The Narrow Path 3.0

·33 min·3 clips

A New York Times cartoonist was paid to be angry for eight years, revealing how we love feeling wronged.

This episode is a sermon from Desert City Church titled 'The Narrow Path 3.0,' part of a series on the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Jared begins by reading Matthew 5:21-26, where Jesus reinterprets 'do not murder' to include anger. He introduces the topic with an article by New York Times cartoonist Tim Kreider, who wrote about being paid to be angry for eight years, highlighting how people enjoy feeling wronged. The sermon is structured around Jesus' six 'you have heard it said, but I tell you' statements, focusing on anger as the first example. Jared explains that Jesus fulfills the law by moving its 'fence' back from the 'cliff' of destruction, emphasizing heart transformation over mere actions. He references insights from Chris Tanzi and Dallas Willard's book 'The Divine Conspiracy' to clarify that Jesus targets the 'deeper beyond' of character. The pastor defines anger as a spontaneous response to obstructed will, citing Willard and Webster, and discusses how anger feeds on itself and can spiral. He shares personal anecdotes about getting angry at airports and as a diehard Suns fan, illustrating how anger builds over time. The sermon distinguishes two Greek words for anger: 'tumas' (fleeting) and 'orgaizo' (smoldering), noting Jesus uses 'orgaizo' to condemn selfish, brooding anger. N.T. Wright's commentary is cited to warn that smoldering anger makes one 'less than fully human.' Practical steps from Jesus include reconciling with others before worship and making friends with adversaries, which Jared describes as inconvenient but radical. He notes Jesus also got angry, as in Mark 3, but used it to heal a man's hand, showing anger can be transformed. The sermon closes with Ephesians 4:25-32, urging listeners to 'not let the sun go down on your anger,' and invites communion with a lament station using dissolvable paper to write down anger. The episode blends scripture, personal reflection, theological insights, and practical application in a teaching format.

As heard by us

A Matthew 5 sermon on how anger grows, and why reconciliation cannot wait.

This single-episode review treats Jesus' words in Matthew 5:21-26 as a close look at anger while it is still inward, before it becomes an outward act.

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want Matthew 5 to connect anger with reconciliation before it hardens.

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