Murder, Anger, and Conflict

We've been in the Gospel of Matthew since last December.

!

Heavenly Father,

Heavenly Father,

I want to ask that you will

elevate a few things this morning

in our minds and in our hearts.

I ask that you would elevate your Word and your law,

your great high standards,

so that all those who are self-righteous and legalistic

despair of their own righteousness this morning.

And I ask, Father,

that you would elevate your mercy and grace,

so that having seen how woefully inadequate we are

and how far we fall short of your glorious standard,

that we would revel in your great mercy and grace

that have bridged that chasm for us.

And, Father, as consequence of that,

I ask that you would elevate your name.

Your name and the name of your Son, Jesus Christ,

would be exalted high above all things,

that we would bow in worship in humility

because of who you are

and all that you have done for us.

Meet with us this morning.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you are able, please rise

for the reading of God's Word

so that we can honor God

as we read from His Word.

Matthew 5, verses 21 to 26.

Matthew 5:21–26

You have heard that it was said to those of old,

you shall not murder,

and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.

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.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar

and there remember that your brother

has something against you,

leave your gift there before the altar

and go first be reconciled to your brother

and then come and offer your gift.

Come to terms quickly with your accuser

while you are going with him to court,

lest your accuser hand you over to the judge

and the judge to the guard

and you be put in prison.

Truly I say to you,

you will never get out

until you have paid the last penny.

This is God's holy and authoritative word.

Please be seated.

Scripture is full of warnings about sinful anger.

The Bible's wisdom literature says,

it associates a quick temper with folly.

Ecclesiastes 7, 9 says,

be not quick in your spirit to become angry,

for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

All of us at some point are going to feel angry

because things that make us angry happen.

There is real wrong in the world,

real injustice in the world

and we are going to at some point feel anger

if we live in this world.

However, a wise person does not let anger lodge there.

He doesn't let anger rest there in his heart.

So Proverbs 14, 29 says,

whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

It's not that anger is always sinful.

Some anger is actually righteous.

God himself is described as displaying

throughout scriptures righteous anger.

And if we, as God's people,

are indifferent and apathetic toward evil

and injustice,

then that's not a virtue.

That's a sin.

And that means we don't love the things that God loves

nor hate the things that God hates.

However, even in our righteous anger,

we ought to be slow to anger

because that's what God is like.

The Lord, the Lord,

the gracious and compassionate God,

slow to anger,

abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.

Why do we need to be slow to anger?

James 1, 19 to 20,

be quick to hear,

slow to speak,

slow to anger.

For the anger of man does not produce

the righteousness of God.

We have to be slow to anger

because we are especially sinful people.

And as sinful people,

it's very hard not to sin

when we are angry.

Often we misperceive wrongs.

So we get angry

even though we shouldn't be angry.

We get angry

not because someone has wronged us

but because of our own pride

and selfishness

and self-righteousness.

And sometimes even when

we are rightly angry,

we misdirect our anger

at people,

at things that don't deserve it.

Or we mismeasure our anger

so that it's disproportionate

to the offense

that has been caused to us.

We can sin in so many ways

when it comes to anger.

That's why we ought to be slow to anger.

There are many warnings

in scripture about anger

but the scariest one of them all

I think is Ephesians 4,

Ephesians 4:26

verse 26 and 27.

Be angry and do not sin.

Do not let the sun go down on your anger

and give no opportunity to the devil.

If we let the sun go down on our anger,

if we prolong our anger,

it says that we are giving

an opportunity to the devil.

The Greek word translated opportunity here

is a word that literally means place.

A place, like a spatial word,

place for the devil.

Many pastors and theologians

have warned against this

throughout church history.

In the first 17th century,

Puritan pastor Thomas Manton wrote this,

nothing makes room for Satan

more than wrath,

giving space,

room to the devil.

Charles Spurgeon wrote,

I have no more right as a Christian

to allow a bad temper to dwell in me

than I have to allow the devil himself

to dwell there.

John Calvin explains Ephesians 4, 27 this way,

I have no doubt that Paul was warning us

to beware lest Satan should take possession

of our minds

like an enemy-occupied fortress

and do whatever he pleases.

Sinful anger gives the devil

a foothold in our lives.

It gives the devil a beachhead

from which to launch his assaults

in our spiritual warfare.

