Agree with Your Adversary Quickly
by Rev. Paul Howden
July 15, 2007
Sixth Sunday after Trinity
Matthew 5:20-26

I was filling up my car with gas near a bus stop. Two guys were waiting with their bicycles. In California the buses have bike racks on the front that can transport two or three bicycles. You put your bike in the carrier, get on, and ride the bus instead of peddling. That is what these two young men wanted to do. Well, when the bus arrived, the rack was full. The bus driver would not let them bring their bicycles on, so he drove off. In reaction, one of the individuals came unglued. He pounded the side of the bus as it pulled away, shouted obscenities, spun around kicking the bench, hitting the signs, and flaying away in fury. It was disturbing to witness.

I just finished a book about the Paraguayan dictator who ruled from 1862 to 1870. His name was Francisco Solano Lopez. His father was president, and Francisco grew up spoiled. Once his father died, Francisco took power. He was a bad man. Minor disappointments enraged him. Almost every fit of rage was followed by unrestrained violence: the torture and execution of ten or twenty people. That is one way he dealt with his anger. Jesus had something to say about the Sixth Commandment, “Thou shalt do no murder.” That is what we will study today. Anger, name-calling, and reconciliation are some of the topics we will hit.

Let’s read Matthew 5:20-22.

"For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 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 verses from the Sermon on the Mount relate to the Sixth Commandment: “Thou shalt not murder.” It was obvious to the congregation to whom Jesus preached that murder was a serious sin. The Scribes and Pharisees thought they were satisfying the Sixth Commandment by refraining from actual, literal murder. The assumption was: “I never murdered a human being; there is no blood on my hands. Hence, I have obeyed God’s law, and I am righteous.” But Jesus says such obedience is shallow, it falls short of what God demands. So our Lord deepens the Sixth Commandment. He not only condemns the act of homicide, He condemns the thoughts and attitudes that lead to it. “I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” Killing is a terrible sin, but anger is a great sin too because it also violates God’s command to love. “Anger,” here, refers to a seething, brooding bitterness against a brother or sister.

Jesus says, “Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” I have a problem with anger. I sometimes lose my temper. Jesus put anger in the same category as murder. Clearly murder is a much more serious sin then anger, but anger is sin nonetheless, and violates God’s Law.

I strayed from the Lord during my college years and one result of rejecting God was this: my thoughts got rotten. For example when I saw tall buildings I used to imagine bombs and missiles tearing them up. I liked to fantasize what it would be like to have a bazooka and blow holes in the side of these structures; or launch missiles that would knock the building to smitherings. These were nihilistic thoughts. I don’t think I ever would have actually blown up those buildings like the 9-11 guys did to the World Trade Towers, but the thoughts were there, and those ideas were numbing my love and compassion for people. When I voiced my destructive fantasies to a friend named Paul Nash, he scolded me. He was right. Since then I’ve had to contemplate why these thoughts were so delicious to me. I had to examine my heart.

Controlling your anger may be easier than you think. One lady told me, “I can’t control my tirades of anger against my husband. Once I get started I can’t stop.” What if the phone were to ring?” I asked her, “Would you be just as angry with that person as you were with your husband? “No.” she replied. “Well, you can control your anger,” I answered. “You controlled it with the person on the phone; control it with your husband.” If you have a problem with anger, examine your heart. Try to figure out why you are angry. Confess it to God, and ask the Holy Spirit for help to overcome it.

“Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.” The rabbis used the word “Raca” to excommunicate people; and the common people turned it into an insult. And to say, “You Fool!” is a universal term of abuse. We have all heard people blurt out, “What an idiot!” “You moron!” or something worse. Have you ever said that? When we first moved to our house, the paper deliverer forgot to deliver our paper the first eight out of ten days we were there. I don’t know how many times I called him a moron; not to his face, but to others. Jesus says we are not to do this. Why can’t I say, “You fool!? There are several reasons.

First, you and I look bad when we resort to name-calling. Your character suffers when you call a person a “jerk,” a “nitwit,” or worse. Second, society degenerates when name-calling is pervasive. The fabric of culture becomes more coarse and less kind. Third, the person you are calling “a blithering idiot” is someone created in God’s image. If that person is a moron, then God is too. If God’s image is a fool, doesn’t that make God a fool too? Lastly, Jesus says, “Whoever says “you fool” is in danger of hell fire. Your heart is so far from the Lord, you might not even have true faith.

It is obvious that people say stupid things and do foolish actions. Proverbs states, “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Even Jesus fashioned a whip in the temple courts. Then in anger He upended the tables of the money-changers, and drove them out, His whip cracking. He called the Pharisees, “White-washed tombs.” So there may be a few exceptions to name-calling. And anger for the right reason is valid, but these exceptions are rare. Your Heavenly Father wants you to mortify name-calling and anger. Love God and your neighbor. Be patient. Be diplomatic. Here is a suggestion. Instead of saying, “You fool!” Say, “What a foolish thing to say.” Instead of saying, “You idiot,” say, “That idea sounds like nonsense.” That way you are not attacking the person, but the idea or the action. Remember, people are created in God’s image. To belittle a human is to belittle God.

