Did you know that Jesus associates unjust anger with the sixth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill? Being mad at someone for a mistake or something unintentional crosses that line and deserves the same punishment as a murderer. Here are his words:
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. Matthew 5:22
Jesus doesn’t even want to hear from you until you’ve made amends. The term brother could mean anyone, especially someone inferior, such as a child or an employee. This portion of scripture, Jesus’s words, reminds us that we should control our reactions and not venture into spiritual killing in our hearts with our words. Demeaning someone because they aren’t on point or cross into “your lane” by mistake doesn’t deserve your anger; Jesus is very clear about that. I know many Christ-followers who need to listen to this teaching and take it to heart. There is such a thing as righteous anger, and Jesus used it on occasion, but he knew where the line was drawn. We aren’t as righteous as he was, so proceed carefully if you intend to use that as an excuse for bad behavior. Control your reactions, because the punishment of anger could be the same as murder.
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