It gives the devil real estate

in our minds and in our hearts

so that he can,

through that sinful anger,

destroy relationships,

divide communities,

devastate homes,

and dead in our souls

to joy and gratitude,

compassion,

and mercy,

which is what anger does to our hearts.

In fact,

Jesus in this passage

connects anger to murder

and to the hell of fire.

It's no wonder that Jesus teaches us

in this passage

to forsake anger

and seek reconciliation

as God in Christ did for us.

That's really the main point

of this passage.

We're going to first talk about

the heart of obedience,

and second,

we'll talk about the priority

of reconciliation,

and lastly,

we'll talk about the certainty

of judgment.

Jesus says in verse 21 and 22,

you have heard that it was said

to those of old,

you shall not murder,

and whoever murders

will be liable to judgment,

but I say to you

that everyone who is angry

with his brother

will be liable to judgment.

The phrase,

you have heard that it was said

to those of old,

is an allusion to the scriptures,

to the word of God,

to the law of God.

That passive form,

it was said,

is a formula that is used

specifically in the New Testament

to refer to the scriptures.

So he's not referring here

to the words of men,

he's referring to the word of God.

And every single one

of these phrases,

you have heard that it was said

to the people of old

in Matthew 5,

introduces an identifiable

piece of scripture.

Shockingly then,

Jesus is here

pitting his own teaching

against the Old Testament scriptures.

Well, not exactly.

If you're here for Ed's sermon,

you know better than that.

Hopefully that was a red flag

that went up right

when I said that to you.

Because Jesus is not actually

challenging or contradicting

the scriptures,

but challenging

the Jewish misinterpretation

of the scriptures

during his day.

I've heard another pastor

who's funnier than me

refer to this as the RSP.

Not the RSV,

the revised standard version,

but the RSP,

the revised standard perversion.

That's what he is trying to correct.

If you scan the rest of chapter 5,

you'll find the same formula

over and over again.

You have heard that it was said,

but I say to you,

you'll find it a total of six times.

This formula is commonly called

the antitheses

of the Sermon on the Mount.

Antitheses or the contrast

that Jesus uses

to contrast his teaching

from the teaching

of his contemporary Jews

about the Old Testament.

So the following six pages,

six passages rather,

then serve as illustrations

and examples of what we saw

in the preceding passage.

What Jesus said

in the preceding passage,

I have not come to abolish the law,

but to fulfill them.

For I tell you,

unless your righteousness

exceeds that of the Pharisees

and the scribes,

you will never enter

the kingdom of heaven.

So in these antitheses,

Jesus is showing us,

here's what the righteousness

of the scribes

and the Pharisees look like,

and here's how your righteousness

must exceed that of the Pharisees

and the scribes.

But before we dive

into the details of that,

we need to note

that these antitheses

simply imply,

what they imply

about Jesus' identity

and authority.

In our country,

we have some lawyers here

and law students here,

there are Supreme Court cases

that are considered

so definitive

and foundational

for our society and law

that no one

seriously questions them

or seeks to ever overturn them.

Those cases are called

super precedents.

The most commonly cited example

of a super precedent

is Marbury v. Madison

and Brown v. Board of Education.

These cases have been established

by many decades

of judicial support

and thousands of cases,

subsequent court cases,

have cited them

and have relied on them

as authority.

So no one,

virtually no one challenges them.

It's accepted as fact.

Now compare this to this,

compare that

to the fact that

by the time of Jesus,

the Old Testament law

has been around

not for mere decades

or even centuries,

but for over a millennia.

1,500 years.

For 1,500 years,

Jewish rabbis

and Sadducees

and Pharisees

and scribes

and lawyers

and teachers

have taught

the Mosaic law

and they regarded it

not merely

as the laws

of men,

but as the law

of God.

Imagine that.

What do you call that?

Super, super, super precedent.

Imagine that context

and then hear

what Jesus says.

You have heard

that it was said

to the people

of old,

but I say

to you.

It's a shocking statement.

Who does Jesus think

he is?

How does Jesus think

that he has the authority

to overturn

nearly two millennia

of legal precedents

and interpretive tradition

around the law

of God itself?

We find a clue

in verse 26

when Jesus says,

I say to you,

again,

but this time

he adds a little word,

truly,

I say to you.

