エフェソの信徒への手紙4:25-26 Ephesians 4:25-26,

だから、偽りを捨て、それぞれ隣人に対して真実を語りなさい。わたしたちは、互いに体の一部なのです。　（エフェソ4:25）

「偽りを捨て」の「偽り」とはどのようなことなのでしょうか？素朴に考えれば、それは「うそをつくこと」のように思えます。しかし、より聖書に基づいて考えるならば、十戒の第九の戒めで「隣人に関して偽証してはならない」の「偽証」に当たるものと考えるのがよいでしょう。「偽証」は裁判などにおいて偽りの証言をすることですが、真実かどうかわからない伝聞を言い広めることをも含みます。旧約聖書の出エジプト記23章1節には「あなたは根拠のないうわさを流してはならない」とあります。また、レビ記の19章16節には「民の間で中傷をしたり、隣人の生命にかかわる偽証をしてはならない」とあります。（中略）「偽りを捨て」、「根拠のないうわさ」や「中傷」を流さないということは、現代に生きる私たちにとってとても大切な教えです。

パウロは「偽りを捨て」るだけでなく、「それぞれ隣人に対して真実を語りなさい」と教えています。「真実」というのは、素朴に考えれば「本当のこと」という意味に思えます。しかし、これも聖書に基づいてより深く考えるべきでしょう。聖書の研究者たちが指摘しているように、パウロは旧約聖書のゼカリヤ書の8章16節のギリシア語訳に基づいてこの箇所を書いていると考えられます。ゼカリヤ書8章16節には「互いに真実を語り合え」と述べられています。ゼカリヤ書8章は、バビロンによって破壊されて荒廃したエルサレムの都に、主なる神様が平和と祝福をもたらして、神の民の共同体を回復してくださるという預言です。そして、その回復された共同体においては「互いに真実を語り合いなさい」と主なる神様が命じておられるのです。「真実」という言葉は、ヘブライ語のエメトという言葉にさかのぼります。そして、エメトという言葉には「信頼できること」や「誠実」という意味もあります。また、続く17節には「互いに心の中で悪をたくらむな。偽りの誓いをしようとするな」とあります。ですから、このゼカリヤ書の文脈において「互いに真実を語り合え」というのは、共同体の中で信頼関係をつくるような誠実な言葉を語り合えという意味です。

そして、エフェソの信徒への手紙4章25節でパウロは「それぞれ隣人に対して真実を語りなさい」と教えた後で「わたしたちは、互いに体の一部なのです」とその理由を述べています。「互いに体の一部」とは、キリストの体である教会という共同体の一部ということです。このように考えてみますと、パウロも、ゼカリヤ書の預言と同じように、信仰の共同体のメンバーとして信頼関係をつくるような誠実な言葉を語り合うように教えているということがわかります。つまり、単に「本当のこと」を語るというよりは、キリストによって救われた者として誠実に語り合うことが勧められているのです。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（10月5日の説教より）

Have you heard the term “anger management”? Simply put, it means controlling feelings of anger and expressing that anger appropriately. Recently, as companies have begun offering anger management training and public bodies such as city councils have started running anger management courses, many of you will likely be familiar with this term. Dr. TANABE Yuriko, who worked as a nurse in a hospital and now teaches nursing at Yokohama City University’s Faculty of Medicine, wrote an article titled “Anger Management, Not to Let Anger Take Over Your Emotions” for Kango to Jōhō (Nursing and Information), the journal of the Japan Nursing Library Association. It is a very clear explanation of what anger management is, so I shall quote a little.

Anger management is a technique for managing one’s emotions. Have you ever found yourself raising your voice in the heat of the moment, only to later regret it, thinking, “I shouldn’t have spoken like that”? Or, despite feeling angry, have you remained silent at the time, only to later regret it, thinking, “I should have said something then”? Anger management is training designed to prevent such regrets related to anger. It aims not merely to stop feeling angry, but to avoid being swayed by unnecessary anger and to be able to express anger when necessary – in other words, to learn to manage one’s emotions effectively. (Translated by MIYOSHI Akira)

What do you think about this idea of aiming “not merely to stop feeling angry, but to avoid being swayed by unnecessary anger and to be able to express anger when necessary”? You might think, “But the Bible teaches we shouldn’t get angry, so this seems contrary to the teaching of the Bible.” However, the Bible’s teaching on “anger” is not a flat, simplistic “you shall not be angry.” It is a three-dimensional teaching that shows there is both righteous anger and unrighteous anger. And today’s Bible passage contains profound teachings about human anger.

