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A couple days ago I started reading Matthew’s account of Jesus’ Sermon On The Mount, and even though I have read through these passages numerous times, I don’t think I realized the Sermon On The Mount spread across the entirety of Matthew chapter 5 through the end of Chapter 7. There is so much to absorb from Jesus’ words in that sermon, and to be honest there is quite a bit of conviction from reading His words. Today, the two biggest topics that got my attention were Jesus speaking about Anger (Matthew 5:21-26) and His teaching about Vows (Matthew 5:33-37).
To be honest, I often struggle with anger (not that this is a surprise to anyone who truly knows me). It’s not that I run around breaking things, it’s that I allow my indignation and sense of justice to get the better of me. There are things I should be angry about, but I should not be blinded by the circumstances and miss the opportunity for correction and understanding. Moreover, it should not cause strife with friends or family for an extended period of time. The longer anger is allowed to marinate, the harder it is to move past the anger and move closer to reconciliation.
As for Vows, I don’t want anyone to think I have a commitment issue or that I cannot be trusted, but what struck me about Jesus’ words is how much our society feels the need for vows to project meaning. In Matthew 5:37 Jesus says, “Simply let your ‘Yes” be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ be ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.” We have become such an untrustworthy people we feel the need to vow our trustworthiness in order to have our words believed as true. If we are trustworthy in our character and show integrity in all our actions, then the need for vows is not necessary. Let us remember what Jesus’ expectation is of us and strive to live at that level on a constant basis, not just when we “really” mean it!