Last week we saw how having a relationship with the law giver allows a Christian’s righteousness to surpass that of the Pharisees (Matt 5:20). We delight in following the laws of our loving king. Yet sin also brings delight. In order to surpass the Pharisees’ hard work, we need to (i) determine what we’re looking for in our sin of choice, (ii) realise that sin cannot bring true satisfaction, and (iii) understand how the gospel DOES fulfil that longing.
Using Matt 5:21-22 as an example, the reason we attempt to destroy people’s reputations through complaining about them (Raca) or destroy people’s confidence through insulting them (you fool), is because we allow our anger to control us. The problem with unresolved bitterness though is it gives the person we’re angry at control over us (i.e. we can’t let it go). There are only two ways to sever their control. We either make them pay for their wrong, which will harden our heart, or we forgive.
The gospel tells us our heart is every bit as sinful as theirs. To be ‘poor in spirit’ is to admit that the only difference between me and a murderer is that the anger in my heart has not been cultivated to the extreme that a murderer’s has. When this truly sinks in, we have nothing left to complain about (Raca) and no reason to put them down (you fool).
Yet the gospel also tells us we are infinitely loved, in that Jesus willingly took away our sin and foolishness away. Seeing Jesus take ALL our wrong away makes us want to repeat it towards our neighbour and absorb their much smaller wrong against us. And THAT is how our righteousness surpasses the Pharisees with regards to anger.
Brendan McLaughlin