In verses 17-19 preceding today’s passage, Paul describes the way of life of the Gentiles who do not believe in Christ. The word translated as “the futility of their minds” in verse 17 can be rendered as “futile thinking.” And what is this “futile thinking”? It is the kind of thinking that makes idols into gods. Paul points out that those who harbour such “futile thinking,” such as making idols their gods, are themselves preventing themselves from receiving eternal life. Therefore, in verses 22-24, Paul teaches that we should live a new life through fellowship with Christ, without reverting to that old way of life, as follows.

(You were taught) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Paul exhorts the believers to cast off the “old self” and put on the “new self,” formed by the Holy Spirit. The expressions “put off” and “put on” are based on the metaphor of clothing. That is, he is urging them to live as free Christians before God by putting off the garments of the old self and putting on the garments of the new character shaped by the Spirit of Christ. Even as Christians, the old self stubbornly lingers within the heart. This old self continually surfaces in the heart, manifesting itself in words and deeds. However, when such old self emerges, Christians can put off it piece by piece and live by putting on the new thoughts, words, and deeds given by the Spirit of Christ. Paul describes this new way of life in verse 24 as a life that is “in true righteousness and holiness.”

Then, in verses 25-32 that follow, Paul teaches concretely what it means to live according to truth. First, in verse 25 of today’s passage, Paul teaches, “Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.” What does this “falsehood” mean? At first glance, it might seem to refer to “telling lies.” However, considering it more biblically, it is best understood as corresponding to the “bearing false witness” in the Ninth Commandment of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” “False witness” involves giving untrue testimony in court, but it also includes spreading hearsay whose truthfulness is unknown. In Exodus 23:1 God commands, “You shall not spread a false report.” Furthermore, in Leviticus 19:16 God commands, “You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor.” While “false report” and “slander” have existed since ancient times, modern information technology, such as the internet, has enabled these “false report” and “slander” to spread across the globe in an instant. Consequently, we have entered an era where people hurt and quarrel with one another through “false report” and “slander.” Therefore, “putting away falsehood” and refraining from spreading “false report” and “slander” are profoundly important teachings for us living today.

Paul teaches not only to “put away falsehood,” but also to “speak the truth with his neighbor.” At first glance, “truth” might seem to mean simply “what is real.” However, this too should be considered more deeply, based on the Bible. As biblical scholars have noted, Paul likely wrote this passage based on the Greek translation of Zechariah 8:16 in the Old Testament. Zechariah 8:16 states, “Speak the truth to one another.” Chapter 8 of Zechariah is the prophecy that the Lord God will bring peace and blessing to the city of Jerusalem, destroyed and laid waste by Babylon, and restore the community of God’s people. And within that restored community, the Lord God commands, “Speak the truth to one another.” The word “truth” traces back to the Hebrew term “emet.” “Emet” carries meanings such as “trustworthiness” and “faithfulness.” Furthermore, in verse 17, following verse 16, God commands, “Do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath.” Therefore, in the context of Zechariah, “speak the truth to one another” means to speak words of faithfulness that build trust within the community. Returning to Ephesians, after instructing in verse 4:25, “let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor,” Paul explains the reason: “For we are members one of another.” “Members of one another” refers to being members of the community that is the church, the body of Christ. Considering this, we see that Paul, like the prophet Zechariah, is teaching members of the community of faith to speak words of faithfulness that build trust. That is, rather than merely speaking “what is real,” he is encouraging to speak words of faithfulness that build trust as those saved by Christ.

If we read the first half of the following verse 26 in Japanese Bible, it reads, “Ikaru koto ga attemo, tsumi o okashite wa narimasen” (Even if you are angry, do not sin). It seems to convey the meaning: “It is unavoidable to feel anger at times, but do not sin by attacking others in the heat of your anger.” Yet the original Greek text, translated literally, contains the astonishing words: “Be angry and do not sin.” In English Bibles, from 17th-century translations to modern ones, several clearly convey this literal meaning. For example, the English Standard Version renders it as “Be angry and do not sin.” Biblical scholars also support this translation. How then should we receive this astonishing words?

