“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I suspect that all would agree that this old adage contains a healthy serving of nonsense.
I rarely think about any incident where someone did me physical harm; however, there are things that have been said to me that I remember, like they happened yesterday. Words hurt. They cut to the soul. They encourage, or they cripple. In the hands of some, they can destroy.
What Is the Power of Words?
If you study the Bible, you have undoubtedly come across passages that spark your curiosity and sometimes even evoke strong emotions. Some will bring a sense of joy, instill some deeper truth, or encourage, while some may cause sadness and conviction.
They can really run the gamut of our emotions. But there are only a few verses in Scripture that cause me to actually tremble. I’m talking about fear, actual fear, a real sense of impending doom. I will get to that very shortly.
Several months ago, I added Matthew 12:36 to my memory verses, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it on the day of judgment.”
My initial impression of the verse was that it was applicable to the often silly or course conversations we find ourselves caught up in from time to time — even the use of curse words.
I had initially memorized it because I thought it would help me stop allowing myself to be drawn into wasteful and meaningless talk and stop using those “colorful expletives” completely.
Fast forward to just a few weeks ago, I was busily preparing a lesson on cursing and filthy language to be taught to incarcerated men and thought I would include this verse as well.
A rule of Bible study is to always read in context so you can understand what the verse means within the time and place of the writer’s message.
So, I reread all of the passages leading up to and following verse 36. This verse is set in the middle of a confrontation between Jesus, the scribes, and the Pharisees.
As I was reading, I came to verse 36. I stopped abruptly as my eyes focused intensely on the word “idle.” The word almost jumped off the page!
The reason that word came alive is because I could not recall when I had seen it used before. Why had I not seen that?
I have read Matthew countless times, but I had undoubtedly just skimmed the word. How had I missed that?! The only answer I have is that the word “idle” seems to be an almost lazy word, which is exactly the way I treated it. Was I ever wrong?
Another rule of Bible study is to look up words that appear often and those words that are used infrequently. Regarding the Old Testament, you want to look at the Hebrew language, and in the New Testament, the Greek.
I am by no means a scholar in Greek or Hebrew, but fortunately, concordances exist for this very reason. So, I did a word study on the word “idle.” It is an extremely rare word, and only appears seven times in the New Testament.
Like in the English language, the Greek carries the meaning of idle, lazy, thoughtless, and unprofitable. But, in the Greek, there is an additional meaning which should give one pause: “injurious.”
What Is the Context of Matthew 12:36?
Reading the verse in context, there was no doubt that Jesus meant that very thing, “injurious” words. Those words we use in a way to inflict harm upon others. Upon discovering this, I literally cringed.
Think about that verse in our present day and age when applied to us, “...for every idle word men may speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment.” And again, “for every injurious word you speak, you will have to give account for it.”
And once more, “For every harmful thing you have ever said, you will answer to Me for those words” (Matthew 12:36). I think of all of the horrible things I have said in this life, and one day, I will stand before Jesus, and I will have to answer to Him for all of the horrors I have spoken over other people!
If that does not strike fear into your heart, then you are either holy on par with Jesus or you are completely numb. “Every injurious word will be answered for!” I weep just thinking about it.
In his book, James makes the egregious statement that for the person who does not control his speech, his religion is useless! He goes on to devote 12 verses to this topic (James 3:1-12).
In it he uses the analogies of a bridle on a horse and the rudder of a ship to describe how these small devices can control something of much greater size.
In the same way, the tongue, such a small member of our bodies, steers us in our lives. If left uncontrolled, it defiles us and is “...set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). He says that mankind has learned how to tame even the greatest of the beasts, but no one has ever tamed the tongue.
We are repeatedly warned throughout Scripture of the evils of the tongue:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat of its fruit (Proverbs 18:21).
Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit (Psalm 34:12-13, ESV).
“It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person” (Matthew 15:11, ESV).
What we speak has a direct influence on our spiritual lives, our physical lives, and the lives of others. Jesus said that it was “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). So, what we put into our hearts influences us to a much higher degree than what we may realize.
It is as the maxim proclaims, “Garbage in, garbage out.” It is in light of these warnings that I cling to Romans 12:2, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
I am but a man, albeit a man in love with Jesus, and He truly took on a job when He saved me. I find in my own life that there are times when I have trouble controlling my tongue, and I know I am not alone.
To my own shame, when incensed, I am quite adept at unleashing a torrent that would make a boatload of sailors turn away abashed.
You will never hear me speak injuriously when I am walking with Jesus. I smile, I’m courteous, I display kindness, and I have a genuine love for my fellow human being. The problem is, I am not always walking with Him.
Even when I think I am, I may very well not be. A true test of my walk with Christ is my response when I am surprised or angered. And therein lies the problem. If I were truly surrendered to Him, I would not have to be on guard.
What Does This Mean?
As Christ said, it is out of a man’s heart that the mouth speaks. But oh, how dark my heart truly is. It is in those times when the sentry of my heart has left his post that the “real” me reveals himself. He is a horrid creature, despicable in every way.
As C.S. Lewis wrote, “...surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of a man he is? Surely what pops out before the man has time to put on a disguise is the truth? If there are rats in the cellar you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats: it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way the suddenness of the provocation does not make me an ill-tempered man; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.”
I find that the rats are always alive and well in the cellar of my soul. Left in this state, I would be as deserving of hell as the devil himself, for I, too, am a rebel. Doomed to eternal separation from all that is good, including God Himself.
But I have hope. Two thousand years ago, a carpenter’s Son paid the price for me. I, like you, will one day have to stand before my Savior and give an account of the life I have led, and my heart grieves at the thought of baring all before Him. He gave Himself for me, and I most certainly have given him no recompense, no, nothing close to it.
And I can’t. None of us can.
It is with this reverence and gratefulness to Him that each of us should serve Him, as well as each other. We must, at all costs, control our speech and speak nothing that is not laced with love. Never forget, there will be an accounting.
For further reading:
What Does the Bible Say about the Tongue?
How to Remember That Words Do Hurt
What Does it Mean That ‘Life and Death Are in the Power of the Tongue’?
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