Anger

Scripture:  Matthew 5:21-26 (Click link for scripture in Bible Gateway)

21 “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” (Matthew 5:21–22 NLT)

Imagine how shocking it was to his hearers when Jesus said, “You have heard one thing from Moses, the Torah, and your priests and rabbis, but I’m setting a whole new standard!” For centuries the Jews had been taught that if you obeyed The Law as given to Moses by God, and as interpreted by their priests and rabbis, you were righteous and OK with God. And if you failed to obey on a major or minor point, you were subject to punishment or required to pay a fine (make a sacrifice) at the Temple.

Look at this incredible contrast! The Law: If you murder someone, you must face judgment and you’ll receive the punishment The Law specifies. Jesus: If you are angry with someone, if you engage in name-calling and slanderous accusations, if you curse someone, you’re guilty of not living by the Law of Love!

Under The Law, you could be OK even if your heart was full of anger and your mouth was full of name-calling and cursing, just as long as you didn’t murder someone. Under Jesus’ new standard, the Law of Love, it wasn’t merely the outward act of violence that mattered, it was the attitude of your heart!

The Jesus way not only means keeping our hands free from blood, but keeping our mouths free of name-calling and cursing and keeping our hearts free of hate! Is it any wonder a lot of people thought, “Hold on! If we couldn’t live righteous lives under The Law, how on earth is this going to work? This looks harder, not easier!”

Don’t be discouraged, friends! In the way of The Law, the sin moved from the heart to the hands and punishing the sin didn’t make the heart clean. In the Jesus Way, when we acknowledge and own the sin in our hearts, the blood of Jesus cleanses our hearts, and we face forward in faith, forgiven, cleansed, and ready to embrace whatever is next! It’s a journey of faith!

Prayer:                                                                       

Father, I’m gonna need some help with this! By your grace, for Jesus sake, Amen!