Matthew 5:21-26
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 sisterwill 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.
We often think of this section as a condemnation of anger. It is that, but more accurately it is a call to reconciliation where relationships are strained. Anger comes to the fore because when it is harboured and expressed the thought of reconciliation has generally been abandoned. In its place there are notions of vengeance or stubborn self-justification.
When feeling wronged we usually don’t want to have a restored relationship without at least some vengeance. If accused of wrongdoing we generally want vindication. The teaching of Jesus in these verses is very hard unless we remember that he has reconciled us to God. We deserved the anger of our God and yet he sent his beloved Son to do the work of salvation so we can be reconciled and not condemned. While we might chafe at the thought of going to somebody who has something against us and seeking reconciliation, we need to remember that all our hope rests in Jesus who did this for us. We have lived in resentful rebellion, and he came to us and sacrificed his life for us.
To resist flights of anger will always be challenging but Jesus has said that if any would come after him, they should take up their cross and follow him. The life of the Christian is one of gratitude to the Lord through confident struggle.