Jesus said this

in the preceding passage

also in verse 18,

truly,

I say to you,

until heaven and earth

pass away,

not an iota,

not a dot

will pass from the law

until all is accomplished.

And Jesus will say

that exact phrase

again and again

throughout the gospel

of Matthew,

truly,

I say to you,

truly,

I say to you.

It seems like

a common phrase,

but more literally,

the word truly

is amen.

Amen,

I say to you.

It's a Hebrew word.

The word amen

is often used

in the Old Testament

as a solemn

declaration of faith

that God will indeed

do what he has

promised to do.

And because of

the meaning

of the word amen,

it was also

frequently used

in the Old Testament

to confirm

the validity

of an oath

that you were taking

before God.

You can see that

in Numbers 5.22

and Deuteronomy 27,

Deuteronomy 27:15–26

verse 15 to 26.

In light of that background,

no Jewish teacher

ever before Jesus

used the word amen

to introduce

his own teachings.

when Jesus applies

this word amen

to his own teaching

and pronouncements,

it's the equivalent

of the Old Testament

expression

that God says,

as I live,

declares the Lord.

To emphasize

the certainty

of his pronouncement,

God sometimes invokes

his own authority

when he says,

as I live,

as surely as I live,

this word is true.

And when Jesus says,

amen,

I say to you,

he's invoking

divine authority,

his own authority.

20th century theologian

Heinrich Schlier

is correct

when he affirms

that this one little word

contains in a nutshell

the whole of Christology.

when Jesus says,

amen,

I say to you,

he's claiming

divine authority

for himself

and that's why

Jesus is called

the amen,

the faithful and true witness

in Revelation 3.14.

And that's why he says

that the promises of God

find their yes

in Jesus

and that it is

through him

that we utter

our amen

to God

in 2 Corinthians 1.20.

This is why

Jesus can overturn

millennia of legal precedents

and interpretive traditions

around the Old Testament law

and authoritatively

pronounced to all

of his followers,

you have heard

that it was said,

but I say to you.

The particular command

that Jesus is commenting

on here

is the sixth

of the ten commandments.

You shall not murder.

You find that

in Exodus 20

and Deuteronomy 5.

And the following clause

and whoever murders

will be liable

to judgment

is taken from

Numbers 35

Numbers 35:30–31

verse 30-31.

The problem

with the Jewish

understanding

of this command

wasn't that they

thought that murder

was okay,

but that they thought

this command

dealt only

with murder.

Their understanding

of the command

was incomplete.

So Jesus elevates

and expands

upon their understanding

of the sixth commandment

in verse 22.

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.

With these words,

Jesus definitely

exposes the legalism,

the shortcomings

of pharisaical legalism.

Legalism is concerned

with the letter

of the law

and not with the spirit

or the heart

of the law.

it seeks

to circumscribe

and limit

God's law

in order

to make it

achievable.

It's like

when the Tariff Act

of 1883

imposed taxes

on imported vegetables

and then there

was a family,

the Nix family

who imported tomatoes

refused to pay taxes

on tomatoes

because they insisted

tomatoes are fruits

and not vegetables.

even though

the government

intended for tomatoes

to be taxed.

So of course

it goes to court

and it goes all the way

to the Supreme Court

and then the Supreme Court

rules that for the purposes

of tariffs,

yes,

tomatoes are vegetables.

It's closing a loophole.

Or it's like the kid

whose mother told him,

don't you think

about touching

that birthday cake

until after dinner.

and then the kid

proceeds

to eat the entirety

of the cake

without ever

using his hands.

I told you not

to touch the cake.

I didn't touch the cake.

It got the letter

of the law.

He didn't touch

the cake technically

with his hands

but it totally

missed the spirit

of the law.

Why did his mom

tell him not

to touch the cake?

Because if you eat it

before dinner

it's going to spoil

your appetite

for dinner

and because

if you eat it

before dinner

then you can't

celebrate your birthday

with your family

who's waiting.

Oh,

but I didn't touch it.

I'm a good kid.

I'm a good kid.

That's legalistic thinking.

Isn't this the problem

with so much

of Christian obedience?

Why do so many of us

seek where the lines

and the boundaries are?

Tell me where the line is

and then I won't cross it.

I might get very close

but I will not cross it.

How far is too far

when God's word says

to not be drunk

with wine?

