Christ Cures Anger

We have been studying the Sermon on the Mount, and in the previous section, Jesus described the character of the citizens of the kingdom of God. He also spoke about the function of these citizens, that they need to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Then Jesus spoke about his relationship with the Law, which means the Old Testament scriptures. Jesus declared that he came, not to annul, abolish, or destroy the Law, but to fulfill it.

In Matthew 5:20 Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Then he gave six illustrations of this demand for righteousness which must surpass the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. In verse 21, he says, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago,” and then he says, “but I say unto you.” Jesus used this introduction before each illustration. He spoke it first, in verse 21 in regard to the issue of murder, which is the sixth commandment; second, in verse 27, in regard to adultery, the seventh commandment; third, in verse 31 about divorce; fourth, in verse 33 about swearing and the taking of oaths; fifth, in verse 38 regarding the law of retaliation; and, sixth, in verse 43, regarding loving our enemies. In this study of verses 21 through 26, we will examine the first illustration in which Jesus Christ exposes murder.

Jesus Versus the Elders

The first thing we find in these verses is the authority with which Jesus spoke. In verse 21 Jesus told his disciples, “You have heard it said in ancient times,” or “You have heard it said to the people of ancient times,” or “You have heard it said by the people of ancient times. . .” The Greek text can have all these meanings. But then what did he say? “but I tell you. . .” Notice the great authority of Jesus!

Now, we must realize that Jesus was not setting his teaching against that of the Old Testament and of Moses. Rather, he was referring to the interpretation of the scribes and Pharisees of old, the traditions of the elders. We must keep that in mind. Jesus never contradicted the teaching of the Old Testament. If he had done so, he would have been contradicting the very scriptures he had authored.

What did Jesus mean when he said, “You have heard it said. . .”? He was referring to the common way of gaining knowledge of God’s word in those days. In ancient times people did not have multiple copies of Bibles as we do today. In fact, they did not have any Bibles, so the only way to understand God’s word was to go to the synagogue and hear it. Jesus himself did this. Many times we read that he went to the synagogue as was his custom. Why did he go? To hear the word of God read and expounded.

The Teaching of the Elders

What was the problem with this system? The problem was that the elders did not always expound the exact meaning of the text. This happens today as well. Some preachers expound the Scriptures but, rather than giving the true meaning of the word of God, they are merely voicing their own opinions. For example, some ministers maintain that the Sermon on the Mount is not applicable to modern Christians. Thus, they teach that our righteousness does not have to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. In fact, some ministers tell us that modern Christians do not have to worry about any of the things Jesus taught in this section of Scripture. Let me assure you, such teaching is like the traditions of the elders of Jesus’ day. It is false, and we must repudiate such faulty views of God’s word.

The sixth commandment says, “You shall not murder,” and the Jewish elders interpreted that law narrowly by saying it applied only to the outward act of one person taking the life of another. They reduced God’s law to one specific act and failed to take into account the spirit of this commandment. These elders were not proper teachers of God’s word. So Jesus taught his disciples, saying, “You have heard it said ‘You shall not murder,'” but then he said, in essence, “but what you heard is not the full and true meaning of the commandment.” Then he began to give the true interpretation: “But I say unto you. . .”

The Authority of Jesus

Jesus was different from the Pharisees and scribes, and his authority was different. So we must ask: Who is this one who said, “But I say unto you. . .” Who is this “I” who spoke with such authority, in contrast to the scribes who had no authority?

Who is Jesus? In Matthew 12 Jesus said that he is greater than the temple, that he is the Lord of the Sabbath, and that he is greater than Solomon. In John 10:30, Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one,” meaning that he was God. So we must understand that Jesus is more than a teacher, a prophet, and a rabbi. He is the eternal Son of God, God himself.

Jesus is the only perfect interpreter of the law. Why? He is the author of the law. It is he who gave the law to Moses. And as one who was born under the law when he became man, he alone is the perfect fulfiller of the law. So only Jesus can give us the true, exhaustive meaning of the sixth commandment as well as the true, exhaustive meaning of the punishment due those who violate it.

The Interpretation of the Pharisees

Before we look at Jesus’ interpretation of the sixth commandment, let us examine how the Pharisees interpreted it.

Like many modern evangelicals, the scribes and Pharisees reduced God’s commandments to a manageable proportion. They said that the sixth commandment dealt only with the external act of murder, so as long as a person did not literally murder someone, he or she had kept this commandment. They taught similarly about the seventh commandment, saying that as long as one did not literally and physically commit adultery, that person was right with God. They also taught that the punishment for murder was satisfied when one was tried by a human court and executed. That was the extent of their interpretation.

