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In Matthew 5:22, Jesus taught the following, But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will 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 (NIV).
How many of us are 'guilty' of what He warned of? Have you been angry with a sibling? If not a sibling, have you been angry with anyone? Other Bible translations replace 'Raca' with the word 'idiot'. How many of us have used that term to refer to someone else? Or, even ourselves? What about the term 'fool'? Have we not used it more liberally than we should?
The Lord wants His children to do better. He desires that we allow His Spirit and word to steer us toward what pleases Him. He wants us to turn away from the sins that create distance between us and Him. Such sin includes anger, which can control our actions, thoughts, and words. However, if we let the Spirit of the Lord direct us, a guard develops over our mouths so we are more wary of what we say and how we speak about others. We also learn to guard our hearts because whatever we allow to blossom there will come out of our mouths (Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 18:20-21). If we permit something bad to grow, the fruits will be obvious in the negative things we say.
Jesus wants us to know that anger will bring God's judgment, so we cannot give it room to fester in us. If we do, we are sure to say or do something petty. Anger also increases the risk of insulting another human, and we are taught that the same mouth we use to praise God should not be used to curse in James 3:10. Keep in mind that the scripture doesn't say anger is permitted when someone irritates or even harms us. This is why we must be careful about what we say (and think). Our words can bring life, blessings, curses, and judgment (Proverbs 13:3). God will hold us accountable for every word that passes from our lips.
And we can't make excuses for our anger, saying things like, "God's still working on me." Yes, we are all works in progress, but we should never justify our bad behavior. Instead, we must repent for being angry and forgive those whose behavior or words bring that out of us. Jesus said there is no limit to how often we must forgive others in Matthew 18:22. Proverbs 19:11 teaches that we will be rewarded with glory for overlooking the things people have done to offend us. Plus, given how often we plead for forgiveness, we should surely extend that same grace to others, even forgiving them before they apologize. If not, we risk not receiving God's mercy (Matthew 6:12; Matthew 18:21-35).
Eliminating angry words from our lips is a good start, but not enough. Remember that we must discipline ourselves about what we think in our hearts as well. The Lord will help us to be cautious, and as we submit to His Spirit and His word, we will overcome anger and its consequences, IJN Amen.
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