Am I not a drunkard

as long as I don't black out?

What?

That's what some people say.

Surely being tipsy

is okay, right?

Why do we focus

only on the negative obedience

not sinning

not crossing a line

rather than on

positive obedience?

Why do we focus

only on specific prohibitions

and not on the general principles

that are behind them?

Doesn't God's word

forbid drunkenness

and debauchery

because God wants us

to be sober-minded

and self-controlled?

Because God wants us

not to be controlled

by spirits,

drinks,

alcohol,

but rather to be controlled

by the Holy Spirit?

Why then do we not strive

to be maximally obedient,

maximally self-controlled,

and maximally sober-minded?

How much should I give

as an offering to God?

Do we have to do

like the full tithe,

like 10%?

Is like 7% okay?

Where's the line?

Can I give

not out of the gross income,

but out of the net income

after I pay taxes

and take deductions?

Is that okay?

Does God really care

about those extra dollars?

Or does God care

about our hearts?

Isn't the point

to recognize

that God is the provider?

He's the one

from whom all

of the good gifts

that we enjoy in life

come,

and we gratefully

give to Him

as thanksgiving?

Don't we give

to Him

because we trust

that He's going

to keep providing

for us

and because

we are declaring

our allegiance

to Him,

paying our tribute

to Him,

saying,

you are our King,

we do not serve money.

Isn't the goal

to be maximally generous

toward God

and toward the needy

among us?

Let me ask you a question.

When you drive

on the highway,

do you try

to stay

in the middle

of the lane

or do you say

to yourself,

you know,

I'm going to see

how close

I can get

to the line

and how close

I can get

to the line

before I hit

the car next to me?

Who drives like that?

Nobody.

Why do we think

like that

when it comes

to obedience

to God?

You cross

that line

and you hit

the car,

that's death.

And God's word

teaches us

that the wages

of sin

is death.

Who flirts

with death?

If we believe

that God's commands

are restrictive

and stifling,

that God

is withholding

good things

from us

and then

we're going

to be legalistic.

Then we're going

to have a minimal

standard mindset.

But if we believe

that God's commands

are meant

for our thriving

and for our flourishing

and that God

is seeking

to preserve

good for us

by these commands,

then we're going

to strive

for maximal obedience.

what Jesus

is getting

at is this.

Do you think

that all

that God

is after

in the sixth

commandment

is a physical

murder?

Because I mean

that's a pretty

low bar,

isn't that?

Isn't that

what everybody

says?

Like most people

in the world

think of themselves

as pretty good

moral people.

And you ask them,

why do you think

you're a pretty

good moral person?

Usually the go-to

answer is like,

well, I mean,

I haven't murdered

anyone.

Yeah,

I still have

many billions

of people.

But what about

murder of the heart?

What if a person

never commits

physical murder

but murders

someone over

and over again

in his or her

heart through

sinful anger?

What if that

sinful anger

poisons and

destroys

relationships?

Is that

murder?

Oh, yes.

writes D.

Martin Lloyd-Jones

in his book

Studies in the

Sermon on the Mount.

There are ways

in which man

can be destroyed

short of murder.

We can destroy

a man's reputation.

We can shake

somebody else's

confidence in him

by whispering

criticism

or by deliberate

fault finding.

That is the kind

of thing which

our Lord is here

indicating and

his whole purpose

to his show

is to show

that all that

is included

in this commandment

thou shall not kill.

You see,

the laws of our

country deal

primarily with

actions and

not with thoughts,

right?

Thoughts alone

do not constitute

a crime.

It's when you

start to take

concrete steps

toward acting

on your plans,

when you start

to conspire

with others,

deliberate,

when you attempt

crimes that you

can be prosecuted.

and that is

rightly the case

because human

beings are

incapable of

discerning and

judging what's in

people's hearts

and minds.

But when it

comes to God,

that's a different

story.

I, the Lord,

search the heart

and test the mind

to give every man

according to his

ways, according to

the fruit of his

deeds, Jeremiah 17,

10.

That's why King

David charges his

son Solomon in

1 Chronicles 28,

9, serve God

with a whole heart

and with a

willing mind,

for the Lord

searches all hearts

and understands

every plan and

thought.

God, unlike man,

can and does

judge our

thoughts.

and that's why

it matters to

God what's going

on in our

hearts.

