There are a lot of Scripture passages that I struggle with, but the one that has always given me the most trouble is from what is commonly known as the Beatitudes. In Matthew 5, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, “You shall not murder’; and “whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, “You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” It is just one place where Jesus changes the allegedly unchangeable laws of God. You might argue that Jesus could do that, but we can’t. That’s fair. Still, all three parts of this passage should be troubling to us. I mean, who among us has not gotten angry or insulted someone or called another person a fool? Jesus Himself did these things. So, there must be more to it.
I have always had a hunch that Jesus wasn’t talking about our everyday, run-of-the-mill anger. The kind of anger that bubbles up when we get cut off on the road or spill coffee on a white shirt. I think what Jesus meant was that if we hate someone so much that we want them dead, it is the same – in our hearts and minds – as if we have actually murdered them. I can say that there have been many people over the years I have not liked; there may even have been people I have hated. I can’t think of anyone I hated or was angry enough with to want them dead. Of course, I never met Hitler or Stalin. I have spent most of my time around good people – even some great ones. I may be in denial, but I can’t imagine wanting someone dead. And yet, people commit murder every day. People are filled with hate every day.
Recently, former President Trump was shot by a deranged man in Western Pennsylvania. In the time since I have heard and read of a lot of people saying that they wished the guy had better aim. I am not here to judge anyone who said that, but I think you fall into this Matthew 5 verse, and that saddens me. I personally feel that Mr. Trump is the most immoral president in our history; I think he is an objectively bad person. And I am not going to suffer if he becomes president again, but I believe a lot of people will. Is this enough to want him dead or to express regret that he lived? I don’t think so; more importantly, I don’t think Jesus would approve.
When it comes to anger, I think the Apostle Paul got it right. In Ephesians 4 he wrote, “Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” I think his point is well taken; allowing anger to fester gives an opportunity for evil to take us over. It gives us permission to turn those we disagree with into the enemy who, in spite of Jesus’s teaching, most of us don’t love. It turns those who are on the other side into tools of the devil; an evil that must be destroyed. If we become like this, Jesus taught, we are doomed. We will be judged harshly in the end. We can’t allow hatred and anger the opportunity to rule our lives, no matter how righteous we believe that hate and anger to be. As difficult as it sometimes is, we need to let love be our guide, not hate.
Prayer – Holy God, it is really hard to follow some of the teachings of Jesus. Help us to pause in the midst of our anger so that the sun does not go down on it. Amen.
Today’s art is “When Hate Kills Love” by Anna Andura.