I See It Now
I never thought much of it.
A muttered insult. A passing remark.
A joke at someone else’s expense.
“Idiot.”
“Fool.”
“What a moron.”
Just words, right?
But now I see—they’re more than words.
Matthew 5:22 (Modernized)
“Look, I’m telling you—if you let anger and resentment take over your heart, you’re already walking toward judgment.
If you start treating people like they’re beneath you, mocking them, tearing them down, or calling them useless, you’ll have to answer for it.
And if you go so far as to completely write someone off, calling them an idiot, a waste of space, or something worse, thinking you’re justified in your hatred—then you’re on dangerous ground, walking toward destruction.”
Imagine being a Jew in first-century Israel under Roman occupation. Your people have been waiting for a Messiah—not just a spiritual teacher, but a deliverer, a warrior-king like David who would overthrow the oppressive rule of Rome. Instead, you live under the iron fist of Caesar, the brutality of Roman soldiers, and the corruption of tax collectors who rob you to fund the empire that enslaves you.
It would have been second nature to grit your teeth, mutter curses, and spit the word “Roman” like venom. Behind closed doors, in whispered conversations at the market, in hushed tones at the synagogue, it wouldn’t have been uncommon to hear, “Those fools… those godless dogs… those filthy Gentiles.”
And then along comes Jesus, a Jew under that very oppression, saying,
“Whoever says to his brother, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.” (Matthew 5:22)
How could anyone take Him seriously? Was He joking? Did He not understand what these Romans had done? Did He not hear the stories of crucified rebels, the mass executions, the humiliation, the injustice? How could a Rabbi—a persecuted Jew Himself—tell His own people that their words of contempt placed them in danger of hellfire?
Surely, if there was ever a time for hatred, this was it! And yet, Jesus doesn’t adjust His message for political realities. He doesn’t soften it for the sake of justifiable anger. Instead, He doubles down.
What’s wild is that Jesus’ teaching wasn’t some new command—it had always been there in the Law and the Prophets.
Leviticus 19:17 – “You shall not hate your brother in your heart.”
Exodus 22:28 – “You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people.” (Paul even references this in Acts 23:5 when he apologizes for insulting the high priest.)
Proverbs 18:21 – “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”
Psalm 34:13-14 – “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Even when Israel was dragged into Babylonian exile, beaten, enslaved, and mocked, God still commanded them:
Jeremiah 29:7 – “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
This was radical. It had always been God’s intention for His people to be set apart—not just in ritual and law, but in the way they spoke, the way they treated their enemies, and the way they embodied His justice and mercy.
So when Jesus said “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44), it wasn’t out of naïveté—He wasn’t blind to oppression. He was pointing to something bigger than vengeance. He was exposing that hatred and contempt do not justify themselves, no matter how “deserving” the target may be. The Jews despised the Romans, but their hearts were just as susceptible to corruption. Their bitterness, their whispered insults, their unchecked contempt—that was the real poison.
And Jesus wasn’t just teaching this—He lived it. Even as He was mocked, spat on, flogged, and nailed to a Roman cross, He did the unthinkable.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
The very people His followers would have cursed?
Jesus prayed for them.
And if He could do that in His dying breath, how much more should I guard the words I speak under mine?
And yet, how easily does contempt slip into my speech?
How often do I curse someone under my breath on the road?
How quickly do I scoff at someone’s beliefs, their choices, their existence?
How easily do I reduce another human being—made in God’s image—to nothing more than a word?
I see it now. Words carry weight.
Every careless insult, every whispered slur, every moment of disdain—
It’s not harmless. It’s poison.
Not just for them. For me.
Contempt is a Disease
It infects the heart.
It hardens the soul.
It justifies cruelty.
It’s what led the Pharisee to look down on the tax collector.
It’s what led Cain to hate Abel before the murder.
It’s what leads me to despise rather than love.
Jesus said:
“Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
If anger and disgust spill from my lips so easily,
What does that say about my heart?
Jesus made it crystal clear—what comes out of my mouth is a direct reflection of what’s inside me.