That's why not

murdering someone

is not enough.

We also must not

harbor sinful

anger toward

others in our

hearts.

Jesus continues

in verse 22,

whoever insults

his brother will

be liable to the

council and

whoever says,

you fool,

will be liable to

the hell of fire.

not only is

murder punishable,

Jesus says

insults are also

punishable.

Again, Jesus is

getting to the

heart, drilling

down to the

heart.

How many times

have you

had to repent

of this,

thinking about it,

how many times

have you called

someone a

fool?

you idiot?

Maybe you

haven't called

people names,

but you have

thought in your

heart, you have

regarded someone as,

oh, that person is

stupid,

dumb.

God takes these

things seriously

because the

attitude of the

heart ultimately

dictates the

actions of our

hands.

God searches our

hearts and our

minds when a

group of people

start dehumanizing

another group of

people and they

start calling them

savages.

and beasts.

Does that not

pave the way for

and provide the

rationale for

racial, lifelong,

hereditary, chattel

slavery?

Didn't the mass

murder of the

Holocaust begin

with insults?

With propaganda?

Didn't Nazis

there many first

demonize Jews and

blame them for

their economic

struggles and

their defeat in

World War I?

Didn't they

include books like

The Poisonous

Mushroom in

their children's

curriculum in

schools to teach

children to tell

poisonous mushrooms

apart from edible

mushrooms and then

they taught them

that you need to

distinguish Jews

from Gentiles

because the Jews

are the poisonous

mushrooms.

Didn't they

produce films like

The Eternal Jew

which compared the

Jews to rats who

were a disease to

society?

The Holocaust did

not start with

murder.

It began with

murder of the

heart.

It began with

insults,

contempt.

You see that

connection over and

over again throughout

history.

Whoever says you

fool will be

liable to the

hell of fire.

if you know your

Bible, you might

object at this

point.

Wait a minute.

In Matthew

Matthew 23 · chapter mention

chapter 23, when

Jesus is pronouncing

his woes against

the Pharisees and

the scribes,

doesn't Jesus say,

you fools?

So he does.

it's the exact same

word.

Matthew 23, 17.

But let me tell you

why Jesus can do

that and you

can't.

I can't either.

First it says in

James 4, 11-12,

do not speak evil

against one another,

brothers.

The one who speaks

against the brother

or judges his brother

speaks evil against

the law and judges

the law.

But if you judge

the law, you are

not a doer of the

law but a judge.

There's only one

lawgiver and judge,

he who is able to

save and to destroy.

But who are you to

judge?

Your neighbor.

We are not to

insult or speak evil

against our

neighbors or against

our brothers because

when we do, we are

pronouncing judgment

on them.

It is inappropriate

for us to do that

because we are not

the judge.

We are not the

lawgivers.

Rather, we ought to

be law keepers and

law doers.

Only the judge can

pronounce final

judgment and

verdict because only

he sees all things,

only he knows all

things, and only he

has the authority to

save and to destroy.

Jesus is the son of

God.

He is the law

giver.

He is the word of

God.

In John 5, 22,

he says,

the father judges

no one but has

given all judgment

to the son.

If God hasn't

told you that to

you, that means we

don't get to do

that.

There's a second

reason.

At the end of that

same chapter in

Matthew 23, where

Jesus pronounces his

judgment of the

Pharisees and the

scribes, he, at the

end of that same

chapter, he laments

and mourns their

unbelief.

And he says this,

O Jerusalem,

Jerusalem, the city

that kills the

prophets and stones

those who are sent

to it, how often

would I have

gathered your

children together

as a hen gathers

her brood under

her wings, and you

were not willing.

See how tender and

compassionate Jesus

is, even with the

Pharisees and the

scribes who reject

him and will crucify

him in the coming

chapters.

His heart longs to

gather them as a

mother hen gathers

her cheeks.

Her chicks, sorry.

There is no glee, no

vindictiveness in

Jesus when he

pronounces judgment.

But can we say that

about ourselves?

When we call someone a

fool, when we whisper

criticisms about them

to others, is there

pride, is there

hatred, is there

contempt?

That's the difference.

whoever says you fool

will be liable to the

hell of fire.

Hell of fire.

Isn't that a, doesn't

seem a little extreme

to you?

The severest punishment

that a human court can

pronounce is the death

penalty.

