Seeds for 05/22/2023 - Matthew 5:21-26
Scripture: 21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Observation: Having shaken up our understanding of blessedness, clarified our missional calling, and intensified reverence for the Torah, Jesus now starts to work through some specific examples.
Six times He begins with a version of the formula, “You have heard it said… but I say to you…” In each case, Jesus expands the expectations, focusing on the spirit of the law and not just the letter. In each case, instead of loosening it up, Jesus makes it more stringent because He gets to the heart of the matter, what the law was pointing to all along. Like pulling weeds in the garden, we’ve got to get the roots out to make real progress.
Why not start with a biggie? Murder. Pretty extreme and definitely something to have a law against. But there are plenty of steps before we get to murder that are best avoided by addressing root issues. Anger—not anger at injustice, but crude, personalized anger—is a big problem according to Jesus.
It’s so significant, in fact, that it impacts our capacity for faithful worship. Anger at a brother or sister in Christ doesn’t mix with offering our worship to God. It turns out that relational reconciliation is the greater offering. But do notice that we are cleaning up our own messes—“and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you…” (my emphasis). We’re going to apologize and seek forgiveness. We’re not remembering we had someone we wanted to cajole into an apology they’re not ready for. We’re taking responsibility, not holding someone else accountable in this instance.
Anger is something to deal with early before things snowball and get out of hand—from an argument to the judge to the officer to prison! Nip it in the bud. Don’t give it time and opportunity to take up residence in your heart.
Application:
How have you seen anger snowball if not dealt with early?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, guide me in dealing with anger in a healthy way that honors you and benefits myself and others. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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