Angry with a brother?

When Jesus says,

anyone who is angry with a brother or sister, will be subject to judgment.

Matthew 5v22

Many feel condemned.  I have been angry.  How will I stand?

When Moses wrote,

You shall not murder

Exodus 20v13

There is comfort there because I have never murdered. So, why does Jesus up the stakes?

Jesus explains the difference between Moses’ law and the Sermon on the Mount,

It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law,

Mark 10v5

The law of Moses acts as a back stop to protect us from  the excesses of hard hearts.

Jesus pointed people to himself. He said,

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Matthew 5:17

Instead of pointing people to a limit our hard hearts can cope with, Jesus lifts up his example as the true fulfilment. He also points to the Father,

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

My heavenly Father treats me with a love and compassion I do not deserve. I aspire to relate with others as he does with me.

I know I fail, and I need God’s mercy and grace. In knowing myself, I recognise how much I need his help to live his way.

I am his child, and as a child I am loved, helped and forgiven. The Father does not condemn me in my failures, he encourages me in love.

Photo Credit Photo by Gustavo Fring