How To Handle Anger
Radical Christianity
How to Handle Anger
Goal: Explain how anger is an extension to murder and that Christians are to seek reconciliation rather than vengeance.
Introduction
Jesus had laid the foundation for Kingdom Living, that is for Christian Living. The foundation laid in the Beatitudes is diametrically opposed to the world’s view.
Jesus went on to tell His disciples they were to be both Salt and Light in the world.
The next paragraph really introduces all of the topics Jesus will touch on in this discourse.
Verses 17-20 establish the relationship between Jesus’ teaching, the Law and the teaching of the Religious Leaders.
Matthew 5:17-20 17 ¶ "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. 18 "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 "Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 "For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
A. Jesus’ Teaching
1. Jesus did not come to Destroy
a. Yet, that which he was teaching was not what the Pharisees and scribes taught.
b. The words “Law or Prophets” were at times applied to different things.
1. The Decalogue
2. The Pentateuch
3. Law and Prophets meant all of the O.T. writings.
4. Oral or Scribal law - which was the most common meaning at the time of Christ.
c. Jesus did not destroy the Decalogue. Jesus did not destroy the Pentateuch. Jesus did not destroy the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus did destroy the Scribal, Oral Law.
2. Jesus came to fulfill the Law, 18
a. Nothing from the law would pass away until it was fulfilled.
b. But in Christ, it was fulfilled.
1. The Decalogue is the moral law of God was fulfilled in Christ because He was without sin.
Heb. 4:15 says, "For we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."
2 Cor. 5:21, "For he hath made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteouness of God in Him."
2. The Ceremonial Law was fulfilled.
a. This is the law governing the sacrifices and Holy Days, etc.
b. When Jesus died on the cross he cried out, “It is Finished.”
c. When Christ fulfilled everything in the Law, then the Law passed away.
1. Ultimately the Mosaic Law was never given to save anyone from Hell and condemnation.
2. Gal. 3:24 makes it clear that the Law was our Schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith.
3. Jesus’ Expectations of Obedience, 19
a. “Until all be fulfilled” the commandments are to be kept.
1. The Scribes and the Pharisees were teaching people to observe the Oral Traditions - not the true Law.
b. However, lest a person think that to come to Christ would mean he could do as he wished Jesus establishes the norm - greater righteousness than that of the Pharisees.
1. Jesus illustrates this extreme or radical righteousness.
2. Six times Jesus begins with "You have heard...but I say..."
3. Each time he expands the teaching so that it is brought from actions to attitudes.
Matthew 5:21-26 21 ¶ "You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER ' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.
26 "Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.
I. What the Law Actually Teaches, 21
A. “Do Not Commit Murder”
1. I recognize there are different degrees of killings.
2. But murder in its basic understanding is the crime of killing another person deliberately with pre-meditation.
3. Other classifications that we have in American law are:
a. manslaughter – killing someone without malice or intent.
b. homicide – is justifiable or accidental killing
4. The basic teaching of the 10 Commandments is that we are not to murder.
B. Murder Results in Judgment
21 ¶ …and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.'
1. The OT established procedures for judging someone accused of murder.
2. But ultimately, if someone was found guilty of murder he/she was to be put to death.
3. Jesus takes this basic teaching and shows that murder is first and foremost a heart issue.
II. The Heart of Murder, 22
NAU Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
A. Murder is an extension of anger
1. The word translated “angry” refers to someone who is quick tempered, given to anger.
2. All of us know people who are quick tempered.
3. It’s easy to see how that quick anger can turn to uncontrollable rage.
4. Verse 22 actually shows a progression in anger.
B. Anger’s Progression
1. I believe that what Jesus is giving to us in vs. 22 is the heart’s attitude progression toward actual murder.
a. You don’t get up one day and decide, “I think I’ll go kill someone.”
b. There is a progression that takes place deep inside a person that brings him to the place of acting on the anger.
c. Jesus begins:
NAU Matthew 5:22 "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court;..
1. Angry – orgilos – inclined to anger
a. The Greek word orgilos is describing a tendency in the person.
b. The tendency is to be quick tempered.
c. You may never know what is going to kick off the anger.
d. We are looking at a pattern; something that is common in the person.
e. The natural outflow of unresolved anger is contempt.
2. Contempt – raka
NAU Matthew 5:22 … and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' (raka) shall be guilty before the supreme court; …
a. The Greek word raka has no English equivalent.
b. That’s why many translations simply transliterate the word.
1. Some other translations are:
“worthless one” – Rotherdam
“I spit on you” – Lamsa
“simpleton” – Berkley
“empty-head” – Beck
“whoever pours contempt on his brother” 20th Cent NT
“whoever maligns his brother” - Moffat
c. We know very little about the meaning and why it could result in being taken before the Sanhedrin.
d. When we have contempt for someone, we seek opportunities to hurt them by talking about them to others.
e. I think it is likely that in the context of Jesus’ day raka was a term used to describe someone deliberately seeking to harm someone by slandering or maligning them.
f. MacArthur makes reference to this without actually stating it.
g. Raka leads us to the final step before murder.
