Hiding Behind Defensive Anger
Anger is a weird thing in humans. Occasionally it's righteous (see Jesus turning over the money changer’s tables on the temple grounds Matt 21:12-13.) But anger guided and controlled by truth is rare. Anger itself isn’t bad, it is a God-given emotion and one that God himself knows and feels. “They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came on Judah and Jerusalem” - 2 Chro 24:18.
Anger is a normal response to pain. If a person gets hit, first they feel hurt, then anger springs. But anger can spring as a response to many things; the sound of someone chewing loudly or dragging their flip flops as they walk by, careless people leaving the lights on, the toilet seat up, or being too lazy to clean up their mess, drivers cutting in front, distracted by their phone, or going too slow.
All human emotions give clues to help people know what is going on inside of them, but sometimes humans are not good at reading the clues. This can be especially true and harmful with anger. Anger can be a weapon people employ in an attempt to protect themselves.
Once a student in 8th grade and his friend were intentionally trying to throw basketballs across the church’s gym to hit one of my older (she was in her 70’s) Wednesday night leaders on the head. I didn’t see it the first week, but she told me basketballs were flying at her while we were in the gym. I told her to stay away from the hoops because students tried to make half-court shots and they can bounce a long way. But the next week, I saw one of the boys intentionally shoot it toward her when she was in the corner of the gym, nowhere close to the basket. It landed right on her poor head. I was instantly filled with anger at this boy for his foolishness and disregard and I confronted him about it and had him step outside. Rather than confess or apologize, he got angry at me, claiming I falsely accused him. He tried to use anger to hide from accountability.
Like cornered animals, people lash out with anger when defensive. This is how the Pharisees responded to Jesus turning over the tables at the temple, “they were indignant” - vs 15. They were mad; angry, attempting to cover guilt.
Jesus warned that anger with the folks we are close to can be a problem. “But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment” – Matt 5:22. He doesn’t say guilty, but “subject to” because it could (and probably is) a sign that something is wrong with you, not them. What does your anger reveal about you?
Pastor John Riley
Say What?
Spoken words are at the heart of everything consequential, whether good or evil. Creation itself began with the Almighty speaking! Similarly, when Satan approached Eve in the Garden of Eden, it was a single conversation that ushered sin in. While everyone knows the quintessential wedding vows, capped off with the simplest “I do," salvation is confessed with our mouths, so too can destruction be born from what we say.
“The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
In Matthew 5:22, Jesus shows how anger progresses. Even unspoken anger is not hidden from God—He knows why we are angry, and we are already in danger of judgment. But when words are spoken, the situation escalates. The insult "Raca," meaning "empty-headed" or "worthless," expresses contempt and demeans another person’s value. In Jesus' day, the Sanhedrin would handle such insults, much like our courts do today. Now we face two judges: human courts and God Himself.
Calling someone a fool offends further, implying a moral judgment, and accusing someone of being corrupt or godless. Psalm 14:1 says, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" In calling someone a fool, we assume a position of authority that belongs to God alone. Imagine a child barging into a courtroom to deliver their own verdict—it would be a mockery! Similarly, when we take God's role as judge, the penalty is severe, because God does not share His gavel.
“The tongue is also a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is set on fire by hell.” James 3:6
Yet, through Christ’s grace, sins like these no longer spell our doom. His sacrifice removes our sins and gives us hope for a new day. We can learn new habits and become more like our savior, he’ll help us every step along the way.
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC Member
Anger = Murder?
21 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment . . .- Matthew 5:21-22a
This passage is the first of six unique teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount that have been called “the antithesis.” These teachings follow some version of the formula, “it was said… but I say to you….” In each of these teachings, Jesus takes a saying known to his hearers (sometimes directly from the pages of scripture), and then he reinterprets it for them, sometimes drastically changing the meaning. In doing so, Jesus makes it clear that he is the authority and the ultimate source of truth!
In the verse that we have for today, the known saying is one of the big ones… it's one of the 10 Commandments: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). This might be one of the most universally agreed-upon ethical principles in or outside the Bible. No one disagrees about this one. How could Jesus suggest an “antithesis” for this of all commands? Well, as is often the case, Jesus surprises us.
Notice his words, “But I say to you that everyone who is angry . . .” Jesus’ “antithesis” is not a contradiction of the original command, but a relocation of the sin. You see, the original command suggests that the sin is purely physical. It is just something that is done on the outside. Jesus’ reinterpretation of the command suggests that sin starts well before we get to the physical action of murder . . . it starts in the heart or mind of the person. It is on the inside. Jesus is radically shifting the way we understand sin. Sin is no longer just the things that we do, it is also the way we think.