“For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)
If my words are filled with frustration, contempt, and insults, what does that reveal?
It means my heart is sick.
Solomon warned:
“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4:23)
Everything—my words, my actions, my very life—flows from the condition of my heart.
If my words are harsh, my heart is polluted.
If my speech is reckless, my soul is restless.
If my mouth is a fountain of criticism, my heart is drowning in bitterness.
And what did Jesus say about that?
“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.” (Matthew 15:18)
Defiles. Not just “makes a mistake” or “slips up.”
It makes me unclean before God.
That’s why contempt is so dangerous.
Every time I snap in anger, curse someone under my breath, or throw out insults without a second thought, I am revealing a heart that is:
- Unchecked
- Unrestrained
- Untransformed
That is not the heart God has called me to have.
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil.” (Luke 6:45)
I have to ask myself:
What kind of treasure am I storing up in my heart?
Is it grace, patience, and love?
Or is it bitterness, frustration, and pride?
Jesus doesn’t just want to clean up my words.
He wants to transform my heart.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)
Because when my heart is right, my words will be right.
When my heart is full of love, my words will be full of grace.
When my heart is anchored in truth, my words will be life-giving.
And that’s exactly what I want.
Every Word is a Seed
Solomon warned:
“Life and death are in the power of the tongue.” (Proverbs 18:21)
James wrote:
“With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God.” (James 3:9)
Paul said:
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only what is good for building up.” (Ephesians 4:29)
Yet how often do I curse instead of bless?
How often do I tear down instead of build up?
Just Speaking My Mind…
But Jesus sees every word.
Every sharp remark.
Every condescending sigh.
Every insult disguised as “just joking.”
I see it now.
I thought I was just venting,
But I was sowing destruction.
I thought I was just being honest,
But I was feeding my own arrogance.
I thought I was just expressing frustration,
But I was hardening my heart with every bitter word.
And what’s worse?
I never even saw it.
Slave to Contempt
I refuse to let my words be weapons.
I refuse to let my mouth be a gateway for hell.
I will speak life.
I will break the habit of cursing, mocking, belittling.
I will learn to hold my tongue when anger rises.
I will choose grace over scorn.
Patience over contempt.
Blessing over insult.
Because I do not want to stand before God one day
And have to answer for every careless word I’ve spoken. (Matthew 12:36)
This Ends Now
I wish I could say I’ve mastered this, that I never let frustration or contempt slip into my words—but I haven’t. I’ve struggled hard to break this habit. I still struggle. It’s so easy to let an insult fly, to roll my eyes at someone’s ignorance, to mutter something sharp under my breath when I feel wronged. It feels justified. But every time I do, I feel it—the weight of my own words, the darkness they carry, the way they shape my heart.
So, I am choosing—again and again, as many times as it takes—to bless instead of curse. To build instead of destroy. To see others the way God sees them—not as fools, but as souls. Some days, I’ll fail. Some moments, I’ll slip. But I refuse to make peace with contempt any longer. I refuse to waste another breath speaking words that belong to the darkness when I have been called to walk in the light.
And this time… I mean it. I will never look back.
Appendix of References
Words Matter
Matthew 5:22 (ESV)
“But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to hell of fire.”
Proverbs 18:21
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”
Psalm 34:13–14
“Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Matthew 12:36 (ESV)
“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.”
James 3:9–10 (ESV)
“With it [the tongue] we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God… My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”
Ephesians 4:29 (ESV)
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
The Condition of the Heart
Luke 6:45 (ESV)
“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Matthew 15:18 (ESV)
“But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person.”
Proverbs 4:23 (ESV)
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Psalm 51:10 (ESV)
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.”
Historical and Theological Context
Leviticus 19:17 (ESV)
“You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.”
Exodus 22:28 (ESV)
“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”
Jeremiah 29:7 (ESV)
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”
Matthew 5:44 (ESV)
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
Luke 23:34 (ESV)
“And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’ And they cast lots to divide his garments.”
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