Matthew 5:22

22          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.

You Have Heard It Said

Exodus 20:13          You shall not murder.

This is something that Jesus genuinely expands upon. Jesus affirms the commandment against murder but takes it deeper. Jesus says that anyone who is angry with each other should be held to the same type of punishment. Often, a form of anger will lead to murder. Jesus, in my opinion, is saying that we need to have consequences for the why we’d want to murder. When we start to get to the root of the problem, we can start to solve problems before the problems start to happen.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How do you respond when you are angry?

Focus on Our Anger

Anger is mentioned in Jesus’ sermon as a heart issue. Jesus elevates the sixth commandment showing that we need to focus on the internal emotion of anger, which can lead to destructive behavior. Harboring anger will lead to both divine judgment and as well as potential consequences in our physical lives.

The term for ‘good-for-nothing,’ is the Aramaic term “raca.” It’s roughly equivalent to calling someone empty-headed or worthless. Verbal insults were taken seriously back then. Those who insulted others would be sent to the Sanhedrin (the highest Jewish court that was responsible for religious and legal matters.) Being subject to the Sanhedrin shows how serious an offense using insults were at the time. To call someone a fool implies they are deficient of morals and spirituality, not just intellect. Those that call someone a fool was to be sent to Gehenna (a place near Jerusalem associated with judgment and punishment.) Gehenna was a place of child sacrifice and later became a metaphor or divine judgment.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What do you think of comparing the feelings of anger with murder?

We Need to Watch Our Words

We need to guard our words. The terms “raca” and “fool” show how destructive our words can be. The goal of following Christ is to speak with love and respect. It’s very easy nowadays to use the power of internet to say whatever we want, however we want, and not worry about the consequences. Regardless of what we say, where we say it, and how we say it – our words should be of love and compassion. Let’s bring this into our world with some statistics. The focus will be on the use of cyberbullying for our younger generations:

• 27% of students said they’ve experienced someone saying or doing something mean or cruel to them online
• 47% of young people have received intimidating, threatening, or nasty messages online.
• 58% of kids say someone has said something mean or hurtful to them online.
• 9 out of 10 middle schoolers said their feelings were hurt online.
• Victims of cyberbullying experience embarrassment, hurt, self-blame, and fear.
• Cyberbullying can lead to depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, sleep problems, headaches, and stomachaches.

While being online, we tend to respond with reactions. We don’t think of the person on the other side of the screen. We don’t think of how our words will impact them. We just say what we think we need to say and move on. We don’t tend to focus on the damage that was caused. Any reposts, saved, shared, and replayed long after it was posted. It’s easy to type without thinking, post in anger, but our words can stick around for a long time.

The internet can make words feel weightless, but they are never consequence free. We need to start imagining that when we post online, we are talking to someone in person. We need to reflect that the words we online are the same that we’d say in person. If they are not something we’d say directly to the person on the side of the screen, then we shouldn’t say it at all. Believers of Christ, I’ve seen struggle with this when it comes to politics and scriptural interpretations. We need to remember that we are called to represent Christ. Christ leads with love and compassion. Even when correct, Christ leads with love. The love that we often come across is judgment and subjectivity instead of genuine concern. It’s time we make a change. Whether debating policy or doctrine, Jesus calls us beyond winning arguments to preserving humanity. Our digital words should build the beloved community, not to tear it.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you work to make sure that your words matter online?

Next part: Heart Over Action || You Have Heard it Said || Part 7