Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with is brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.”

Almost everyone agrees that murder is bad. Even then, some try to justify certain versions of the crime. When I lived in Texas, there was a joke that in some parts of the state “He needed a killing’” was a viable defense in some courts of law. Still, almost everyone agrees murder is sin. Don’t do it.

Anger, on the other hand, seems natural. It is a feeling that is hard to resist. Everyone does it. You can’t treat anger like a crime. We would all be in jail or sitting on death row.

Jesus isn’t having any false distinction between murder and anger. Both make us “subject to judgment.” Now before we get distracted by objections like, “Didn’t Jesus get angry?” and “Doesn’t the Bible talk about righteous anger?” the answer is “Yes” and “Yes.” Jesus is not taking the time to explore all the variations, exceptions, and circumstances thoroughly.

But I think we know what he is talking about. We all know how anger turns us against people. We all know its power to dump water on the fires of love and concern. It may be entirely appropriate that we humans punish people differently for murder or anger. The consequences for my neighbor are vastly different in each case.

But both murder and anger reflect the same issue in my relationship with God. He says, “Love your neighbor.” He says, “Love me by keeping my commands.” And in each case we say “No.” Either way, anger or murder, God is not happy.

Just see how ridiculous these distinctions we make to justify ourselves get. “Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,” is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” Raca was an Aramaic term of contempt that translates approximately “air head.” It’s like saying, “He has a little too much empty space between the ears,” or “a little too much yardage between the goal posts.” “His elevator doesn’t quite reach the top floor.” “He’s a few French fries short of a happy meal.”

Now you might wonder, “What’s the difference between that and saying that someone is a fool?” Jesus would say, “Nothing.” That’s the point. The religious scholars of his day argued back and forth about whether you could say this word or that word, and which one was worse. All along the real issue was, “Why do you want to insult your neighbor? Why don’t you love him more?” We set up these false standards of behavior by creating false distinctions. Jesus says, “It’s all bad. Don’t defend yourself. Be honest and admit your failure.”

When we rethink righteousness like this, when we stop using false standards to defend ourselves, then we are ready for grace. We realize our need to be forgiven. Then our perfect Jesus is more than the life coach who shows us what to do. He is the Savior who bears our sins away. His selfless sacrifice and death aren’t an example meant to expose how little we love others in comparison. It is the forgiving of our sins, the wiping clean of our record, the restoring of our righteous status with God. It all requires an honest view of God’s standards and our behavior if we are going to be able to see it.