But God who searches

the heart and the mind

can sentence people to

eternal death, to

eternal condemnations.

Hell, which Revelation

calls the second death.

Jesus says in Matthew

10, 28, do not fear

those who kill the body

but cannot kill the soul.

Rather fear him who can

destroy both soul and

body in hell.

Here was another problem

with the legalism of the

Pharisees.

They were more concerned

about the perception and

judgment of other humans,

of the human court, than

with the judgment of the

divine court.

As Jesus says in Matthew

23, they did all their

deeds to be seen by

others.

For they loved the place

of honor at feasts and

the best seats in the

synagogues and greetings

in the marketplaces and

being called rabbi by

others.

So likewise, there are

people in the world who

are very concerned about

not committing crimes that

are punishable by law but

have very little concern

about sins that are

technically not illegal.

people.

Because they care more about

what the human court says

than what the divine court

says.

So likewise, there are

people who confess and

repent of sin, but only

when they are caught doing

it and never voluntarily.

Why?

Because they care more about

human perception, human

judgment, than about God's

judgment because God sees

it all.

Do we care more about the

glory we get from men or the

glory that comes from God?

In this passage, Jesus is

getting to the heart of

obedience.

Having addressed the heart,

Jesus turns to some specific

applications and implications

of his teaching in verses

23 to 24.

So if you are offering your

gift at the altar and there

remember that your brother

has something against you,

leave your gift there before

the altar and go first be

reconciled to your brother

and then come and offer your

gift.

When we have sinful anger

within our own hearts, we

must deal with it right away

is what Jesus is saying.

Mark 11, 25 says,

whenever you stand praying,

forgive.

If you have something against

anyone, forgive them so that

your father also who is in

heaven may forgive you your

trespasses.

But the flip side is also

true and that's what Matthew

5, 23, 24 is addressing.

What if someone else has

something against you?

Is that not your responsibility?

Oh, that's their

responsibility.

No, Jesus says that's your

responsibility too.

Because God has redeemed us

to be peacemakers.

Blessed are the peacemakers

for they shall be called

sons of God.

Notice that this text

specifically mentions your

brother.

This is a reference to

Christian brothers and

sisters.

That's what we see clearly

later on in Matthew 12,

46 to 50 when Jesus gathers

his group of disciples and

while his mother and brothers

are waiting outside, he

turns to his disciples and

says, you are my brothers

and sisters who obey the

commandments of God.

But does this mean that we

only need to seek peace and

reconciliation with fellow

Christians?

No.

Once again, we're trying to

circumscribe and limit the

commandments of God.

Jesus addresses this later on

in verses 43, 44.

You have heard that it was

said, you shall love your

neighbor, my fellow

compatriots, my fellow

Jews, my fellow Christians.

You shall love your neighbor

and hate your enemy.

But I say to you, love your

enemies and pray for those who

persecute you.

We are to obey this command

with regard to both believers

and unbelievers.

There is, however, an emphasis on

seeking reconciliation among

fellow Christians in this

passage.

That's why we see the word

brother four times in verses

22 to 24.

I think the principle of

Galatians 6, 10 holds here,

which says, so then, as we have

opportunity, let us do good to

everyone and especially to those

who are of the household of

faith.

We do good to everyone.

We seek peace and reconciliation

with everyone, but especially

within the household of God.

If we are to seek peace and

reconcile with even unbelievers,

even our enemies, not that all

unbelievers are enemies, they're

not, how much more than should we

love our brothers and sisters in

Christ?

If you are to seek and peace, seek

peace and reconciliation with even

non-Christians, how much more

should we seek peace and reconciliation

with the members of the body of

Christ, the same local church?

It says in Ephesians 4, 2 to 6, that

we are to relate to one another with

all humility and gentleness, with

patience, bearing with one another in

love, eager to maintain the unity of

the spirit in the bond of peace.

Why should we do that?

It continues.

There is one body and one spirit,

just as you were called to the one

hope that belongs to your call.

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one God and Father of all who is

over all and through all and in all.

Just as God the Father, Son, and

Spirit are one, three in one, we are

many, yet we are one in Jesus Christ.

If one member of the body suffers, we

all suffer together.

If one member is honored, then we all

rejoice together.

When Jesus shed his own blood to

reconcile us to himself and to God

and to one another, how can we

persist in harboring anger, resentment,

and contempt toward one another?