What was wrong with this limited interpretation? It did not include the reality that all sin is against God and must be judged by God. The Pharisees did not teach about the greater punishment of facing the court of God and being sent to the eternal fire of hell. The Pharisees practiced reductionism, in other words. They reduced God’s law to a manageable degree, to an external, limited understanding of what was required, and then prided themselves in saying that they truly had kept the law.

We see this type of reductionism in Matthew 19:16-22 in the account of the rich young ruler. Beginning in verse 16 we read, “Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‘Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?’ ‘Why do you ask me about what is good?’ Jesus replied. ‘There is only one who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.’ ‘Which ones?’ the man inquired. Jesus replied, ‘”Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother” and “love your neighbor as yourself.”‘” What was the young man’s response? “All these I have kept.” I am sure this man had no idea what he was saying. A person can only say that he has fully kept God’s law when he reduces God’s commandments to a manageable proportion. That is what the scribes and Pharisees had done.

In the book of Philippians we read the testimony of a Pharisee named Paul. When he spoke about how he had kept the law, Paul said, “as for legalistic righteousness, faultless” (Phil. 3:6). This is reductionism! And let me tell you, we all engage in it from time to time. We reduce God’s words to our standards and pretend that we have kept them.

The Interpretation of Christ

Jesus Christ, the giver of the law, demands that we keep his law. But only he can correctly interpret it. What, then, was Jesus’ interpretation of the sixth commandment?

Jesus wanted us to realize that the sixth commandment dealt not only with the external act of murder but also with the internal state of our heart. A Pharisee would say that only murder–the actual taking of another’s life–violates the sixth commandment. But Jesus taught that unrighteous and unholy anger also violates the sixth commandment.

Jesus, therefore, was calling attention not only to the outward act of murder but also to the inward condition of our heart, the inward root of anger. In other words, Jesus was pointing to the root of the problem, which is the human heart. In Matthew 15:19 Jesus said, “Out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery,” and so on. And in Genesis 6:5 we read, “Every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time.” Genesis 8:21 tells us, “Every inclination of [man’s] heart is evil from childhood,” and in Jeremiah 17:9 we read, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure.”

Who can fathom the human heart? Only God, who is called the great cardiognosis–the heart knower.

The Heart Is the Problem

So Jesus taught that the problem is the evil human heart, and, therefore, unholy anger and unholy speech are murder. When a person calls his brother “Raca,” which may be an Aramaic word meaning blockhead, bonehead, or knucklehead–an intellectually deficient person, in other words–or when he calls him “Fool,” which means an idolater or a morally deficient person, what did Jesus say that person is really doing? Committing an act of murder.

We must understand that when we call someone “Raca” and “Fool,” we are also calling that person’s heavenly Father “Raca” and “Fool.” Isn’t that true? If you call me a fool, you are calling my Father a fool. So notice the in-depth interpretation of this commandment by Jesus Christ, the Lawgiver. He was explaining that the Pharisees dealt only with the external act but did not take into consideration the condition of the heart. He was explaining that unholy anger, unholy speech, envy and jealousy are all the same as murder. In fact, if we read the book of Genesis, we see Cain committing the first murder. Why did he kill his brother? He was envious of him. Cain hated Abel because Abel’s sacrifice was accepted by God while Cain’s was not. His jealousy of Abel eventually caused him to murder him.

So envy is murder, according to Jesus. The apostle John, who no doubt listened to this section of the Sermon on the Mount, wrote later in 1 John 3:15, “Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.” Let me tell you, if you hate your brother and refuse to repent of that hatred and be reconciled to him, it is evidence that you are never born of God and have no eternal life. This is a serious issue.

What else is murder? Abortion. Now, we do not have to argue that the external act of abortion is murder, isn’t that true? But we must realize that a woman who seeks an abortion also has an evil heart. She hates this baby within her and sees that child as someone who interferes with her good life. The hatred then manifests itself in the external act of murdering the baby. Behind each act of abortion there is an evil heart.

So Jesus says that the evil attitude of one’s heart is murder, and evil speech against one’s brother is murder. If you call your brother “Blockhead” you are murdering him. If you call your brother a fool, you are murdering him. If you engage in gossip and slander, you are murdering your brother or sister by killing his or her reputation.

