April 28

Angry Without Cause

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell. — Matt 5:22 BSB

We should learn to read the commandments with the light of Jesus’ explanations. As long as we interpret the sixth commandment—“You shall not murder”—to mean only literal murder, most of us will feel quite confident about our innocence. There aren’t many literal murderers in our churches or communities. But when we hear Jesus’ explanation of this commandment, we realize that its meaning goes much deeper. We break this commandment when we are angry with someone. We may not have killed anyone, but have we ever been angry with someone? Elsewhere in Scripture, we read, “Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer.” This doesn’t mean that hatred is as bad as murder, but that it comes from the same root. Murder is simply hatred that has fully grown.

Jesus’ words here deserve careful attention. They condemn all forms of anger, as well as any expression of scorn or contempt. The obedience Jesus requires from us is one that leads us to love others, think no evil of them, hold no grudges, and be patient, gentle, thoughtful, and unselfish. Yet aren’t we all prone to let anger take hold of our hearts? Don’t we often allow jealousy, envy, and unkind thoughts to settle in our minds like unwelcome guests? If we remembered that these feelings are the seeds of murder, we surely wouldn’t entertain them for even a moment—none of us want the label of “murderer.” The way to keep these feelings out is to yield to every gentle and loving prompting of the Holy Spirit and to “overcome evil with good.”