I am a Jesus pusher!!! “And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council” (Matthew 5:22). The Aramaic term “Raca” expresses disparagement accompanied by anger and contempt. It means “blockhead” and is the most common term of abuse in Jesus’ day. This word is used only here in the New Testament and is the beginning of Jesus’ teaching about the tongue, revealing the condition of the heart. He teaches us that our life is one big mouth. This “life expression” does not need to search for something to speak. “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). The inner state of man’s existence is extravagantly abundant. Our lives gather what is in excess from the heart and speak it.
Jesus used the illustration of trees. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:33, 34). The nature of the tree determines the quality of the fruit. The only possibility we have of changing our murderous activities is to eliminate the murder in our inner being. This elimination is the infilling of His nature until anger cannot exist! Only Jesus can achieve this! I must merge with Him. I am a Jesus pusher!!!