You Say, “Raca!”, I Say, “Watch Your Mouth!”

I don’t know about you, but one of the hardest disciplines throughout my life has been refraining from calling or treating others like idiots when I feel like they’re being idiots. Perhaps that seems a little too honest to you. But, I’ve committed myself to a platform of full transparency, and for me to say it in any other way, as harsh as it sounds, would be dishonest and inconsistent. I am far from innocent in this area! And it is humblingly obvious! In fact, full disclosure, I have used words much worse than idiot. Yeah, you know what I mean. Shocking isn’t it?! Not really…

This is just one of the many examples of why I need Jesus, the Messiah, to save my soul and purify my habits! Genuinely examine your life and tell me if you can come to any other conclusion. I’ll leave that there, because if you follow my writing at all you know that I’ve talked extensively about how good we are not, and that we need God to restore us to attain any goodness. If not, you can look through the archives to read what I’ve said on the matter.

Now, back to it. Admittedly, because I’ve had a serious struggle with this, the pronouns in the title should be reversed (but it just didn’t sound as good that way). Thankfully, Jesus himself, knowing the constant error of our human nature and ways, directly addresses our propensity to call others idiots. And not even in a remotely roundabout way! He literally outright tells us, “You know that thing that you do? The thing where you look at another person, a beloved child of God, and are angrily dumbfounded that their understanding doesn’t align with yours. And so, in their presumed stupidity, you curse them and call them an idiot. Yeah that thing! It’s not good, and you’re going to be judged for it.”

Don’t believe me? Then take a look at Matthew 5:22 (AMP), “But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice against him shall be guilty before the court; and whoever speaks [contemptuously and insultingly] to his brother, ‘Raca (You empty-headed idiot)!’ shall be guilty before the supreme court (Sanhedrin); and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of the fiery hell.” As you can see, in Jesus’ actual statement He uses the Aramaic word Raca, meaning empty-headed or fool, ala idiot. It was truly a curse word in that day’s culture! The great irony here is that The Lord says that calling someone an idiot is actually idiotic. Christ did not mince His words or dance around our habit of cursing others! Whether we use a “cuss word” or just a “mean word”, the behavior is equally condemned.

Rather than name all of society’s examples of said behavior, as I’m sure you’ve already started considering, I’ll share where it shows up in my own life. That way, maybe you can reflect on yourself as well.

His political commentary is missing certain aspects… idiot!
That player made the wrong decision on that play… idiot!
Her worldview has major holes in it… idiot!
You’re not doing that specific task the way I expect you to… idiot!
They don’t like what I’m saying or doing… idiots!
And more importantly I’m suspicious that they consider me an… idiot!
I’m no idiot!… idiot!
Yes, we are naturally absurd and immature. Like, aren’t those things really, and I mean REALLY, dumb when we actually think about it?!

When I ponder these concepts I am forced to recognize just how misplaced and foolish it is for me to curse men made in God’s image, and bless the Lord, with the same mouth, the same lips, and the same tongue! (James 3:8-10) Boy am I grateful that over the years His Spirit has gradually grown and trained me, through grace, to change the pattern of my words!

By the way, I find that the angrier we are the more apt we are to tear others down with words and names. I’m convinced that that’s part of the reason why anger is to be avoided at all costs, to be saved as the very, very, very last resort. Anger is to be so far down the line that it genuinely appears as though we never actually access it. This is what it means to put off anger! (Colossians 3:8, Ephesians 4:31)

One last thing: Humans are fallible and are therefore capable of real foolishness. It is different to recognize that one is being foolish than it is to outright call them a fool. Although that’s true, it is still ill-advised to share even those sentiments in emotionally charged situations.

Let’s take a look at Proverbs 26:4 (NKJV), “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, Lest you also be like him.”‬‬ What you first have to understand about this verse is that in God’s eyes, the fool is the angry man or woman. Foolishness is equated with anger more than anything else in the Bible. So the verse may as well read, “Do not answer an angry man according to his anger, lest you also be like him.” Of course, you can still be foolish without being angry, so I suppose this is the reason it is worded the way it is. Understanding these things, here is the application: When a person is behaving foolishly, particularly in an angry way, it is best to simply not respond to them. This is so that you don’t say something that you regret. Do not answer, that you may not get riled up, and become angry like the foolish one. The funny thing is, I have seen people quote this verse in conversation with those they perceive to be fools. Unfortunately, that is typically a very poor usage of the verse, because to say the phrase to the other is to arrogantly do the exact opposite of what the phrase is saying. This verse is not meant to be wielded as a weapon to prove others wrong, but is to be taken as advice in preserving yourself from anger, wrath, and malice. In fact, we are meant to lay our weapons down. I think it’s time we start doing just that!

I invite you to take these things to heart, apply them to your lives, and to join me, this year and beyond, in the pursuit of totally refraining from cursing our fellow man, God’s created ones!