3. Hatred – moré
… and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
a. The word used here is moré, from which comes our English word moron.
b. Jesus is talking about the attitude of the heart.
c. I believe He is laying out in terms that the crowd would understand, the progression from anger to deliberate slander to down right hatred.
d. When you call someone a “fool” you apply to them a term of such disgust as to express your own hatred of them.
e. When that anger is expressed in such vehemence you are destined to hell.
f. Turn to 1 Cor. 6:9-11
NAU 1 Corinthians 6:9 ¶ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
g. Paul is saying that when you can identify a person by his sin, “Oh, that person is filled with hate…” it is an evidence of not being saved.
C. Resolving Anger
Part of resolving anger is understanding anger.
1. In the OT, 375 times the word anger is attributed to God.[1]
NKJ Psalm 7:11 God is a just judge, And God is angry with the wicked every day.
2. Jesus experienced anger, Mark 3:1-5
a. When on the Sabbath Jesus the religious leaders came to see if Jesus would heal someone on the Sabbath.
b. Verse 5 says,
NAU Mark 3:5 After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
c. When God sees evil it causes anger.
3. Anger is an emotion we feel when we encounter something we perceive as being wrong.[2]
a. Usually we get angry because we feel the injustice has been done toward us.
b. Our anger is not righteous but rather self-righteous.
c. We have this basic assumption that something is rightfully ours.
d. When we are denied that thing, we feel anger.
III. How to have Victory of Anger, 23-26
A. Seek Reconciliation, 23-24
Matthew 5:23-24 23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.
1. The Illustration, 23
a. You bring your offering to the altar.
1. The way Jesus is using the word “offering” here is broader than simply bringing a monetary gift.
a. The Jewish faithful offered sacrifices, prayers, tithes.
b. Each was an offering and each was part of the expression of worship.
c. The religious leaders focused on the external that is, doing the sacrifices and prayer and tithes.
d. Jesus focused on the heart.
2. As you bring your offering, God brings to your mind the conflict that has caused anger.
b. Why would you remember just as you are bringing your offering?
1. You remember it then because sins of anger, contempt and hatred affect our relationship with God.
2. His Spirit brings it to mind.
3. If you continue with your act of worship it becomes simply an outward act unacceptable to God!
c. Worship is first and foremost a matter of the heart.
1. Sin places a wedge between you and God.
2. Illustration: D.L. Moody
The story is told of D.L. Moody who was conducting back to back evangelistic services one evening.
Between the first and second service a man came up to Mr. Moody and made a highly offensive insult of some sort. Moody never repeated what was said.
It was contemptible enough that Moody shoved the man in anger down a small flight of stairs.
The man wasn’t hurt but onlookers and co-workers wondered how he would be able to preach after that.
When Moody called the meeting to order, with trembling voice he said:
Friends, before beginning tonight I want to confess that I yielded just now to my temper, out in the hall, and have done wrong. Just as I was coming in here tonight, I lost my temper with a man, and I want to confess my wrong before you all, and if that man is present here whom I thrust away from me in anger, I want to ask his forgiveness and God’s. Let’s pray.
Instead of a lost cause the meeting was unusually touched by God that night.[3]
2. When it comes to anger reconciliation is the only option.
a. These verses apply both to the offended as well as the offender.
B. Make friends of your opponent, 25-26
Matthew 5:25-26 25 "Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 "Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent. A. Do all you can to seek reconciliation,
1. Jesus’ Illustration
a. Jesus gives a second illustration almost as an expansion of the first.
b. This time He is speaking specifically of the offender.
c. The teaching is this:
1. If you owe a debt to anyone you are to make good as soon as possible and before it is too late.
2. The time for reconciliation is now, tomorrow is often too late.
d. At the time of Jesus the legal proceedings were somewhat simpler than today.
1. The one to whom the debt was owed could take the debtor with him before the magistrate or judge.
2. The two could settle the matter on the way (that’s Jesus’ point).
3. If it can’t be settled then the judge decides and the guilty one will face the penalty.
4. There will be no escaping if the offense goes to the judge.
2. The Application
a. When you sin against another person, that sin must be resolved, reconciled, in order to avoid having to face the sentence of the divine judge.
Conclusion
Radical Christianity is characterized by Christians doing everything they can to live in peace with one another.
But, it is not humanly possible to do perfectly as Jesus taught.
That is the whole point. The standard is absolute perfection.
Jesus shatters the idea that my actions alone establish my righteousness.
Jesus’ teaching is meant to drive us to Himself so that we come to the cross of Jesus and seek His forgiveness of our sin.
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[1] Chapman Gary, The Other Side of Love, pg. 20
[2] Ibid, pg. 21
[3] Stories, Illustrations and Quotes, pg. 30