25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny.[i]
Matthew 5:25-26
Have you ever said something in anger that you wish you could take back? We have all said something in the heat of an argument or the pain of frustration. Sometimes our anger can catch us by surprise. I remember as a teenager being so angry that I would smash windows and punch holes through doors. Looking back, I didn’t even know why I was so angry. I had this disappointment in my heart and I was full of fear and rage. I was a mess. What is inside you always finds a way to come out. For me it was in broken doors and knuckles, for others anger can break far worse things.
Jesus’ third example about the problem for anger is practical. He teaches that anger will cause you to risk your relationship with God and it will risk your relationship with your community. Finally, he says that it will risk your relationship with society. What Jesus is doing here is showing that living a righteous life is not a pursuit for the spiritual elite. It is wisdom for the every day man and woman.
Jesus’ point is that we should not just use the Law to transform our external actions but that we need to go the root and take what is happening in our hearts far more seriously. Thou shalt not murder is the external rule but the completion of the Law is that we do not allow anger into our hearts. We should recognise the danger of allowing our hearts to be angry and move in the opposite direction.
Guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.
What is the risk of allowing yourself to become angry?
