Matthew: Anger

This week we continue to look into Jesus’ sermon in the hill country.  As He continues He will divide the remainder of His sermon in chapter 5 into six units.  These six units are His explanation of the Christian righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (5.20).  The six units are a series of varied examples of how Jesus’ principles (5.17-20) work out in practice.  And this practical outworking is set in explicit contrast with the ethical rules previously accepted - it is in each case more demanding, more far-reaching in its application, and it concerns a man’s motives and attitudes more than his literal conformity to the rules.  Here Jesus will address specific misunderstandings in His day and correct the thinking of the day pointing the crowd to the truth in bursting the borders of the narrow context of the legal interpretation and innovation which the rabbis defined for themselves.  This week we look at His words concerning anger.