This is the in-depth, broad, deep interpretation of the sixth commandment by our Lord Jesus Christ. An evil attitude is murder. An evil word is murder.

By What Will We Be Judged?

The Pharisaical interpretation of the sixth commandment said that only someone who committed the external act of murder would be subject to judgment, which would be rendered by a human court. But in Matthew 12 Jesus warned us that God himself is going to judge every idle word that we speak. Beginning with verse 33 he said, “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, and make a tree bad and its tree will be bad. For a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matt. 12:33-37).

Everyone will be judged, not only for some outward act that he committed in violation of God’s law, but also for the attitude of his heart, the evil thoughts he entertained, and the evil words he spoke. Now, we must realize that no human court will convict a person of murder if he is guilty of an evil attitude, evil thoughts, or even evil words. You can utter all the hate speech you want, and no court in this world will convict you of murder. But let me tell you, God will deal with these heart attitudes and punish them.

That is the difference between Jesus and the Pharisees. The Pharisees interpreted murder as just an external act only, and its punishment as punishment by a human court. But Jesus gave the in-depth interpretation which took into account the evil human heart as well as the evil deeds that come out of the evil heart. Thus, Jesus interpreted the punishment also differently. Not only must one face a human court, but one must also face divine judgment, which the Father has given to Christ to execute. And Christ will judge every thought, every deed, and every careless word.

True understanding of the sixth commandment has serious implications for our life. If we must give an account for every careless word, how should we speak? In Ephesians 4:29 we read, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs that it may benefit those who listen.” We must speak, not in a way that kills people, but in a way that builds them up. Why? God will judge–not only our deeds but our words and our heart condition.

When will this judgment occur? “On the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares,” Paul says in Romans 2:16. And in Hebrews 4:13 we read of the extent of the judgment: “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”

Beyond Murder

Not only did the Pharisees interpret the sixth commandment restrictively, but also they also interpreted it only negatively, saying, “Do not murder.” But Jesus, the Son of God, the Lawgiver, the Law-interpreter, the Law-fulfiller, interpreted it exhaustively and positively. Thus, Jesus tells us that law that says “You shall not murder” obligates us, not only not to murder or be angry with our brother, but also to love our brother and to do all within our power to promote him and build his life up. (PGM) We have an obligation to feed our hungry brother, to clothe him, to house him, to help him with his medical care, to rebuke him when he goes astray, and so on. We have an obligation to build up his name and reputation. All of these actions will fulfill the sixth commandment that says, “You shall not murder.”

This positive aspect of this commandment is summarized in Christ’s commandment to love one’s neighbor as oneself. We read about this in Matthew 22:36-40. There we find the positive interpretation of not only the sixth commandment but of all the commandments. A man came to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And in verse 37 Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” This is the positive, comprehensive meaning of the Ten Commandments as interpreted by the Lord Jesus Christ.

How to Deal with Anger

How, then, can we deal with the problem of unholy anger, which Jesus said is murder? First, we must look at what Jesus means by anger. Some people say that every manifestation of anger is wrong. But God gets angry, doesn’t he? Anger is a way in which we can communicate how we feel. For example, when I look at my son in an angry way, he immediately understands that I am not pleased with what he has done.

The Bible tells us, “In your anger do not sin” (Ps. 4:4, Eph. 4:26). But many people do not understand this. They would say, “All anger is wrong.” But I say, “No, not all anger is wrong.” Anger can have good purposes. In fact, we read in the gospels that Jesus was angry several times. Did Jesus sin? Absolutely not. There is, in other words, such a thing as righteous, holy anger.

In this portion of Scripture Jesus is condemning the unholy anger by which one hates one’s brother and wishes that he were dead. The apostle John refers to this kind of anger when he says, “He who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). Hatred expressed in terrible epithets is murderous.

God Gives Remembrance

So Jesus gives counsel in how to deal with unholy anger. First, he gives an example of a man who had been angry enough with his brother to have cut him down somehow. Now, this man was a spiritual person and so afterwards he went to the temple to worship. He took his animal with him for a sacrifice. But when he was about to give his animal to the priest so that the priest could offer it in his name to God, the Holy Spirit came upon the man and convicted him that he “murdered” his brother.

What should a person in this situation do? Jesus said, “leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” In other words, Jesus was saying, “Don’t give your gift to the priest now. Put it down! Leave it there! Go quickly and take care of this problem! Why? Heaven will wait. God does not like a person to worship him with an impure heart. Worship must be with a pure heart.”