So, to answer the question suggested in the title, Jesus is not saying that anger is equal to murder. Of course not! Murder is much worse because it is actually two sins. It is the sin of hate-filled anger in one’s soul followed by the sin of physically murdering another human. Anger doesn’t equal murder, but it can lead to it, so it must be stopped when it gets too bad. This new interpretation is a much more helpful interpretation because it gets people to think about their anger before it becomes a problem. But what I love most about this interpretation is what it says about God. By suggesting that our inward thoughts and motivations are morally significant, it suggests that God has the power to know our inward thoughts and motivations! On one level, for the people listening, this was brand new! But on another level, this was very old. In 1 Samuel 16:7, we learned that “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
Let him see your heart today.
Josh Rose
Family Pastor
The Law Hog
I got enthusiastic permission from Pastor Ryan to name this devotion as I did.
Looking at Matthew 5:17-20, we see Jesus talking about the new role of the law in his kingdom. It is not diminished at all, rather, it is completed. But what does that mean? We see Jesus’s ministry later setting aside some elements of the law, dietary restrictions, cleansing rituals, and sabbath regulations. Paul, in several places in Romans, also proclaims that we are “released from the law” Yet here in verse 19, Jesus warns that whoever relaxes even the smallest commandment and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
When we were discussing this week’s devotions in the writing group, the analogy of riding a bike with training wheels came up, reminding me of a story of an experience I had.
Growing up, I rode a bike all the time! My bike had training wheels, like big honkin beefy ones, which I rode well into Jr High. I outgrew that bike at some point, but I was always aware that I never rode a bicycle without training wheels before. Later in life, a family friend, Greg Reynolds, caught wind of my love for speed and offered me a ride on the back of his Harley-Davidson. As I climbed on, he said, “Jonathan, when we lean into turns, just sit still—don’t lean.” And with that simple instruction, we took off. It was awesome! We leaned into big sweeping turns as smooth as butter, the wind in my clothes brought the sensation of speed to life in a visceral way!
When you have training wheels all you can think about is getting rid of them. Much like trying to keep all the rules, you long for the freedom that comes from a life without sin. In the same way that I’m unable to balance a bike, we are unable rid ourselves of our sinful nature and keep the law. All the while Jesus is inviting us to abandon our little struggles to experience power and freedom completely different from what we could ever know otherwise.
Greg gave me a gift, he let me experience something categorically different from everything I knew. I listened to Greg’s simple instructions and my horizons expanded. Likewise, if we listen to Jesus and do what he says, we will be living in his power with his freedom!
Jonathan Duncan
EFCC member
Exceedingly Righteous
I grew up in a wonderful Christian home and attended a fabulous church where it was abundantly clear as to what behavior was pleasing to the Lord and what was not. I went to church multiple times a week, said all of my Bible verses, served wherever needed, and obeyed those in authority. My outward compliance would have likely been deemed as righteous. But I don’t think that outward compliance always reflected my internal attitude. I probably often looked a bit like a Pharisee; with righteousness glowing for everyone to see.
Being called a Pharisee is rarely a positive thing. In Matthew 23 and Luke 11, amongst other passages, Jesus flat-out calls the Pharisees hypocrites! They knew and obeyed the Law, but were their hearts fully committed to God, or did they just work really hard to look like they were? Matthew 5:20 says, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” This has been a troubling verse for me. I spent many years working on looking righteous - and now Jesus is saying that I have to “exceed” that righteousness? So what does that mean?
Jesus’ death and resurrection provided for righteousness in us that we could not accomplish on our own. That righteousness comes from a relinquished heart, fully surrendered, admitting that our works and obedience could never accomplish what Christ’s flawless obedience could. Paul, who calls himself a Pharisee in Philippians 3:5, goes on in vs. 9 to share about his longing to “be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.” As believers in Jesus Christ, our righteousness is not of our own doing. It comes from a perfect God and therefore it exceeds the Law because it is perfect righteousness.
My guess is that most of us have looked like a Pharisee at times. That’s natural - we tend to be self-seeking and we live in a fallen world that drives us to prove ourselves. But praise be to God that this is not his design. We are who our Creator has designed us to be - a royal priesthood, justified by faith, forgiven, redeemed and sanctified. We are free to live surrendered to our Lord not out of duty but with the hope of Paul’s words in Romans 10:4; “Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”
So let’s go freely live as righteous children of God!
