“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be answerable to the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be answerable to the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last quadrans” (Matthew 5:21-26; all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible).

In the movie Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, the wise Jedi master Yoda expressed his uncertainty about training young Anakin Skywalker because he sensed fear in the lad. He said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” As Star Wars fans know, Yoda’s observation proved true: Anakin eventually caved to fear of rejection, which led to anger. Eventually, he lashed out in violence, moved to the dark side, and became Darth Vader, one of the most infamous villains in science fiction history.

Star Wars often reflects spiritual truths, even though it is not a Christian series. Anakin’s journey from innocence to evil passes through dark emotional places that lead to outward violence and wickedness. Anger is the seed that produces a tree of hatred and bears the fruit of murder.

“You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13) is one of the Ten Commandments. Much of the Old Testament law defines murder, distinguishes it from manslaughter (accidental killing) or legally justified forms of killing (warfare, death penalty for crimes against God and humanity), and prescribes penalties for it.

Jesus told His disciples that anger is a serious crime as well. It is just as serious as the physical act of destroying human life. We would do well to recognize what He says. The Disciple’s Study Bible (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 1988), commenting on Matthew 5:21-22, says “Anger destroys human relationships. At the very least, it destroys compassion. At the worst, it can threaten life itself.”

Everybody gets angry at times. We usually want to justify our anger. We might think things like “The other person did or said something wrong, so I have a right to be angry,” or “My anger is righteous because they are wrong.” We might quote Scriptures that justify anger at times. We might even point out that the Bible mentions the wrath of God; if God is allowed to get angry, it cannot be wrong.

Jesus’ teaching, though, should call us to look at anger as a serious matter. We cannot treat it lightly. When we get angry, perhaps we should first ask, “Do I have a right to be angry? Do I?” We think our anger is justified, and we are tempted to claim the authority for judgment that belongs to God. In the book of Jonah, the prophet declared that Nineveh would be destroyed and then went outside the city, waiting to watch its destruction. Instead, the people of the city repented their sins, so God decided to have mercy on them. So, Jonah got angry, telling God that he would be better off dead (Jonah 4:3, 9). Twice God asked him, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4, 9). Finally, God pointed out that He wanted to have compassion on a city filled with people who did not “know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many animals” (Jonah 4:11). Jonah was angry; he thought Nineveh deserved judgment. However, God disagreed.

We, like Jonah, can be tempted to think that we know what God should do, get angry at others, and possibly even get angry with God when He does not submit to our opinions. That is a spiritually dangerous position.

Jesus warned against words and attitudes that seem innocent to us. He warns us not to be angry. (Some translations add “without a cause” or “without good reason,” but those words do not appear in the most reliable early manuscripts. We should avoid adding to Jesus’ words.) He warns us against calling someone “You good-for-nothing”; the Greek uses the Aramaic word “raca,” meaning “empty.” The word could just as easily be translated as “airhead” or “empty-headed fool.” The Greek word for “fool” is “moron.” We usually do not think of these terms as “profanity.” Christians often feel comfortable using them. In fact, the Bible itself uses the term “fool” frequently.

Jesus warned His hearers that angry thoughts, feelings, and words—even words that do not qualify for George Carlin’s list of “seven words you cannot say on television”—make us liable for judgment, even for hell. Let us make no mistake: If Jesus said hell is a possible destination, He meant it. Many Christians today believe that the Bible does not actually teach that hell is real. Most of what we know about hell, though, comes from the New Testament. Particularly, most of it comes from the words of Jesus Himself. If Jesus taught that hell is real, we are accusing Him of being a liar if we say it is not.

Jesus urged His followers to take the initiative in seeking reconciliation. Let us not be tempted to justify ourselves and assume that the other person should act first. Our Lord calls us to take the first step.

However, the good news is that Jesus died for our sins. We should not despair. We should examine ourselves, repent, and accept the gift of forgiveness for our sins. “If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people” (Romans 12:18).

People will say or do things that make us feel physically or emotionally threatened. Our natural response may be to become angry. However, we should leave judgment and vengeance to God and avoid the temptation to say rash words or act sinfully on our anger. When anger sprouts, let us bring it before the Lord in prayer and ask Him to intervene and guide our response.

Lord God, we commit our thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and reactions to You. People say and do things that lead us to anger. Protect us from allowing anger to lead to rage, bitterness, unforgiveness, or cruel words and actions. Help us to forgive others and trust You to bring either judgment or mercy to those who hurt us. Enable us to love others as You love us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

How do you handle anger? Have you learned ways to express or manage anger without falling into sin? Share your thoughts in the comments area below.

Copyright © 2023 Michael E. Lynch. All rights reserved.