I pity the Raca who calls people "Fool"!

Matthew 5:21-22

Here is an example of when Jesus takes a commonly held law and makes it impossible for ANYONE to be able to follow it, WITHOUT denying the goodness of it. "You have heard that it was said...'Do not murder,' but tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment." Later he clarifies that judgment. its not just a slap on the wrists or being arrested, its the fire of Hell...! Shoot dawg! That's crazy! I get mad everyday!

This is where the character of Jesus becomes much "more than meets the eye." No simplistic understanding really captures all that Jesus is.  He is all about granting mercy and grace and unconditional love, yet he knows what is right and wrong and labels sin as sin when he sees it. He cares so much about justice (naming what is wrong/sinful/bad) that he expands our understanding of crimes and sins beyond only atrocities (murder). Jesus looks at the root of the problem: anger. Uncontrollable anger toward another person is the problem, murder is just the consequence of letting it go unchecked. Jesus judges every single individual by saying this. "No one is righteous," by would later say. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone," Jesus would later say. We all sinful! Luckily, God's grace is bigger than our sin and we can be forgiven when we repent. That's the Gospel: the Good News!

Now, just because we know we can never fulfill this command of Jesus, does that mean its only value is to make us guilty and lead us to grace? While this is centrally important, I say no. The impossible commands of Jesus are also glimpses into what kind of people we should strive to be. We are not simply perpetually repentant sinners with no ethical code. We fail, yes. We sin, yes. But we also strive to be better as an act of worship!

Anger is dangerous. It is sinful, a consequence of our fallen, broken nature. I need to learn when I am angry and name it, confess it, so that I can move on and work to correct my feelings and discover why I am angry. Jesus emphasizes the way we talk to others and the names we call them. "Raca" means "fool". We are not to call anyone foolish (and I am certain there are other words nowadays that are more offensive). I pray God will help all of us treat each other with love and kindness instead of anger.

Perhaps there is also righteous anger, but its very hard for us humans to control such things in ourselves. That's why I know I need other people to hold me accountable when I think I may use such anger. AND may it always be directed toward sin and not other people, brothers, or sisters. I believe Martin Luther King, Jr. had that down pretty nicely, not to mention JC.