But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.
Matthew 5:22
Jesus addresses the heart. It is the heart of anger that underlies conflict. Murder was addressed in the Law as the worst way humans go on the attack. And anger is an attack. Insults are an attack. Slander is an attack. And dare I say it?… Social media put downs are an attack. And Jesus places the ultimate peril’s consequence for hateful anger: hell fire burns for those motivated by attack upon others.
Jesus calls us to peace. It is so important to be at peace that unresolved conflict impedes worship according to the Lord. Reconciling with a brother is more important than sacrifice to God. Jesus recommends hasty, timely, prioritizing of conflict resolution as the motivation for those in conflict. Reconcile now! Reconcile ASAP! Avoid further damage in the conflict (Matthew 5:23-26).
In an age of hasty attack and political polarization, anger and judgment of others (even our brothers and sisters) is at an all time high. I have to think that Jesus’ warning should rule our motivations both in face-to-face conversation and online discussion. Will we love Jesus and check our attitudes?
No comments:
Post a Comment