Reconciliation is such an important

priority that Jesus says, if you are

offering your gift at the altar, and

then there remember that your brother

has something against you, you should

leave your gift there before the

altar and then go.

First, be reconciled to your brother

and then come and offer you a gift.

Note the priority first.

And note the urgency of verse 25.

Come to terms quickly.

This urgency is highlighted when we

recognize that Jesus is preaching here

in Galilee.

We know that from chapter four.

There was only one place in the world

where you could come, if you're a

faithful Jew, to offer an offering, a

gift to God.

But it's at the temple, which is in

Jerusalem, which is 80 to 90 miles

away from Galilee.

Let's say you come to worship with

the body of Christ on Sunday morning,

and as you're singing in praise, you

remember, oh, this brother that lives

80, 90 miles away has something against

me.

Imagine leaving, driving 80, 90 miles,

reconciling, coming back, and trying

to worship again.

And remember, they didn't have cars.

That's a five to seven day journey on foot.

Think about how inconvenient that is.

That's how you obey Ephesians 4, 26.

Do not let the sun go down on your

anger, because that's how important the

unity of the body of Christ is to him.

God says to his people, his unfaithful

people in Isaiah 1, 11, what to me is

the multitude of your sacrifices?

I have had enough of burnt offerings of

rams and the fat of well-fed beasts.

I do not delight in your blood of bulls or

of lambs or of goats.

Why does he say this?

He continues in verses 15 and 17,

your hands are full of blood.

Wash yourselves.

Make yourselves clean.

Remove the evil of your deeds from your

eyes, from before my eyes.

Cease to do evil.

Learn to do good.

Seek justice.

Correct oppression.

Bring justice to the fatherless.

Plead the widow's cause.

Again, in Isaiah 58, God says that he

will not accept the prayers and the

fasting of his people.

So this is especially appropriate as

we go into a time of prayer and fasting

as a church this month.

Why does God say that he will not accept

their prayer and fasting?

He says, behold, in the day of your

fast, you seek your own pleasure and

oppress all your workers.

Behold, you fast only to quarrel and to

fight and to hit with the wicked fist.

In other words, to obey is better than

sacrifice.

Harboring sinful anger against one

another in the body of Christ hinders

our worship of God.

A disturbed fellowship between brother

and sister in Christ disturbs our

fellowship with God himself.

That's why we always have the time of

passing of the peace in the middle of

our service.

Go make that right.

Then come and offer your gift.

That's how precious the people of God

is to him.

But what if you try to reconcile, but

it hasn't worked?

What if you confessed all the sins you

could possibly think of and you've

you've owned everything you can

possibly own and maybe even taken

responsibility for things maybe you

weren't really responsible for?

Which you shouldn't do, by the way.

But the other party is still holding a

grudge against you.

There's no forgiveness.

There's no reciprocation of seeking

reconciliation.

That sadly happens in this world because

we still live in a sinful and broken

world.

Then you remember the admonition of

Romans 12.

Bless those who persecute you.

Bless and do not curse them.

Live in harmony with one another.

Repay no one evil for evil.

If possible, so far as it depends on you,

live peaceably with all.

That's the key.

So far as it depends on you,

live peaceably with all.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves,

but leave it to the wrath of God,

for it is written, vengeance is mine,

I will repay, says the Lord.

That's what it looks like to be a

peacemaker in a sinful,

unbelieving world.

We live peaceably with all so long as

it depends on us.

And then we trust God with the rest.

We trust God for justice.

Then in the last two verses,

25 and 26,

Jesus asks one more factor that

contributes to the urgency and the

priority of reconciliation.

The certainty of judgment.

He says,

Come to terms quickly with your

accuser while you are going with him

to court,

lest your accuser hand you over to

the judge and the judge to the

guard and you be put in prison.

Truly I say to you,

you will never get out until you

have paid the last penny.

This is true at a literal level,

of course.

If we have wronged someone and

someone is suing us,

taking us to court,

then it is to our advantage to

settle out of court because once

you're taken to court,

you will be condemned and then you

will be jailed and then you will

be in there until you pay the last

penny.

Assuming this is a debt that has

been defaulted on,

then you'll have to pay it back in

order to be released from prison.

Once again,

the same main point.

Forsake pride

and seek reconciliation.

