fitting image of eternal Hell. Gehenna was a place where the dead bodies of criminals were thrown after execution. It was a place of unending smoke, stench, and decay. Christ taught that Hell is a real place of eternal punishment. He spoke of it as a place of separation, shame, and horrible suffering. 2. The danger of unresolved conflict Unresolved anger often leads to unresolved conflict. Jesus gave two examples. The first is conflict with an offended brother. The second is conflict with a person to whom you are indebted. A. Conflict should be reconciled before we worship A person should be quick to repair the damage done and eliminate further unrighteous anger. For sacrifice to be accepted, God required confession and restitution if necessary. Jesus is very clear
about this: we can t be right with God if we are not right with our fellow man. Worship was a major concern to the Jews and it should also be to us. True worship in the sight of God is not enhanced by better music, better prayers, better buildings, or better sermons. It is enhanced by better relationships between those who worship. B. Conflict should be reconciled before we face judgment Jesus used a common situation to make His point. An adversary was someone who took a person to court over a debt he owed. The prison refers to a debtor s prison. Christ taught us to settle our disputes out of court because once it goes to court then we can t stop the consequences of justice. We should work matters out aggressively, eagerly, and urgently. Jesus taught that murder is wrong and it will be punished, and unrighteous anger is also wrong and it will be punished. Don t be angry, and if you need to settle a dispute between you and another person, do it now.
Gospel of Matthew Matthew 5:21-26 The King s Sermon Anger and Reconciliation In this monumental sermon Christ teaches us: To choose You have heard but I say unto you, is an expression found six times in this chapter. Jesus was not changing Scripture, but He was confronting the commonly misguided interpretation of Scripture. To prefer Throughout the sermon Jesus expounded upon His statement in Matthew 5:20. To satisfy The Pharisees wrongly put the emphasis on rules rather than relationship with God. They emphasized outward conduct rather than inward motive. Jesus taught new standards for all who expected to be in God s kingdom. To focus on The scribes and Pharisees had minimized the demands of God s Law by stressing only external obedience. Jesus taught that attitudes were more important than actions because our attitudes affect our actions. 1. The A. The Jesus confirmed the 6 th Commandment, Thou shalt not kill. Murder has been a problem since the dawn of human history. The first family had a murderer. Cain killed his own brother Abel. In due time God judged the world by a flood because of man s violent ways: Genesis 6:11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. Moses was a murderer, and so was David. Satan was a murderer from the beginning and ever since he has inspired others to commit murder (Jn. 8:44). All who commit murder are in danger of judgment. B. The Jesus taught that not all anger is bad. There is a good, righteous anger. Even God has holy anger (Ps. 90:7, 11; Pr. 6:16-19), and Christ was justifiably angry at times (Mk. 3:1-5; Jn. 2:13-17). In 1731, Jonathan Edwards preached his unforgettable sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, and God s anger has not changed at all. We must distinguish between righteous anger and sinful anger: Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. We should be angry for the right reasons and we should express our anger in an appropriate manner. The Bible condemns selfish anger that arises when we have been offended or our rights have been violated. God also condemns settled anger or what may be called bitterness. The Greek language had two words for anger: thumos, which is like a fire that starts with dried straw. This sudden kind of anger is quick to flare up and then quick to cool down. The second word is orge, a simmering, deep-seated anger. This kind of anger festers and grows. It is slow to
develop and slow to diminish. This is the anger Christ refers to in His sermon. Consider these additional Scriptures: James 1:20 For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Colossians 3:8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Ephesians 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. Ecclesiastes 7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Jesus taught that unjustified, unrighteous anger is the frame of mind that leads to the act of murder and therefore it is a serious sin. Jesus mentioned three levels of anger. First, there is anger without cause or unjustified anger. Secondly, there is anger that leads a person to call someone Raca. This was a word of contempt meaning empty-headed (blockhead, lamebrain). Thirdly, it was even worse to call someone a fool (Greek word, moros, from which we get the English word, moron). Raca was equivalent to calling someone stupid, but fool was to call someone a scoundrel or to call their character into question. Jesus said that someone with that kind of anger in his heart is fit for the judgment of hell fire. Hell fire is the translation of Gehenna, which means the Valley of Hinnom. This was the garbage dump for the city of Jerusalem and served as a vivid and fitting image of eternal Hell. Gehenna was a place where the dead bodies of criminals were thrown after execution. It was a place of unending smoke, stench, and decay. Christ taught that Hell is a real place of eternal punishment. He spoke of it as a place of separation, shame, and horrible suffering. 2. The Jesus gave two examples. The first is conflict with an offended brother. The second is conflict with a person to whom you are indebted. A. Conflict should be reconciled A person should be quick to repair the damage done and eliminate further unrighteous anger. For sacrifice to be accepted, God required confession and restitution if necessary. Jesus is very clear about this: we can t be right with God if we are not right with our fellow man. B. Conflict should be reconciled Jesus used a common situation to make His point. An adversary was someone who took a person to court over a debt he owed. The prison refers to a debtor s prison. Christ taught us to settle our disputes out of court because once it goes to court then we can t stop the consequences of justice. Jesus taught that murder is wrong and it will be punished, and unrighteous anger is also wrong and it will be punished. Don t be angry, and if you need to settle a dispute between you and another person, do it now.