Sound The Trumpet : Matthew 5:21-22 Anger and Murder

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“Matthew 5:21-22 Anger and Murder”
by Art Sadlier
August 5th, 2012

"Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:21-22).

Introduction

A boy once asked his father, "Daddy how do wars begin?" His father replied, "Well take WW1 for an example; it began when Germany invaded Belgium."

Immediately his wife interrupted him, "Tell the boy the truth, it began when somebody was murdered."

The husband drew himself up with an air of superiority and snapped back, "Are you answering this question or am I?"

Turning her back on him in a huff, the wife walked out of the room and slammed the door behind her as hard as she could. When the dishes in the cupboard stopped rattling, an eerie silence settled over the room. Finally the little boy said, "Daddy you don't have to tell me anymore, I know now."

It is amazing that even those who love each other very much; can suddenly be vexed with anger and resentment.

Background

The scribes and Pharisees had misunderstood the law. They had thought that the law only dealt with external actions and not with inward actions and motives.

Jesus had condemned this concept and is teaching in this chapter that external actions without a right attitude within the heart were not acceptable to God.

He uses the scribes and Pharisees as an example. "For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20).

Our Lord proceeds to give five illustrations of this truth in this chapter.

The first illustration is found in verses 21-22. He is dealing with the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill."

Violence and murder are escalating in our society at an alarming rate!

Doctor Arnold Barnet, an instructor in applied mathematics at M.I.T. said his studies showed that a baby born in the 1980's was more likely to be murdered than an American soldier was to die in combat during WW 2.

Jesus begins in verse 21, "Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time." Jesus begins by talking about the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees. These are traditions which were wrong interpretations of God's Word. These were traditions which destroyed the true meaning of God's Word.

So here in verses 21-22 we have reference to two interpretations of the sixth commandment of the law.

First - We have the traditions of the fathers. This is the interpretation the scribes and Pharisees in verse 21.

Second - We have the interpretation of Jesus. Found in verse 22.

The Jews considered that there was but one act that violated the sixth commandment; that was the physical act of murder. But Jesus gave a different view of what the sixth commandment really intended. Jesus begins with, "But I say unto you..." He is saying I am going to set you straight. You do not understand the law but I do. Let me clarify it for you.

Question, what right had Jesus to give an interpretation that was contrary to the interpretation the scribes and Pharisees held? I am glad you asked that question; let us look at the credentials of Christ. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." The Word was Jesus and verse 14 proves that, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." The Word is Jesus Christ, the one who gave the commandments at Mt, Sinai in the first place.

Their only one God and there is only one Saviour, they are one and the same. It is essential that you clearly understand that fact.

Luke 2:11, "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."

John 4:42, "And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world."

Isaiah 43:10-11, "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." The Bible is a closed book to you until you understand that truth.

The Father and the Son are one. When the voice of God was heard from Mt. Sinai it was also Jesus Christ that was speaking.

Let me now ask you, does the Christ who gave the commandment have the right to interpret what He said?

So our Lord begins to expound the sixth commandment. "Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause…."

There is only one justifiable cause for anger in scripture. That justifiable cause is sin. Psalm 7:11, ".....God is angry with the wicked every day." Sin is the only justifiable cause for anger in scripture.

Sin kindles God's anger, "And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp" (Numbers 11:1).

Only God can be angry with sinners, we cannot be angry with sinners. We can only be angry at sin! If someone wrongs you, you have no justification for anger against that person. We are commanded to forgive instead of being angry at that person.

We have our Saviour's example in Luke 23:33-34, "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do....."

We also have Paul's instructions in Ephesians 4:32, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

We have Christ's command as the final word on the matter, "Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22). The point is that in forgiving 70x7 you will develop a forgiving spirit and will lose track of the number of times you forgave.

What about justice? Romans 12:19, "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." "Give place" what is the place? "Vengenance is mine, I will repay saith the Lord." The place is "God's hand," turn the matter over to the Lord. Don't get even! Let God handle it. He will get even if He deems it necessary.

Question, when was the last time you got angry and how did you handle it?

1 - Christ' definition of anger

Christ makes it clear that the act of wilfully and unlawfully taking another's life is murder. We know that society may lawfully take a person's life under certain conditions.

Romans 13:4, "For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." But in our text Jesus is not talking about societies ministering of capital punishment. He is talking about the individual who unlawfully is responsible for another’s death as a result of an act with the intent to kill.

But Jesus goes beyond that definition of murder.

2- Christ's further definition of murder

Verse 22, "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire." Understand what Jesus is saying here. He is saying if a man is angry and doesn't strike out with his hand. If he is angry and does nothing but get bitter and full of hatred; that is the same as murder in God's eyes.

Jesus is saying this is an issue of the heart and not the hand.

3 - Whosoever shall say to his brother raca

Raca means airhead, empty head or stupid. "And whosoever shall say thou fool." Jesus is saying the man who gets angry and strikes out with his tongue is just as bad in God's sight as a murder. This is an issue of the heart.

Christ's Enablement

You may say, "I just can't control my temper." "I just can't control my heart." "I just can't control my attitude."

"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me" ( 1 Corinthians 15:10). The energizing power to live the entire Christian life is called the "Grace of God."

Special grace is available to every child of God to help us to forgive instead of becoming angry or bitter. Hebrews 12: 15, "Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." Hebrews 4:16, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

We are to seek God's grace. We are to ask for it. We are to believe God for it.

What is Anger?

It is hatred and resentment in the heart toward another person. How it is expressed is not the issue. Whether we strike out with our hand or hold it in and become bitter or lash out with our tongue, it is anger.

What causes Anger?

Anger is the result of someone taking away something that is mine, or taking away some right that I believe is mine.

Example - One sister borrows her sister’s clothes and tears the clothing. She puts it back without saying anything. When her sister finds out she is angry. Why, because her right to her property has been violated.

Example - At the supper table one brother gives his opinion and the other laughs and says that’s stupid. The result is anger. Why? His right to his opinion has been violated.

How should we deal with Anger?

When we get angry we need to discern what right of ours has been violated. Then we need to yield that right to the Lord. Example, someone has kept me waiting for a scheduled meeting. I am angry; my time has been violated or wasted. The whole process is learning to surrender your life to the Lord.

Romans 8: 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Realize that God is at work in your life. Verse 29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Open up the eyes of your soul and see God at work in your life and get excited about it.

Everything that comes into your life is allowed by God for a good purpose. If as a believer you get angry you are fighting against God and His purpose.

Looking for His glorious appearing! Titus 2:13