We live in a world full of anger, just look at the comments online or come home after a hard day. Yet in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5), Jesus speaks not about those terrible people out there, but about us: about anger, contempt, and words that, like nails driven into a fence, leave marks forever. He also shows that reconciliation with another person matters more than religious appearances, so urgent that it is worth leaving your gift at the altar and first going to make peace. Listen, perhaps there is someone worth calling today.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Matthew 5:17-20 Jesus says he came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it, and that his followers' righteousness must surpass that of the Pharisees. How might people who saw the Pharisees as models of piety have heard this?
- Why does Jesus in verses 21-22 place anger, contempt and calling someone a fool alongside murder? According to the sermon, what connects these attitudes?
- The story of hospital staff following protocol while a man died in the parking lot shows it is easier to keep rules than to do what is right. Where in your life might correct outward behavior hide anger or indifference in your heart?
- The story of the nails in the fence reminds us that words spoken in anger leave marks. What words, heard or spoken, have left a lasting mark on your life, and what does that teach you?
- Jesus says to leave your gift at the altar and first be reconciled when your brother has something against you, even if the fault is not all yours. What makes it hardest for you to take the first step in a situation like that?
- Who is God bringing to mind today as you think about anger, contempt or silence, and what concrete step toward reconciliation, a call, a message or a conversation, can you take this week?
