Jesus is preaching and speaking to the crowds, helping them to understand his kingdom, the kingdom of God. He begins to use the “but I tell you…” statements that certainly would have awakened the crowds.
No one else would dare do that. No one else would say “but I tell you…” when it came to the word of God. And yet, that is exactly what Jesus began to do in the Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus is going straight into some of the most practical, everyday matters. These are situations and sins that are common to each of us, and he starts with anger and bitterness.
“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.’ 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.
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
“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. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Matthew 5:21-26
Jesus starts with murder. You’ve heard it said that anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. Well, yes Jesus, that makes sense. Isn’t that one of the worst things that we could possibly do, to murder someone? He of course knew that everyon would be in agreement at that point, but then he uses “but I tell you…”:
He says that even if you are angry with someone, you are going to be subject to judgment.
Wait a minute… If I’m angry with someone?
Yes, Jesus is comparing anger to murder, placing them at the same level, that each of them would make us subject to judgment before God.
Clearly Jesus doesn’t like angry people… But why? What is the issue here? You haven’t really sinned just by being angry, have you?
The issue is that anger is the root of many other issues. Yes, in extreme cases, it can be the root of murder. But it is also the root of division. It is the root of unforgiveness. It is the root of litigation in the courts. It is the root of divorce. It is the root of families that don’t see one another for years and years, even if they have a hard time remembering why.
Jesus isn’t just interested in getting us to obey a law, or to be good, moral people. Yes, we must be obedient, but the obedience is to the life that he gives us, a life that is full. A life that desires to truly know him in the depths of our being. A life lived based on love for God and love for other people. That is the life that will allow us to offer forgiveness to one another and to continue in a depth of relationship with one another. That is the life that he has called us to step into today.