Lynette Fuson
Care & Counseling Director
Not to Abolish, to Fulfill!
By the time Jesus sat down to teach the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7), there were probably rumors swirling that he was an upstart teacher promoting something false. Rumors claim that he disregarded the law that was the foundation of Jewish life and practice. The law that was given by God himself. Strong accusations indeed. So, near the beginning of the Sermon, he assures everyone that he was not against the law, he was the completion of it.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” – Matt 5:17
Here are a few of the things he fulfilled:
All peoples on earth will be blessed through you – fulfilled
The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you – fulfilled
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever – fulfilled and being fulfilled
Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing – fulfilled
Jesus embodied specific promises and prophecies. His perfect life looked like the Scriptures lived out. His faith, obedience, and connection to God the Father showed how to live the law perfectly. He is our example in everything and blessedly, his perfection and fulfillment of the law and prophets is passed on to everyone who trusts in him.
Pastor John Riley
The Law Embodied
Some of my best recipes have come without a plan. I look into the refrigerator and let my taste buds guide me as I mix the odds and ends of the leftovers before they go to waste. And almost without fail, my husband comments on how I should make this recipe again. Laughing, I tell him he’s out of luck because I have no idea what I did! How about you? Are you someone who follows a recipe card to the ‘T’? Or do you use it as a general guide and instead add a dash of this or a spoonful of that? The law to the Hebrew nation was a recipe meant to be followed precisely for these written words provided the wisdom for life. The impossibility of this perfect life was found in no one… until Jesus. He was the first human to be able to fulfill the law by the way he lived because as divine he was perfect by His very nature. His righteousness surpassed those of the Pharisees because He was the one that Law pointed to all along.
Jesus was the law (the Word) made flesh who made His dwelling among us (John 1:14). By doing so, He brought the Kingdom of God into the world as a new possible way to live free of the effects of sin and shame. Jesus embodied the law perfectly and then bore the punishment for the sins of all those cursed upon the cross. The generosity of His love for those who did not earn it or who weren’t of a particular status in society was radical. He came to serve as do the people who follow Him and die to their recipes for life and be guided by (surrendered to) the perfect law.
This recipe is replicated and can only be done through the power of the Holy Spirit and will only reach perfection in eternity. The recipe is being refined each day as we apply the Word to our lives. James 1:24 & 25 reads, “For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
May you be blessed in your doing and taste and see that the Lord is good (Psalm 34:8).
Jessica Klootwyk
Discipleship Director
Jesus loved the Law
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Matthew 5:17
It’s difficult to imagine how important the Law and the Prophets were to a first-century Jew. Jesus understood. Raised in a Jewish household, he knew firsthand how much the Law and the Prophets defined his people.
Going back to Exodus 19, Moses led the enslaved Israelites out of Egypt, they all walked on dry land as they watched their God miraculously part the Red Sea just for them, and they came to Mount Sinai. Here God gave Moses and the nation of Israel The Law. The Law signified that they were chosen by God to be set apart from every other people group. The Law was God’s instructions to His people. His instructions for them reflected his very own holiness and kept them safe. Through the giving of the Law, Israel understood the character of the Lord their God like no other people group on planet Earth. That made them special. Listen to King David declare his love for God’s law in Psalm 119…“My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times…..your promises preserve my life…. This is my happy way of life; obeying your commandments…...how sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!….. I love your law…..I will meditate continually on them…..your laws are wonderful.
The Law was the cornerstone of Jewish identity, it represented God’s favor on them and them alone for the past 1,500 years. But then here comes Jesus, this preaching, teaching, healing Rabbi, talking about the Kingdom of Heaven with authority—like he’d been there or something. He wasn’t a Pharisee or a teacher of the Law, he wasn’t officially a real Rabbi, but he called ordinary uneducated people to follow him. He didn’t fit the mold. His teaching and preaching wouldn’t fit the mold either.
I love from the get-go, that Jesus upheld the law they loved so much. Jesus respected the Law because the Law represented the character of his holy heavenly Father. Jesus hadn’t come to abolish the Law. No, he came literally to fulfill the Law because the whole point of the Law was to get God’s people to Jesus. Galatians 3:24 says, “The law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.” The Law served its purpose, it taught them to trust, to hope, to believe, and to obey. The Law pointed them to the Savior of the world.
