“You have heard it said….But I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment…”
Matthew 5:22
HELPS Word-studies
Cognate: 3710 orgízō – be angry, as expressing a "fixed anger" (settled opposition). 3710 /orgízō ("to show settled-opposition") is positive when inspired by God – and always negative when arising from the flesh. "Sinful (unnecessary) anger" focuses on punishing the offender rather than the moral content of the offense. See 3709 (orgē).
Part one......
We have just one great commandment before the Lord, love him with our all and others even as we have been loved, my paraphrase. Our lives revolve around these two primary relationships: God and others. Romans 13:10 reminds us ~
Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Jesus comes to instruct and realign understandings about our relationships. His sermon on the mount provides us with a standard for our time here and now. If we followed His instructions, how different would our relationships be? As we follow them, we experience the fullness God has intended about being one. It is in walking out of the relationships that we find exposed hearts and opportunities to choose life. If we indeed are believers, then trusting His word leads us into life and well-being; it stands to reason we do what He commands.
The scriptures validate righteous anger toward sin, but Jesus, as we see from the Helps Word Study, is speaking about a settled opposition that focuses on punishment.
In context, Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus noted anger harboured in the heart produces unrighteous fruit; angry words. Angry words are subject to judgment.
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.’ 21. 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.
From Ellicott’s commentary~ let us consider these thoughts …..
“Angry . . . without a cause.—The last three words are wanting in many of the best MSS. They may have been inserted to soften down the apparent harshness of the teaching; but if so, it must have been at an early date—before the fourth century. They may, on the other hand, have been in the text originally and struck out as giving too wide a margin to vain and vague excuses. Ethically, the teaching is not that the emotion of anger, with or without a cause, stands on the same level of guilt with murder but that the former so soon expands and explodes into the latter that it will be brought to trial and sentenced according to the merits of each case, the occasion of the anger, the degree in which it has been checked or cherished, and the like. As no earthly tribunal can take cognizance of emotions as such, the “judgment” here is clearly that of the Unseen Judge dealing with offenses which, in His eyes, are of the same character as those which come before the human judges. “Hates any man the thing he would not kill?”
Raca.—“…like words of kindred meaning among ourselves, was in common use as expressing not anger only but insolent contempt. The temper condemned is that in which anger has so far gained the mastery that we no longer recognize a “brother” in the man who has offended us but look on him with malignant scorn.”
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.
Can we recognize this place of harboring anger, leaving room for our adversary to stand in the very courts of heaven and accuse us of unforgiveness? A righteous judge, examining the charge without our repentance, would find us guilty. We should consider what this potentially allows in our world. The lesson presents the punishment of captivity until the debt owed is fully paid. What is the debt owed? Our love for our brother, Romans 13:8-10. The height of deception would be thinking we were right with God yet out of step with our brother.
……To be continued