If you remember while you are worshiping God that your brother has something against you, who brought that remembrance? God. Why? Because even though you sinned against your brother, God still loves you and wants you to worship him correctly. He wants to bless you, but he cannot do so as long as you are in a state of rebellion.

Now, Jesus was not speaking about dealing with trivial matters. Many people are always against someone for something, and it is usually for a silly thing. If you are angry with someone for silly things, I counsel you to grow up. When Jesus said you remember that your brother has something against you, he means it is something substantial and real–not something silly. If we had to take care of silly things all the time, we would never have time for worship.

But suppose you did something to your brother, not in love but in hate. Suppose you manifested unholy anger toward your brother or hated him and wished that he were dead. Suppose you spoke or acted in a way that was absolutely terrible toward your brother. By doing any of these things, your anger can result in anger against you by the other brother.

Suppose God causes you to remember this incident. While you are in the temple, while you are in the church, or while you are preparing for the Sabbath, suppose God brings it to your remembrance. Suppose even before you start your car to go to the church, God reminds you that you caused your brother to be not at peace with you and to be separated from you. Suppose the Holy Spirit comes upon you and gives you conviction.

Reconcile Before Worship

What should you do? “Don’t worship,” Jesus says. “Leave your gift at the altar. Quickly, go to your brother. Right now! God will wait. Heaven will wait.” And then he says, “Be reconciled to your brother,” meaning you must do everything within your power to establish a harmonious and peaceful state between you and your brother. You must repent and ask forgiveness for any specific sin that you committed. You must make restitution if it is required. Spare no effort! It is urgent that you be reconciled to your brother and be at peace with him. Why? It is evidence of your eternal salvation.

If you remain stubborn and refuse to be reconciled to your brother, it is proof that you have no eternal life. But if you do go and establish a harmonious relationship, such action proves that you are born of God.

There is also responsibility in this matter for the offended brother. In Matthew 18 we read that the offended brother also must go and be reconciled. So the offending brother is going and the offended brother is coming, and both are interested in reconciliation. One must rebuke the other, and the other must repent and ask forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ. But then everything will be taken care of. In Luke 17:3-4 we read, “If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent,’ forgive him.” If you do not forgive, you are not born of God.

What Is Acceptable Worship?

God requires acceptable worship, which means worship that is acceptable to God, not to you. Acceptable worship means worship offered with a pure heart. For example, Cain worshiped God, but his heart was evil, and God refused to accept his worship. And in 1 Samuel 15 we read about Saul’s worship. He had been told to wait for Samuel, but he refused to wait and began to offer his sacrifices. But he was disobeying God even when he was sacrificing, and when Samuel came, he told Saul “to obey is better than sacrifice and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” God requires acceptable worship.

In Isaiah 1 we find a description of worship that is disorderly and coming from impure hearts. In verses 15-17 we read, “When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right!” and so on. God refuses to accept such worship. And in Psalm 66:18-19 the psalmist wrote, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer.”

Sometimes we think that God will accept our worship even when our hearts are impure and we are cherishing sin rather than dealing with it. We may even come to the church, cover ourselves with the shroud of ceremony, singing, praising, and praying, and go home. But the truth is, God will not hear the prayers we offered in that situation. He will never accept that kind of worship, and instead of being blessed, we will be cursed.

God Will Wait

So Jesus was telling his disciples, “God will wait. If you are convicted of sin, go quickly and be reconciled to your brother. When you are in good relationship and at peace with him, then come and worship. God will accept your worship then and bless you.”

We must deal with sin before we can worship acceptably. We should never try to cover our unrepentant, unforgiving, murderous hearts with a shroud of ceremonies. That is what the Pharisees did. We may try to cover very carefully but God will always see through such pretense because he knows our heart. We must make every effort, as Jesus says, to be reconciled to our brothers before we come to worship. We must do it first, do it quickly, and do it now.

Jesus said something significant along the same lines in Mark 11:25: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive your sins. ” If we are praying in the church and God convicts us of holding something against someone, we must go and deal with it with the other person. Then we can come back and offer our gifts with clean hands and pure hearts. If we do this, then God will accept our gift and bless us.

Why do you think some of our prayers are not answered? It is because these prayers were offered with hearts that were not pure. We did not settle with the brothers and sisters with whom we had problems and so our worship was not acceptable to God. Instead of being blessed, we became cursed because we cherished sin our heart.