Donielle Winter
EFCC Member
Modern Day Beatitudes
As I’ve had the chance to study Jesus’ beatitudes, I’ve been challenged by them afresh. I’m convinced that for a lot of my life, I read these blessings incorrectly. You might have too. If you’ve ever read the Beatitudes and thought, “I’m not sure I want that blessing,” you’re probably reading them wrong.
There are two primary ways I think we read these sayings of Jesus incorrectly. The first is we assume they’re commands. We read them, “Try to be poor in spirit,” or “Go out and get persecuted.” However, these are statements of the prevalent grace that’s a reality in God’s kingdom, not commands.
The other way we read them indirectly is by thinking the blessing is the first part of the statement when, in reality, the blessing comes second. Take Jesus’ second beatitude as an example. He said,
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5:4)
The blessing is not that one mourns, the blessing is that there is comfort available. The structure throughout vv. 3-12 works like this: blessed are [people who aren’t normally seen as blessed] for theirs is [hidden blessing available in the kingdom].
This got me thinking, if Jesus were standing in front of our church giving the beatitudes today, what might he say? I tried to write some modern-day beatitudes using the same pattern Jesus used. Here’s my attempt at capturing beatitude blessings in our modern world.
Blessed are people caught in the middle of election turmoil for they see the true kingdom.
Blessed are those whose marriage almost falls apart for their eyes are open to the gift of covenantal love.
Blessed are those faithfully struggling with their sexuality for they experience intimacy with Jesus.
Blessed are those who have cancer because their eyes are opened to see the true value of life.
Blessed are those who hit rock bottom because they find their true foundation.
Blessed are those caught in corporate downsizing because their golden handcuffs are shattered and the world reopens.
Blessed are those who are disoriented and disappointed with the way life is going because their spiritual eyes are opened.
Blessed are those whose plans for their life fall apart because they are freed to genuinely and completely trust God.
Blessed are those who slow down because they experience the good parts of life.
I’m not sure what you are walking through right now, but I know that if you’ve repented and walked into Jesus’ kingdom (Mt. 4:17), you are blessed. Yes, you’re blessed even in the situation you’d love to get out of. That was Jesus’ original message at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, and it’s his message today also.
Take some time today and write some of your own beatitudes. Make them personal and ask Jesus to speak to you as you write them.
Pastor Ryan Paulson
Meekness in a ‘Look at Me’ Society
There are some good things about social media, staying connected with people, communicating ideas, sharing beautiful vistas, etc. However, what also has arisen is a focus on self. ‘Look at me’ at what I am wearing, at what I am doing, at where I am, who I know, how smart I am, counting the number of ‘likes’, and so on. Somehow focusing on that is supposed to elevate us. When we come to the verse in Matthew 5:5 which says, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”, it speaks the opposite to our society.
The meekness that Jesus spoke about is not what our current idea of meekness is a kind of weak docility or being spiritless! The meekness Jesus speaks about is gentleness with strength. Of the three times that the Greek word is used in the New Testament, two of them were translated as gentle. According to one Bible Dictionary, meekness is strength and courage under control, coupled with kindness. It is an attitude of humility toward God and gentleness toward man. Our dear LORD Jesus described Himself in Matthew 11:29 as humble and gentle using the same Greek word translated as meek in Matthew 5:5. Jesus certainly in no way exemplifies our current definition of meekness. The apostle Paul in I Corinthians, speaks with authority about a problem in the church in Corinth “to restore (them) in a spirit of gentleness.” He used his spiritual authority over them kindly, humbly, and meekly.
As a believer, we should clothe ourselves in meekness. One commentator said “Even toward evil men, a man of God should be meek, knowing that God is in control.” Tozer said “Jesus calls us to His rest and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is greater than he, for he decided long ago that the esteem of the world is not worth it.” To be meek requires a reservoir of inner strength that comes only from Jesus Christ. It is the natural outgrowth of the spirit’s transforming work in each of us. We do not need to ‘power up’ but trust in God is actions. As a result of giving up self, we inherit the earth! While I am not certain exactly what that looks like, it seems like a great trade!
Being clothed in meekness means trusting God with all of the outcomes no matter what role I may or may not have. It means being gentle with my actions and words so that my focus is on Jesus. I hope to live a life that says, “Look at Him” knowing that I am a work in progress!
Ponder today: What does my life say? What does clothing yourself in meekness look like? Why does Jesus say that the meek are blessed or happy?
Francie Overstreet
EFCC Member