A careful reading of the New Testament reveals several parables spoken by Christ where a master representing God becomes angry. For instance, in Matthew 18:23-34, the master becomes angry with a servant who refuses to forgive a fellow servant’s debt, saying, “Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18:33). Similarly, in Luke 14:16-24, the master becomes angry with guests who, having been invited to a banquet, make excuses on the day itself and do not come. He commands, “Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and crippled and blind and lame” (Luke 14:21). Furthermore, Christ himself was also known to become angry. According to Mark 3:1-5, on the Sabbath, Christ sought to heal a man with a withered hand in the Jewish synagogue. He asked those present, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?” (Mark 3:4). But they closed their hearts and remained silent. Then, looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, Christ healed the man with the withered hand. These biblical passages express God’s righteous anger towards human sin – specifically, the sin of refusing to properly receive and share God’s love. In other words, anger directed at such refusal is appropriate anger.

However, human anger often tends to become self-centred. Rather than being angry at the sin itself, we tend to get angry and then end up committing the sin ourselves. Therefore, the Lord’s Brother James teaches in James 1:19-20: “Let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” The most obvious example of self-centred anger is Cain’s anger in Genesis chapter 4. Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, each offered a sacrifice to God. God regarded Abel’s offering with favour but did not regard Cain’s with favour. This was likely because the feelings behind the offerings differed. Yet Cain did not ask God, “Why?” Instead, he became very angry and turned his face away. In his anger, he killed his brother Abel. To avoid becoming like Cain, who committed fratricide, Paul teaches, “Do not sin.”

So how, then, can one avoid sinning when angry? The Bible offers several teachings that provide clues. The latter part of Leviticus 19:18 contains the well-known words: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Yet, the context in which these words are spoken is perhaps surprisingly little known. The former part of Leviticus 19:18, instructs: “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people.” Why should we not take vengeance? Because vengeance belongs to God. Why should we not bear a grudge? Because entrusting God’s judgement, without bearing grudges, is the true fulfilment of justice. Furthermore, the preceding verse, Leviticus 19:17, instructs: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him.” In other words, when someone wrongs you, the Bible teaches that instead of bottling up anger and hatred within your heart, you should express your anger appropriately and reason the one frankly.

In the New Testament, the following words are recorded in Colossians 4:6: “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.” That is, based on the words of the Bible and guided by the Holy Spirit, speak words that are “seasoned with salt” and “gracious.” Words that lash out in anger at the other person, driven by emotion, are not “seasoned with salt” or “gracious” words. They are like a dish with too much fiery spice added – they will only be spat out and rejected. Likewise, words that merely suppress anger and fawn over the other person are not “seasoned with salt” or “gracious” words. It is like an overly sweet confection; it may be welcomed at first, but soon one will be told, “No more, thank you!” However, if you are always praying and preparing for the other person to receive Christ’s grace, you can speak words that are “seasoned with salt” and “gracious.” That is, even when conveying anger, you can speak words that calmly explain the reason for the anger and prompt the other person to consider how to proceed.

The latter part of verse 26, “Do not let the sun go down on your anger,” is often interpreted literally as meaning “you must calm your anger before the day ends.” However, this literal interpretation poses a problem. This is because events that provoke anger can occur not only at the beginning of the day but also right at the end. To demand that anger arising at the end of the day must be literally calmed within that same day is an unreasonable expectation. Therefore, rather than interpreting this verse literally, it is more appropriate to understand “before the day ends” symbolically as “as soon as possible.” That is, this verse should be interpreted as “you must calm your anger as soon as possible.” To calm anger, you must, on the one hand, restrain the emotional outburst directed at the other person, while on the other hand, express the anger in an appropriate manner. As mentioned earlier, rather than suppressing and bottling up anger within your heart, you should calmly explain the reason for the anger and speak words that prompt the other person to consider how to proceed. This allows you to view your own “anger” objectively and dispassionately. To achieve this, it is necessary to honestly share your thoughts with God in prayer and seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

According to the teachings of the Bible, all human beings are sinners. Whether we lash out in anger at others, driven by our emotions, or simply suppress our anger and fawn over others, nothing good comes of it. We wish to speak words guided by the Holy Spirit, so that the other person may also be purified by the Holy Spirit.