Love Thy Neighbor IV

Matthew 5:21-26

This passage is Jesus' commentary on the 6th commandment. How easy it is for us to stand outside this commandment and holler for punishment of people who would commit such a heinous crime. Pharisaically, we can say, "At least I am not guilty of that." But Jesus is calling for a righteousness that exceeds that, so he invites us to consider our murderous attitudes. While few have committed physical murder, the incidents of at least attempted murder of the spirit have been done by many if not most. In the heat of conflict, it is so easy to reach for that weapon that will cut someone to the quick or emotionally and psychologically lay that person out. The strange thing is that our society seems to admire the ability for a person to do that. As near as I can tell, it takes no intelligence, wisdom or personal and physical strength at all. Jesus in verse 22 talks about this in terms of anger management. To place Christ's words in the context of the rest of the New Testament, the problem is not getting angry (a normal human response) but staying angry. The Greek refers to anger that we "bear" or "carry around." In Ephesians 4:26, Paul tells us not to "be angry and sin not," and "let not the sun go down on your anger." In Genesis 4:6, God asks Cain,

"Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to master you, but you must master it."

I have never found it helpful to say to myself or to someone else, "Don't be angry." In fact, if you supress it, it comes out in a multitude of harmful ways. But when we allow anger (an emotional gift for the short term) to become resident within us, it becomes toxic and lethal.

Two words of angry disdain are cited by Jesus as under God's judgment. The first one is raca, which in our language might best be translated "idiot." It questions mental capacity. Upon receiving such an insult, particularly in public, a person could be brought before the Jewish legal council. Some translations add a phrase here, "without cause." We can understand the amendment in some manuscripts. Some people really are idiots (but is it ever right to call them that?). The second word (translated "fool") is moray, and it questions moral character. A translation like "liar," "two-faced", might be better than "fool." In both cases, these are words that were unique to the time and place and have no direct translation today, but the power of demeaning and debilitating language still remains.

Our resident anger is also a problem between us and God, an inhibitor to our worship and our prayers. The initiative is clear, it is with the one who is angry - not the one who has done the offense. We want to wait for the offender to come to us in regret and ask for forgiveness, but that is not the Christian way. Jesus then brings up the practical advice to take care of the problem before it mushrooms into civil litigation. What a word for our day and time. I have two attorney friends who now specialize in mediation - a great development in my thinking. There is a priority here in Jesus' teaching. Love for our neighbor makes reconciliation a major goal any time there is anger or conflict.

I John 3:11-24

Right away, you can see how this passage dovetails with the previous one. John writes, "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him." For John, the issue between Cain and Abel is not Cain's anger, but because he didn't want to admit that he was sinful with his offering and was jealous of the approval of his brother's offering. There has always been mystery around the suitability of Cain's offering and why it was unacceptable or sinful. Was it Cain's attitude as he gave his sacrifice? Was it that only blood sacrifice was acceptable, so the lamb was suitable while the vegetables were not? Was it Cain's lack of faith (Hebrews 11:4)? It looks like even the writers of the Bible are stretching to figure it out. Regardless, jealous anger is a rage that easily gets out of control.

The model for love of our neighbor is in Christ; a life of self-sacrificial and compassionate acts that reveal the love of God. In the end, for John there are only two parts to our Christianity: believing and loving.

Verse 24 is worthy of a strong look:

"Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us."

People have asked me often, "How do I know that I am saved?" Sometimes those who ask are yearning for a more dramatic encounter with God that will remove all doubts as to whether Christ lives in them. If only we all could be "blinded by the light" like Paul,or have been raised from the dead like Lazarus, or have been there at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon them. I had one friend who actually made up dramatic experiences so that he could have a great testimony that proved he had a relationship with God. I have known others that have been baptized numerous times, hoping to find that sense of inner knowing that God was there. Similarly, others have prayed for years to be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues, but it just has never happened for them. I really want us to hear the yearning that is in the hearts of those who are reaching out to God and not feeling like there is a response.

Here are some of my own thoughts, confessing that I am still growing in this matter. I just don't believe that God plays "hard to get." He is more anxious to live within us than we are to have Him in our lives. I believe that when we invite God into our lives, he enters, whether we feel it or not. Feelings are important but not ultimate and certainly can be subject to every mood and physical condition. The other truth is that people who have dramatic conversion experiences are people who often have been through more dramatic experiences in general. Let's allow conversion experiences to express the great variety of personalities that we are. We can relax and accept God at His word. When we believe in Christ, he dwells within us by His Spirit. You can take that to the bank.

When we invite God to fill us with His Spirit, God does it, whether we speak in tongues or not. Speaking in tongues is not "the sign" but "a sign" of the Spirit's presence. When my friend Dale and I were filled with the Holy Spirit, we did not speak in tongues, but we did show "the sign," a faith in Jesus Christ that would not be kept quiet. Two guys who basically would have kept faith to themselves became people who would have witnessed to a fire hydrant, if it would have responded. We shared with people who didn't speak our language in Switzerland and Holland, in driving rain storms and we shared with Hare Krishas in a shopping mall. Again, we can relax with God. The more we surrender ourselves to God's leadership the more the filling of God's Spirit will show in what we say and do. When we do rest in the faithfulness of God to come into our hearts and lives, there is the sense of his presence. For some it can be loud and flashy and highly emotional, for others a "strangely warmed heart", and for still others a still inner knowing. As we saw in Romans earlier, "His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God." Or as the hymn sings, "Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine." Yes, you can know that you know that you know God is in your life, but you have to trust in the faithfulness of God. It also means making sure we worship the Savior more than we worship the experience. Have a blessed and Spirit-filled day in our Lord Jesus Christ, where deeds of loving your neighbors fill your calendar and bless their lives and yours.