"But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister you will be liable to judgment and if you insult a brother or sister you will be liable to the council and if you say, 'You fool!' you will be liable to the hell of fire."(Matthew 5:22)
One of the ten commandments as we know is you shall not murder. And most of us are pretty good at keeping that commandment. The problem is that Jesus, as he often does goes below the surface of the words and points us to a greater truth.
When we are angry with someone, we have to an extent murdered them. We have robbed them of their dignity and we waste a lot of emotional energy as well. It is hard not to get angry with people and situations. How long we hold onto our anger and what we do with it will say a lot.
I have met people who only seem happy if they are angry about something. What a waste of time and eventually oneself. I can't take perpetually angry people seriously. How can you gage whether something is worth the anger if that's the only mood ever displayed.
Insulting others is another form of murder because you are taking away their dignity. On top of the insult itself is the underlying belief that the other person doesn't matter at all.
If I am called to respect the dignity of every human being I need to check my anger and my quick wit at the door.
Blessings,
Ed
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