The Sermon on the Mount 5 - Matt 5:17-22

The next topic Jesus covers has to do with his parable of old wine in new bottles and new cloth on old clothes. JC gives introduction saying, “the next section of the sermon deals with the superiority of the gospel of Christ over the law of Moses, and contrasts the requirements of the two in particular instances.” The law of Moses dealt with wrong actions but Christ’s law is about stopping the inclination to do wrong things in the first place. Jesus tells the people, “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” The word “destroy” here is cross referenced with D&C 10: 52 which I think helps give some perspective, saying, “And now, behold, according to their faith in their prayers will I ring this part of my gospel to the knowledge of my people. Behold, I do not bring it to destroy that which they have received, but to build it up.” Jesus didn’t come to tell the people that the law of Moses is wrong, it isn’t wrong, anymore than the law of tithing is wrong. But at this point, it is time for the people to move forward to learn and keep a higher law. Similarly, one day the law of consecration will be restored, not because the law of tithing is wrong, but because it’s a lesser law and it’s time to move forward. The topic is further explained as Jesus continues, “Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments… he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven.” When the higher law takes effect, the lesser law is still valid, we aren’t allowed to break the 10 commandment any more now then the Jews were allowed to break them during Jesus’ time, but we are now also commanded to keep the 10 commandments AND the new ones that Jesus set forth, Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, might, mind, and strength, and Love thy neighbor as thy self.

The first topic covered by the Lord with the old vs. new law is anger. Jesus says, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill… But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.” The phrase “without a cause” is not included in the 3rd Nephi edition of the Sermon, which simply says, “But I say unto you that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of his judgment.” I don’t believe that the “without a cause” phrase came out of Jesus’ mouth at the time of the Sermon. Everything that Jesus teaches goes against the “without a cause” mentality. The footnote for this verse says, “JST Matt. 5:24 and 3 Ne. 12:22 omit the words ‘without a cause.’”

The idea that it’s better to not be angry than to just not kill is the concept that everything escalates, and this is something that I firmly believe applies in every instance. Whatever you do becomes easier to keep doing it, and soon whatever it was is not enough so you do just a little bit more and a little bit more. This is applicable with sex, violence, drugs, porn, but also good stuff like service and kindness. You won’t escalate to murder if you aren’t angry, Satan doesn’t start his temptations saying, “you should kill that person,” he starts “that guy disrespected you, you should tell him off,” or “are you going to let him talk to you like that?” That’s how it starts, with a “you should be mad about that,” insinuation and then it goes from there.

Jesus continues, “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.” I wonder if these epithets used back then could be considered in seriousness along the same lines as racial slurs today. The IM quotes Elder Bruce R. McConkie as teaching, “Profane and vulgar expressions vary from nation to nation and age to age, but the intent of this passage is to condemn any language which conveys improper feelings about another.” Today on Facebook, I read an article and commented to a friend that the person in the article is an idiot, which probably wasn’t appropriate. I’ve struggled with anger a lot during my life, even today, but I think one of the most profound lessons I’ve ever been taught in my life, though I struggle daily to apply it, is that anger is a choice. The IM quotes Elder Lynn G. Robbins as teaching, “A cunning part of (Satan’s) strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are victims of an emotion we cannot control… The Lord expects us to make the choice not to become angry… When the Lord eliminates the phrase ‘without a cause,’ He leaves us without an excuse… Anger is a yielding to Satan’s influence by surrendering our self-control. It is the thought-sin that leads to hostile feelings or behavior… Understanding the connection between agency and anger is the first step in eliminating it from our lives.”

The IM also quotes President Thomas S. Monson as teaching, “To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible… We are all susceptible to those feelings which, it left unchecked, can lead to anger. We experience displeasure or irritation or antagonism, and if we so choose, we lose our temper ad become angry with others. Ironically, those others are often members of our own families- the people we really love the most…May we make a conscious decision, each time a decision must be made, to refrain from anger.”