Jesus in the sermon on the mount said this:
Matthew 5:21–22 (NASB95)
21 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Then He said this:
Matthew 23:16–17 (NASB95)
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ 17 “You fools and blind men! Which is more important, the gold or the temple that sanctified the gold?
Seems like a contradiction doesn’t it? Jesus said to call someone a fool makes you guilty enough to go to hell over it. And then He turns around and calls the religious leaders fools. What’s the difference? Well, I think that in the first case, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus is saying, “don’t devalue people or make some declaration about their value, because God has determined their value and worth.” And I think where He calls the religious leaders,”fools “, He is trying to correct them and get them on the right path. He is not questioning their worth and value, but He is questioning their belief system and how they have wrongly interpreted the scriptures.
The point is that God doesn’t like it when we devalue people made in His image, but He does want us to stand up to foolish belief systems, all wrapped in the mantle of His love.
I love you, Pastor Randy
