We are busy talking about how our lives affect others. The passage we were looking at is You have heard that it was said to people long ago, “Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. And again, anyone who says to his brother, “Raca,” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, “You fool!” will be in danger of the fire of hell. (Matthew 5:21 and 22). This is the last post on this section.
Galatians 5 says that the carnal
nature opposes the Spirit. Paul says in Philippians that we work out the
salvation of our souls with fear and trembling because the carnal nature,
together with external temptations, does not easily yield to the Spirit.
I do not
understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is,
it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that
nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire
to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I
want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do
what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in
me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is
right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law. (Romans 7:15-22)
Therefore, we fight this battle: we
keep on sinning by committing murder with our mouths. Our sinful nature keeps
on resisting the Spirit. We (our sinful nature) keep on doing what we (our
renewed spirit) do not want to do. What is the solution? The key is in the word
“forgiveness.”
If we
confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and
purify us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)
By confessing these sins of the
tongue, we are forgiven and once again in right standing with God, but what
about our neighbor? “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar
and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift
there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then
come and offer your gift,” (Matthew 5:23, 24). Jesus is saying that since you have called your
brother an idiot, don’t come and worship Me until you have sorted things out
with him.
Picture the following: Church is
about to begin. You and your son just had a good fight, ending with words
bordering on “raca” or “you fool.” Or perhaps you and your spouse had words in
the past week. “Raca” was probably part of it. Neither of you, however, has yet
apologized. Or maybe another Christian differed with you on a certain point and
“raca” was either mentioned or implied.
As you are about to bring your
sacrifice of praise to the heavenly altar, you remember this murder you have
committed. Do you think the one you have slandered with your tongue, whether
you were right or wrong, has something against you after what you’ve said?
Maybe she is mad, but maybe she is so used to it that she has already forgiven
you before you asked. Maybe she has forgotten about it, but inside, it still
hurts. Whether she forgave you or not, no one can receive murderous words and
not get hurt.
What does Jesus command? It is the
same principle as His command in Matthew 6:14, 15: “For if you
forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive
your sins.” In this
case, you are also the one in need of forgiveness, both from your neighbor and
from God. What Jesus said here indirectly is mentioned clearly in 1 John 4:20:
“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For
anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom
he has not seen.”
Jesus says here that if you refuse to
make right with your brother, or if you make light of the offense by ignoring
it, you actually hate your brother because you don’t care how he feels. In such
a case, you actually hate God. Of what worth is your sacrifice of praise then?
We may think that bringing a
sacrifice to God means asking forgiveness of sins. However, according to our
passage, we cannot expect forgiveness unless we are reconciled with our brother.
God’s standards are much higher than we think. We think we can keep on sinning,
accomplishing our own purposes, leaving wrecked souls behind us. We are often
so ambitious, valuing only people who can help us to reach our goals, that we
leave hurting people behind. We can even be too insensitive to realize they
need reconciliation. But God sees this. He knows about it when we bring our
sacrifices. When we do not hear His voice or He does not answer our prayers, we
complain that our prayers hit the ceiling.
Why did Jesus consider it important
to speak to His disciples about anger and insults? He wants us to be different
from the world. He wants us to love and forgive like His father does. It’s
natural for us to get angry, but the Word says in Psalm 4:4: “In your anger, do not
sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.”
Do you want to be more
like Jesus? Then obey the Father like Jesus did.
For children and adults who are prepared to learn in a childlike way. For more information see http://t-a-c.co.za.
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