You can cover your sin [of unrighteous anger] and make the outer man look good for a time, but not forever. Jesus says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The words we speak proceed from the heart and one day will give account for every careless word. 

Anger is common to humanity. When things don’t go our way, we tend to get angry. Occasionally we encounter explosive people who wear their feelings on their sleeve. Other people, however, are more tempered. They might seethe with anger inside, but they hide it well. Both are equally destructive.

Genesis 4:1-11 records the first murder in human history but it wouldn’t be the last. It started because Cain was “very angry” with his brother and took matters into his own hands.

What Jesus Taught About Anger

The passage I want to focus on is Matthew 5:21-22. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.”

There had to be many shocked people in the crowd after Jesus said that. Is Jesus equating murder with anger? Yes. If you look at the wording– “in danger of the judgment.” Another way to translate this is “liable to the court or counsel.” In both cases we see judgment. There will be a court, a judge, and a verdict–guilty as charged.

You can conceal murder, but it is harder than hiding anger. You may have experienced it before where someone is foaming with anger against you and you had no clue they were so angry with you. But if your heart is filled with anger, then eventually it will show itself. You can cover your sin and make the outer man look good for a time, but not forever. Jesus says that out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. The words we speak proceed from the heart and one day will give account for every careless word.

A Matter of the Heart

Christianity is said to be a religion of the heart. Whereas most other world religions emphasize works and good deeds, Christianity emphasizes the heart. “The heart is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23). If we are talking about the heart, then we must talk about anger. We live in a fallen world where sin abounds and oftentimes things don’t go our way. Anger is an outlet for us; a way of dealing with things.

Sometimes anger is justified. Think of Jesus in the temple overturning the tables of the money-changers. He said, “How dare you turn my Father’s House into a marketplace!” Righteous anger is an appropriate response to evil. The Bible says, “Be angry and do not sin” (Ephesians 4:26). There is a time and a place for anger, but in your anger do not sin. While righteous anger has a place, most of what we read in Scripture is ungodly anger.

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