Matthew 5:21-26
Anger always leads to bad things. As Yoda said in Star Wars, “Anger leads to the dark side.”
This passage of Scripture is especially relevant today, as there have been all kinds of riots and demonstrations aimed at ICE officers. If the things being said to these officers aren’t curses, I don’t know what are. We all should be reminded to curb our tongues, for God hears it all and knows it all. What’s more, we need to get hate out of our hearts, for out of the heart the mouth speaks. If it is coming out of your mouth, it already exists in your heart.
Jesus doesn’t mince words here: “And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” Take just a moment to consider the implications of what Jesus is saying. Hell exists. Some would like to deny that, but if we believe Jesus is who He says He is, then we must also believe His teachings. Hell exists, and the condition of our heart determines where we will spend eternity. As the Apostle John said:
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.” —1 John 4:20–21 (NLT)
Jesus then goes on to caution us that not only are we responsible for what is in our own hearts, but we also need to be aware of other people’s feelings toward us. If we know someone has something against us, we are to leave our “gift at the altar” and go be reconciled to that person. Paul tells us that, as far as it depends on us, we should live at peace with everyone. We may not be able to change someone else’s heart toward us, but we can certainly make sure we are not adding fuel to the fire.
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. That may be why God is so serious about the words we speak over others. We can speak life, or we can speak death. In the words of Jesus:
“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” —Matthew 12:36–37 (NLT)
Food for thought…
This passage of Scripture is especially relevant today, as there have been all kinds of riots and demonstrations aimed at ICE officers. If the things being said to these officers aren’t curses, I don’t know what are. We all should be reminded to curb our tongues, for God hears it all and knows it all. What’s more, we need to get hate out of our hearts, for out of the heart the mouth speaks. If it is coming out of your mouth, it already exists in your heart.
Jesus doesn’t mince words here: “And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.” Take just a moment to consider the implications of what Jesus is saying. Hell exists. Some would like to deny that, but if we believe Jesus is who He says He is, then we must also believe His teachings. Hell exists, and the condition of our heart determines where we will spend eternity. As the Apostle John said:
“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And He has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers.” —1 John 4:20–21 (NLT)
Jesus then goes on to caution us that not only are we responsible for what is in our own hearts, but we also need to be aware of other people’s feelings toward us. If we know someone has something against us, we are to leave our “gift at the altar” and go be reconciled to that person. Paul tells us that, as far as it depends on us, we should live at peace with everyone. We may not be able to change someone else’s heart toward us, but we can certainly make sure we are not adding fuel to the fire.
Life and death are in the power of the tongue. That may be why God is so serious about the words we speak over others. We can speak life, or we can speak death. In the words of Jesus:
“And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you.” —Matthew 12:36–37 (NLT)
Food for thought…
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