The Heidelberg Catechism defines how we are to obey the Sixth Commandment: Question. “What is God’s will for you in the Sixth Commandment? Answer: “I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor – not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds – and I am not to be party to this in others; rather, I am to put away all desire for revenge. I am not to harm or recklessly endanger myself either…” Question 105 continues: “Is it enough then that we do not kill our neighbor in any such way? Answer: “No. By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.”

So you see, the Sixth Commandment has a broad application. And that is what Jesus had in mind. He desires that your inner person be so guided by love and patience that your outer behavior be free of anger and revenge. 

This principle brings out the holiness of God. He is a pure and perfect Being, who sees faults and imperfections where we see none. He reads our inward motives; He records our thoughts and words, as well as our actions. If we were to take more seriously the holiness of God we would be less prideful and more humble.

The next verses underscore the need to heal bad blood and divisions among brethren. Reading Matthew 5:23-26.

"Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 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. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing."

What is the remedy for ill-will between believers? A quick reconciliation. A peaceful resolution needs to be sought, and the sooner the better. “Agree with your adversary quickly,” Jesus says. He mandates that steps be taken promptly to restore fellowship. One of the advantages to having Bishops in our church is that they are able to resolve problems quickly. If I make trouble with some of you, or you make trouble with me, the Bishop can come, listen to both sides and make a wise judgment. The problem is over. Without a bishop, church conflicts can drag on and on.

Christians should try to avoid lawsuits too. I got called in as a possible juror on one of those coffee spill lawsuits in California. The lady claimed she had suffered millions of dollars in psychological damage when hot coffee spilled on her lap. She blamed it on Karl’s Jr., the hamburger chain. Her lawyer questioned me in the courtroom about the case and I told him that I thought her suit was frivolous, so he dismissed me as a juror. If at all possible stay away from lawsuits.

“Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge…” Jesus insists that we resolve our differences fast. Why? The parties involved in court cases become enemies in a war. The battle in the courtroom can be emotionally exhausting. Jesus says, “Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.” In other words, the case will leave you drained financially and spiritually. 

How should reconciliation work? Someone offends and another gets offended. A cruel remark slips by, mud is thrown, gossip whispered, or an insult is uttered in front of others. These things hurt and probably should be dealt with. On trivial matters love and patience can cover them. But we do not bury larger issues. Jesus commands brothers and sisters in Christ to come together and straighten out their problems. It doesn’t matter whether you are the offended or the offender, the Lord requires that you go and speak with the other party (Matthew 18:15). Seeking reconciliation is so important that Jesus tells you to leave your gift at the altar. “Interrupt your sacrifice at the temple and take care of it,” Jesus says. How do we apply this in the Church today? Does the Lord want you to get up out of your pew and go speak to the person in the middle of worship? No. But do it as soon as possible. Leaving your gift at the altar illustrates the priority Jesus gives to good relations between Christians. Nobody likes the confrontation involved to restore friendships, but it is necessary. It takes love and courage to patch up relationships.

Patience and forgiveness are important too. Love and patience demand that we bear with the weaknesses and foibles we discover in others, granting them forgiveness. We leave our gift before the altar, approach the one who has wronged us and seek a restored relation. Matthew 18 warns us that it will not always be successful. The first step is to speak one on one to the offending party. If that doesn’t work, go to step two: get one or two witnesses and try again. Sadly, the Church may have to resort to step three: discipline or excommunication. On the other hand, our attempts to settle differences often turn out beautifully liberating. How is that possible? The restored relationship can actually become richer and stronger than the original. Restoration is liberating, for it frees us from the prison of the past and lets us begin afresh, wiser than we were before.

Listen to the Heidelberg Catechism again: “Question. What is God’s will for you in the Sixth Commandment? Answer: “I am not to belittle, insult, hate, or kill my neighbor – not by my thoughts, my words, my look or gesture, and certainly not by actual deeds… I am to put away all desire for revenge.” “By condemning envy, hatred, and anger God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves, to be patient, peace-loving, gentle, merciful, and friendly to them, to protect them from harm as much as we can, and to do good even to our enemies.” That is God’s standard of holiness. The Lord does not tolerate an insulting gesture, or a hateful comment. Therefore, the Sixth commandment should drive us to the Gospel. Who can stand before God and plead “not guilty.” Who is there that has not broken the Sixth Commandment a thousand times. Most people violate this commandment every day. Romans 3:23 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” We need the blood of Jesus Christ to save us from hell fire. Without a Mediator between God and man we would be condemned in the Day of Judgment. Is Jesus your Mediator? Are your sins covered by His blood? Make sure they are today.

Be resolved to avoid sin completely. Desire to be holy as God is holy. God’s law says, “Thou shalt not murder.” Jesus states that obedience to the Sixth Commandment is much more than mere abstention from murder. Examine your anger, confess it and control it. Resolve quarrels and disagreements quickly, or they will lead to emotional exhaustion. Do everything in your power to be patient and merciful and loving toward your brothers and sisters in Christ. Crucify those desires to belittle others, or call somebody a fool, or insult a human being created in God’s image. Put away all desire for revenge. Battle these impulses with the help of the Holy Spirit fight. And if you do not have Jesus as your Savior and Mediator, commit your life to Him today.