Anger and Reconciliation

Matthew 5 : 21-25 KJV

21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement:

22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the alter, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24. Leave there thy gift before the alter, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Hatred is Not to be Atoned by a Material Sacrifice

The next section of the sermon deals with the superiority of the gospel of Christ over the law of Moses, and contrasts the requirements of the two in particular instances. Whereas the law forbade murder, and provided a just penalty for the crime, Christ taught that one’s giving way to anger, which might possibly lead to violence or even murder, was of itself a sin. To maliciously use an offensive epithet such as “Raca” laid one liable to punishment under the decree of the council, and to call another a fool placed one “in danger of hell fire.” These objectionable designations were regarded at that time as especially opprobrious and were therefore expressive of hateful intent. The murderer’s hand is impelled by the hatred in his heart. The law provided penalty for the deed; the gospel rebuked the evil passion in its incipiency. To emphasize this principle, the Master showed that hatred was not to be atoned by a material sacrifice; and that if one came to make an offering at the altar, and remembered that he was at enmity with his brother, he should first go to that brother and be reconciled, even though such a course involved the interruption of the ceremonial, which was a particularly grievous incident according to the judgment of the priests. Differences and contentions were to be adjusted without delay. –James E. Talmage – Jesus the Christ, Chapter 17

Author’s Commentary

21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement:

22. But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

These two verses cut to the heart of me and probably every Christian familiar with these words. Sibling relationships are difficult. Having challenges with your own family members is already a challenge enough. And then you consider that we are all brothers and sisters in the greater family of Adam, spirit children of our father in heaven. The directive is not only for family members.

When was the last time you cussed someone out?

When was the last time you had a verbal or worse yet physical fight with someone?

When was the last time you verbally beat down someone at work whom you felt was not up to the job?

When was the last time you yelled at your spouse, or your kids? Did you feel justified? Are you sure?

As Christian’s we need to do better. If our goal is eternal life with the Father, then we need to be like the Son. We need to bridal our tongue. We need to display patience outwardly and be full of patience inwardly. We don’t call people out with harmful words. We work with Love. We care for them.

The anger goes both ways. We must do our best to reconcile. As there are two parties involved, sometimes we need to prayerfully consider how to best deal with difficult relationships. You may not always be able to fix every relationship. Sometimes a separation is the best route. But no matter which route you settle on, do it with charity and compassion. And pray for the Savior to help you see them the way the Savior sees them. If you could see that, you might think very differently of them than you do now.

23. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the alter, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;

24. Leave there thy gift before the alter, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Today, the gift we place before the alter is the partaking of the sacrament. The sacrament represents the body and blood of Jesus Christ which he shed for us to make an atonement for our sins. We are taught that we should only partake of the sacrament worthily (1 Corinthians 11:27). Perhaps the message here is that we should refrain from partaking of the sacrament when there is needed reconciliation.

25. Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

26. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

Being a peacemaker is more important than being right. Think twice before suing your neighbor.