Matthew 5:21-26
“Under the laws of Moses the
rule was, ‘If you murder, you must die.’ But I have added to that rule
and tell you that if you are only angry, even in your own home, you are
in danger of judgment! If you call your friend an idiot, you are in
danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse him, you are
in danger of the fires of hell.
“So if you are standing before
the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and suddenly
remember that a friend has something against you, leave your sacrifice
there beside the altar and go and apologize and be reconciled to him,
and then come and offer your sacrifice to God. Come to terms quickly
with your enemy before it is too late and he drags you into court and
you are thrown into a debtor’s cell, for you will stay there until you
have paid the last penny.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
When Timothy was about
three, he started to say the word “idiot” a lot…and he used it in
context. We would be at the park playing, and he would say of a child
who wouldn’t share the swing, “He is just an idiot!” Or when something
didn’t go well, he would say, “That’s just stupid!” Then one day, we
were watching a video of the Dr. Seuss movie, “Horton Hears a Who”…and
the characters were calling each other idiots. One character blew into
an office and said, “I am not an idiot! Do I LOOK like an idiot?”
Well…we knew immediately where our little guy was learning words like
“idiot” and “stupid”…and sadly, we realized that these words and others
(like “boob”…”fatboy”…and “moron”) are frequently sprinkled through
several “children’s” movies.
Of course, we don’t want children
using such derogatory terms…but this does illustrate how such language
is creeping into our everyday lives and becoming a part of our regular
vernacular. And many, if not all of us, have referred to someone as an
“idiot”…or a “nutjob”…or something I cannot print here – myself
included.
But here’s the deal…Jesus tells us plainly in this scripture passage that to even think
of someone in these terms is a sin, just as much as murder! Whoa! Let
that soak in for a few minutes! Even thinking ugly things about
someone – whether we speak them out loud or act on them – is equivalent
to murder? This is what the Bible says!
See, God knows our
heart. We can be the nicest person on the outside…we can “fake it till
we make it” with family, friends and acquaintances. But we cannot hide
from God. He knows every thought we have…every emotion we
experience…every desire of our heart. And what GOD knows about us is really what matters. Can we all say, “Thank Heavens for the blood of Jesus to cleanse our sins?”
I
don’t have a good answer for how we shield our children from these ugly
words and thoughts…because they are everywhere. But we can teach them
not to use such language…and WHY this is hurtful to them as much or more
than the other guy. We can work on eliminating these words and thoughts
from our own vocabulary – and hearts – and focus more on operating in
the love, grace, mercy and compassion of Jesus Christ. We can read “Dr.
Seuss” books to our kids – and maybe skip viewing the movies. We must do
all we can to create an atmosphere in which these thoughts and comments
are unacceptable.
I am sure that I will slip up again…that
something will set me off someday and I’ll refer to someone as an
“idiot” or something else ugly. And I thank God that if/when I
recognize my error and ask for His forgiveness, He will grant it. I’m a
work in progress…but I want to keep growing in my relationship with
Jesus and becoming more like Him every day. And eliminating these
judgments and words from my life is a good starting point. Are you with
me?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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