In Matthew 5:25 Jesus said, “Settle matters quickly with your adversary.” We must have a sense of urgency about these things. While we have opportunity, while we are on the way to court with our adversary, try to settle it out of court. Good relationships are of primary importance in worship. We must be friendly and of one mind with each other.

Are you beginning to understand how different the interpretation of the sixth commandment is when it is interpreted by Jesus Christ rather than the Pharisees? Do you appreciate how deep and broad this interpretation is?

How to Fulfill This Commandment

This, then, is the way in which our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. The Pharisee says, “I never killed a person; therefore, I am righteous,” but as Christians we understand that if we hate our brother, we have murdered him and, therefore, we have to confess, repent, and get right with that brother. But you may ask, “How can I fulfill this interpretation of law by Jesus? It is so broad and deep, and the judgment is so heavy. If I hate my brother, I will go to eternal hell. How can I ever fulfill this law in a way that is pleasing to God?” Let me give you some answers to that.

1. Cry out to God. Jesus came to fulfill the law perfectly. He fulfilled every law perfectly, and as our mediator and representative, he went to hell so that we can go to heaven. Therefore, I urge you to cry out to God to help you. He is the one who justifies the ungodly with his own perfect, divine righteousness. Cry out to God that he may have mercy upon you.
2. Cry out to God while you have opportunity. This means while you are still living. If you do so, he will give you new birth and his divine nature and cause you to love God and his righteousness. Therefore, cry out to God. Why? You cannot do it on your own. No one exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees in his or her own strength. Cry out to God that he may give you a new heart, a new attitude, and divine nature by the miracle of new birth.
3. Cry out to God and he will enable you to repent of your sins. If you cry out to God, he will enable you to humble yourself before him. He will enable you to believe in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
4. Cry out to God and he will bring you into his family. If you cry out to God, he will adopt you as his own sons and daughters and cause his Holy Spirit to come and dwell in you.
5. Cry out to God , and he will cause you to will and to do his good pleasure. He will give you wisdom and the fear of the Lord.
6. Cry out to God, and he will cause you to love him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength, and your neighbor as yourself. God himself will enable you to exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees. The Bible says that instead of hatred, the love of God will be poured out in abundance in your heart. You cannot naturally love anyone, but God will pour out his love in your heart by the Holy Spirit in such abundance that you will love your brother and sister, have good feelings toward them, and speak words of grace to build them up.
7. Cry out to God, and he will enable you to lay down your life for your brothers. Now that is interesting. He who has been murdering must stop murdering and lay down his life for his brother. And let me assure you, if you do this, you will fulfill the sixth commandment.

John speaks about this in 1 John 3:16: “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” What a radical change! We are no longer murdering anyone in thought, word, or deed, and we so love God and our brothers that we ourselves are laying down our lives for our brothers. That is Christianity, isn’t it? That is a miracle–a miracle of miracles–for God to change our hearts to such an extent that the murderers are now laying down their lives for their brothers.

Let me tell you, if you do these things, you will discover a secret. What is it? Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:30). If you are born again, you will discover that. If you are not, you will say, “His yoke is not easy and his burden is not light.” But in 1 John 5:3 we read, “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.”

Conclusion

Let us, then, acknowledge that we cannot have a righteousness that exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and the scribes unless God helps us. But, praise God, he does help us! And even now the Holy Spirit may be bringing to your attention some problem with your brother or sister. Maybe you committed a murder yesterday, or the day before yesterday, or last year, or last week–a murder in thought, in word, or in your heart, and you spoke and did whatever you did. When we come together to worship, the Holy Spirit is present, and he must convict us. Isn’t that true? We are prone to forget these things, but praise be to God, his Holy Spirit comes upon us and causes us to remember. And it is he who gives us the ability to go and take care of it, so that we may come and worship and receive great blessing. It is my prayer that none of us will prove to be murderers of our brothers and sisters but, rather, lovers of our brothers and sisters to that extent we lay down our lives for them.

Heavenly Father, we all stand affected by your word. Like the Pharisees, we have reduced everything to a manageable proportion and we gave ourselves a good mark: faultless, perfect. Heavenly Father, we thank you for your view of things, your interpretation, which is deep and broad and high. And we confess we cannot do it ourselves, O God, but we thank you for your salvation. Help us to love you with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, and to love our brothers as ourselves. And beyond that, help us to lay down our own lives for our brothers. In Jesus’ name. Amen.