Jesus Speaks on Anger (Matthew 5-7)

1.     Our Anger Problem

Matt. 5:21

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder,[a] and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

Matt 5:22

But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause[b] shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

In talks over the next 3 days, we get to the heart of God by listening to Jesus in Matthew 5-7.

The heart of Jesus’ heartbeat and his mission explodes in the SOM.

Listen and see whether we can pick out what our Lord Jesus’ heartbeat and mission:

I once went to prison to visit. One of the pastors of our church went regularly to preach.

A music team from our church and i went to accompany the pastor and to sing.

After the sermon, we talked with the prisoners.

Have you ever talked to a prisoner? It was my first time.

We have gotten some training about what to do and what not do during our prison visits.

But i was understandably nervous. So my conversation began along this line:

“Hello, what did you do?”

The inmate said: “I killed someone!”

I didn’t know what to say next. So, I blurted out: “Oh, nice to meet you!”

What do you call that? A very inexperienced meeting with a very uncommon person.

I mean, how often do we meet a murderer in our daily encounters? Not very often.

But according to Jesus’ definition of anger - you would meet a murderer very often.

Why? Because anger is murder! Every day and many moments in our day, we are guilty of anger.

A father was very angry and was scolding his young son.

The son, in all his innocence, turned and asked father: “Are you murdering me?”

Father: “Why? What do you mean by that?”

The son replied: “My Sunday School teacher was teaching us from Matthew 5.

She told us that Jesus says that ‘anger is murder!’ So, I wonder: ‘Are you murdering?’

Lesson? What our fallen world thinks and what Jesus thinks about anger are polar opposites.

1.     What we think of anger: “You have heard that it was said”

“You have heard that it was said” - this is what Israel’s religious leaders were teaching about God’s law.

As long as you did not commit the actual and physical act of murder. You have kept God’s law.

But what God demands and demands of his holy people is deeper and greater.

But because they had embarked on superficial worship in hr attitude, she was no different.

We approached anger, like we approach all other sins, the same way.

By not calling a spade a spade, by not calling a sin a sin.

Is that you? Rationalising or justifier of sin? Instead of confessor of sin?

2. What Jesus thinks of anger.

Jesus come along- as God’s end time Messiah- offers us the kingdom of heaven. (KOH).

What is the KOH?

It is “the start of God’s rightful rule over us and the end of our wrongful rule over ourselves.”

“BUT I tell you” - it’s not simply old way of keeping the letter of the law vs spirit of the law.

Illustration: My pastor was overweight and was told to go on fruit and vege diet.

So, he went out and bought the biggest fruit, banana and watermelon.

He was keeping the “letter of diet” but on a diet “in spirit”! Had no intention to do this.

Lesson: When we keep the letter of the Law and not the spirit,

We may be a law keeper but not a God pleaser.

Is that you? Church goer? Ministry goer?

How are you and I going to get out of this spiritual problem?

Look right with man, do wrong with God?

LINK: The answer is 5:17 where Jesus declares that he comes to not to abolish the law but to fulfill.

Two sides to fulfill: Maximise out the law. Like blowing a balloon. Full capacity or potential.

But fulfill- can also mean bring to completion - all that God demands and desires of his people revealed in the Law comes to completion and perfection in Jesus Messiah.

Jesus’ radicalises the demands God’s law upon us. It will

Q: In McDonald’s terms: Jesus come to upsize God’s glory in our lives.

Q: With coming of Jesus, we enter new age of the Son. By the work on the Cross, It is Godliness or Holiness on steroids.

The main message of Chapters 1-4 is: Meet the King! Why? First chapters are an “intro” to Jesus. If Chapters 1-4 is: Meet the King, then Ch 5-7 is “Meet the King’s subjects”.

Jesus is NOT correcting the OT but correcting their understanding of it.

Area by area, Jesus does 2 things: he gets them to true meaning but he also radicalises.

Area by area, Jesus’ concerned about what God desires about kingdom people and kingdom living.

So in this 1st example: “Do not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement”.

All Jews will know this was 6th commandment, given by God through Moses.

If the Jews committed this, appear before Court and be judged.

That’s the standard teaching about the OT law.

V22: Jesus says anyone who is angry with his brother, will be subjected to judgement.”

He is referring to not just the outward act of murder but the hidden or inner attitudes of spiteful, bitter and vindictive anger.

Then just adds on… anyone who calls brother “raca”.

It was an Aramaic swear word: “you stupid, blockhead, idiot.”

This is not just anger but contempt of any kind, “put downs”, character assassination of someone made in God’s image. Anyone who has these hidden attitudes will be judged by Sanhedrin and, if guilty, of hell.

Jesus’ point: The judgement escalates from Sanhedrin to hell- the judgement we should fear is divine

NB: Such exposing teaching! Never thought you will be guilty of murder!

But have you never wished someone dead?

Illustration: Story of Johnny Cash. Father loved older brother, who died in an accident.

Father became drunk. One night he blurted out: “The wrong son died!”

Lesson: All vindictive and vengeful anger lies at the root of murder.

The end we want is n less than the removal of the person. Only then will we be satisfied.

Have we not been guilty of this?

Sometimes in a moment of self and meltdown, have we not wished our spouse, parent, child, friend, teacher, colleagues, bosses, church, leaders, pastors away or dead?

I will be happiest when that person is not in this moment or not in my life?

This is not just human judgement of our hands by Sanhedrin but God’s assessment of our heart.

God finds us guilty and culpable of hell.

Summarise & prayer:

Heavenly Father, we are sorry. We are so far from you.

I acknowledge that I have become a rationaliser or justifier of sin, instead of confessor of sin?

We may be a law keeper but not a God pleaser.

We could Church goer and Ministry doer.

Look right with man, do wrong with God.

We suffer such vindictive and vengeful anger .. that lies at the root of murder.

In a moment of self and meltdown, we wished our

Spouse, parent, child, friend, teachers, colleagues, bosses, church, leaders, pastors away or dead?

Forgive, wash us. Look and need Jesus.