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The Teachings of Jesus: a study for fellowship groups These are sections from the 'Sermon on the Mount' which supplement of 'Beatitudes' which are featured in Ebe's Autumn 2002 programme of All Age Worship. -revised 29/09/2002 Kingdom principles: 'Things you have heard' reinterpreted by Jesus
In the last study we learned that Jesus came, not to supercede the requirements of the law, but to fulfil them. He might have said today: I'll dot the i-s and cross the t-s (Mt 5:17-18). It is only as we come to the passage which follows that we understand that Jesus is reinterpreting the Law on the Old Testament which Jews considered absolutely sacred. They were amazed at the authority with which Jesus spoke (Mk 1:22) and so were his own disciples at the close of the teaching on the mount (Mt 7:28-29).
Coming to six important areas of practical living Jesus quotes the Law with the words "You have heard that …" and then goes on to say "But I tell you that …" In each he examines the thoughts and attitudes of the human personality and says that it isn't just doing something forebidden which is sinful, but even entertaining the thought of doing so which is sin. (These areas should be covered at the appropriate speed for each group rather than necessarily completed in the session.)
It is not acceptable to bear malice towards someone, just because it doesn't translate into taking any action against them. Anger is a common human reaction to things going wrong. It's no good pretending to ourselves, of course, that we are not angry about something. That's what we call anger-stuffing. It does us no good to deny our anger and become frustrated. Another device of pretence is to project our anger onto something or someone else, quite unrelated to the object of our own anger. We make out other things to be wrong which often aren't, because we're finding fault wherever we can. Least helpful of all is anger-dumping where something or someone offends us in a small way, but it is the straw which breaks the camel's back and all of our pent-up anger is dumped disproportionately on an often unsuspecting person who has just had the misfortune to get in the way. In a few moments have can damage others seriously and long-term.
Q1 Don't we have a right to be angry when we have been wronged?
Instead, we need to deal with our anger. If someone has wronged us we remind ourselves that it was a sin for which Jesus died. If we believe Jesus died for it then he has bought the rights of retribution in doing so, as he did in relation to our own sins and we take on board Jesus teaching about letting go our rights in these areas (Mt 6:12). We tell God that we're going to let the matter go in the same way as he has for us. Anger that flares up in a moment of time and dies down just as quickly is one thing (we should make sure that our anger is not allowed to fester (Eph 4:26-27)), even Jesus became angry although not becaue he had been personally wronged but because people's actions were keeping people from proper worship (Mt 21:12-13).
Q2 Isn't it better to blow hot and cold, expressing our anger as it forms in us, than have to get to the point of needing to deal with it in special ways?
Q3 What experience of members of the group had in leaving anger with Jesus rather than venting on people we hold responsible? Is it an effective approach to the problem?
Attitude as well as anger is focused upon by Jesus in this passage. Raca (v.22) is an Aramaic word (the actual word that Jesus would have spoken) which is difficult to translate into English. It was a term of abuse as we might use with moron, nerd or the like and implies contempt for someone considered less intelligent. Fool (v.22) implies moral failure. Attitudes like this are, in Jesus' view, no less serious than an outright expression of anger.
Q4 It used to be said: 'sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me'. Shouldn't people not be oversensitive about what is said to them, after all we don't really mean it, do we? Discuss this.
Q5 There are times when somebody is acting in an unintelligent way, or behaving in an unacceptable or even antisocial fashion. Don't we have to say something in these situations?
Reconciliation is an important ministry for Christians. Jesus says that we must put things right with other Christians (your brother) before we can be involved in any meaningful worship (v.26). A gift is a means of atonement (this is an Anglosaxon word which means what it says: at-one-ment) and doesn't obtain forgiveness from God, but expresses gratitutude to God for what he has done … but is meaningless if we are carrying the baggage of matters to sort out with other Christians. God has reconciled us to himself with the intention that we should take up this ministry of reconciliation ourselves (2 Cor 5:17-21).
Q6 We've all been here! What experiences do members have of getting things sorted out with others? Is the matter genuinely put to one side and never brought up again in the future when a catalogue of past offences seems to be called for?
Q7 What happens if the other party is unwilling to respond in an attempt at reconciliation?
Christians should be blameless in their dealings with non-Christians (vv.25-26), so that your adversary does not have ground for complaint or action. We cannot expect that skeletons in the cupboard can remain locked away and unseen when we let the light of Jesus shine through us (v.14).
The latter part of this study may bring to the surface in our minds things which we still need to deal with. If appropriate, prayer in small groups or pairs may help to start the process of reconciliation off. Members with problems that they feel unable to deal with in the group should take time out with the group leader as soon as possible to pray the thing through.
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