I remember a scene from one of my mother’s favorite movies, “A Christmas Story” where the main character Ralphie comes home blind. He, of course, is in the midst of his imagination and picturing a world where his mother would pay for making him hold a bar of soap in his mouth for uttering the famous words “Oh fudge”. His parents pine away, begging him to tell them what caused him to go blind. With all the drama that a 9-year-old boy can muster, he croaks out, “It was … it was … SOAP poisoning!” Of course, his parents fall at his feet weeping, regretting what they had done. All of this drama in the mind of the protagonist over the bar of soap and the slip of his tongue at dropping the F-bomb.

In the book of Matthew, chapters five, six, and seven; we find Jesus delivering the sermon on the mount. Never has a better collection of instructions for life been put together. Topics include dealing with anger, lust, judging others, how we are to fast, how we’re to pray, divorce, being salt and light; covering essentially every aspect of what it is to be a Christian in our day to day life. Something that I noticed in this weeks reading is something central, something that is often overlooked, was brought up more than once during this sermon of sermons.

In chapter 5 verse 22, Jesus tells us that to even say ‘You fool!’ to someone will hold us liable to the hell of fire. What is of interest here is Christ is speaking directly to the law regarding murder, as in, You shall not murder. He is telling us to lash out at someone in anger and call them ‘Raca’ (or worthless) is on the same level of taking their life.

Anyone who has grown up in an abusive home knows that often the words of the abuser can hit just as hard as any fist. Of course, there is a difference in the consequences of these two sins. If I stick a knife into someone’s chest and kill them then I’ve taken their life and impacted their loved ones for the rest of their lives. But if I speak ill behind their back, spread rumors, tear them down with my words to their face or behind their backs; am I not also killing their spirit? Am I not also impacting not only their life but the lives of their loved ones?

I don’t think we get a pass on word replacement either. I recall an Orbitz commercial where a wife came into the office surprising her husband with whom she was ready to rip to shreds. His response, “What the French, Toast?”. Now, Orbitz is known to ‘clean up’ your ‘dirty mouth’ so it’s no mystery as to what the husband was saying along with the following verbal arrows that were fired back and forth. The commercial was comedy gold. It also points out some truth. The body language and attitude, the tone and inflection of the words spoken, all point to the state of the heart.

The words that come out of our mouth speak to the nature of our heart. Be they words of anger, words of affirmation, words of love, words of jealousy or bitterness; our tongue acts as a mirror for what lives within. This goes way beyond cursing and swearing. Going just on the text above, if we call someone a worthless because they drop the f-bomb in anger, then we’ve committed murder!

Please understand, I am NOT saying that it is ok for us to walk around cussing all the time. I’m certainly NOT promoting a twisted theology where ‘mature’ Christians can cuss. What I am saying is that we often sweat someone for saying sh** when they strike their thumb with a hammer, but we’re perfectly fine with ‘a little trash talk’ during Sunday’s NFL games.

Reading the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, indeed the whole of the New Testament, we’ll find that we are called to keep control of our tongue and the rest of our body. Ephesians 4:29 & 30 tells us to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up. We are here first and foremost to bring honor and glory to God. Second, to serve one another both in word and in deed. If you want to find out whether or not what you are saying is ok, check your heart.

I’ll close with Philippians 4:8-9

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.