Don't let relationships that have

gone sour continue to putrefy.

Be salt.

Stop the decay.

But the logical progression in this

passage from the judgment of human

counsel to the judgment of God and

the hell of fire in verse 22

suggests that verse 25 also points

beyond human judgment,

human court to the ultimate judgment

of God.

Jesus' emphasis in verse 26 confirms

this.

Truly I say to you,

amen I say to you,

you will never get out until you have

paid the last penny.

There have been plenty of human courts

where evildoers have gotten off easy

without paying the last penny.

But that never happens in the court of God.

The divine judge of all the earth

sees all offenses,

overlooks no fact,

and takes no bribes.

He is perfectly just,

and when the verdict is announced,

there is no higher court to which you can appeal.

Jesus uses the human court as an analogy,

as an illustration of the divine court,

again in Matthew 18,

in the parable of the unforgiving servant.

In that parable,

Jesus tells us that we are a servant

that has been forgiven an insurmountable debt,

a dollar equivalent of 7.2 billion dollars,

by our master who is God.

And then,

and therefore we should not begrudge

forgiving the relatively insignificant

and small debt that other people owe us,

the way other people have sinned against us

and wronged us.

Of those who show no mercy to others

and those who do not forgive others their sins,

Jesus says this in Matthew 18,

in anger his master delivered him to the jailers

until he should pay all his debt.

So also my heavenly father will do to every one of you

if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.

It's the same comparison.

So I think it's pointing beyond the human court

to the divine court.

Usually, if not always,

wherever there is human conflict

and broken relationship,

there is some guilt on both sides,

although that guilt is certainly not always even.

However, that was not the case,

decidedly not the case

in our broken relationship with God.

We did all the wrong.

He did everything right.

He gave us everything we have.

He was our creator, our benefactor,

our father,

our king.

And yet,

even though he gave us everything we had,

and even though he had never wronged us,

we sinned and rebelled against him,

we doubted his goodness,

and we impugned his character,

and we besmirched his name,

and we sought to usurp his throne

by worshiping idols

and setting ourselves up

as lords and gods

and kings of our own lives.

If anyone was responsible

for that broken relationship,

it was 100% you and me.

And yet, who took the initiative?

God the Father takes initiative,

and he sends his only son.

He says in 1 John 4, 9-10,

in this, the love of God

was made manifest among us,

that God sent his only son

into the world

so that we might live through him.

In this is love,

not that we have loved God,

but that he loved us

and sent his son

to be the propitiation

for our sins.

What does it mean

that Jesus is the propitiation

for our sins?

To propitiate is to appease

or to satisfy someone's wrath,

to conciliate.

As it says in Isaiah 53,

upon Jesus was the chastisement,

the punishment

that brought us peace.

With his wounds, we are healed.

It was the will of the Lord

to crush his only son,

to put him to grieve.

Jesus was punished,

and Jesus absorbed

the Father's wrath

in our place

so that we,

the just and proper object

of God's wrath,

can become

the just and proper object

of his mercy.

God so loved us

that he sent his only son

to be the propitiation

for our sins.

It's the love of God

that paves the way

for the wrath of God

to be propitiated.

They're not contradictory.

They exist together.

And therein lies

the power

for us

to forgive,

seek reconciliation,

to humble ourselves.

How many times

have I lost my temper,

been angry at someone,

and judged someone in my heart,

and condemned them in my heart,

and had contempt for people

in my heart,

when I am no better

than they are?

Yet how many times

has God,

who has every right,

to condemn me,

denounce me,

reject me,

reject me,

there's no name

that he could call me

that would be unjustified.

And all I have noticed

is mercy,

grace.

That's what

changes us,

transforms us,

enables us

to be peacemakers

like this.

Let's pray.

Amen.

O Father,

we thank you that

even when we were dead

in our trespasses and sins,

even while we were still

your enemies,

that in love

you gave your only son

to satisfy

your own wrath,

your own just

and righteous wrath.

O God,

help us

to never lose sight

of what great mercy

we have received,

what great wrath

that we have been spared

from

so that mercy

exudes

from our hearts

so that sinful anger

cannot

make lodging

in our hearts

but quickly departs

so that we can be

gentle,

patient,

forbearing,

forgiving

with one another.

in Jesus' name

we pray.

Amen.