The Sin of Saying to Someone, “YOU FOOL”

A WING AND A PRAYER

Carlin Lawrence carlin@agairupdate.com

Jesus said, “Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council” (Matthew 5:22b). The word “Raca” means a worthless, empty headed man; a brainless idiot, foolish, witless. It’s derived from a root word meaning “to spit.” When Christ Jesus walked on this earth “Raca” was a derogatory term used by the Jewish religious leaders towards people they thought were unworthy of their respect. It was arrogant, malicious, and slanderous words that was directed towards someone they despised. The psalmist says of those kind of people, “They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips” (Psalm 140:3).

Humanity has a self-righteousness and sinful habit of making derogatory statements such as: He/she is a brick or two short of a full load, or he/she is uglier than a mud fence. Or “That person is as dumb as a pile of rocks!” There are many ways to verbally put another person down to make us feel better about our self, or that we’re smarter than other people. Showing contempt for someone is murder of the heart, and the death penalty is deserved (Matthew 5:21, 15:19). What we feel inside is enough to damn us to eternal hell as much as what we do on the outside! “The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression” (Proverbs 19:11).

Then Jesus said, “Whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into fiery hell” (Matthew 5:22c). The English word “fool” comes from the Greek word “moros” from which we also get our word moron. In the Bible a fool is one who has rebelled against God. When we call someone a fool as a sign of our hatred towards them, then it’s sinful. But saying someone is being foolish because they’re rebelling against God, and it’s true, we’ve did them a favor.

The word “fool” doesn’t signify a person that’s ignorant. The word fool used in this context means a person that’s wicked and has a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28). “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction…The wise in heart will receive commands, but a prating fool will fall… Fools mock at sin, but among the upright there is favor” (Proverbs 1:7, 10:8, 14:8). Twice the psalmist tells us “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1; 53:1). And “The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts” (Psalm 10:4).

We should be very careful about calling someone a fool. That’s especially true when we realize that Greek literature sometimes used it to refer to a godless or obstinate person. It was perhaps parallel to a Hebrew word that means “to rebel against.” Jesus used a related but less severe term when He reprimanded the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).

Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37). Using unjust and injurious statements (slander) against another person is risking being disciplined by God. We can lose eternal rewards because of the words we speak (1 Corinthians 3:9-17).

There are several instances in the Bible where people are reminded of their foolish words and actions. Therefore it’s not wrong for us to warn or rebuke someone who is speaking or acting foolishly and clearly opposing God’s will. In fact, we’re supposed to take this action! The Lord is warning us here, however, that it’s sinful to slanderously call someone a fool out of personal anger or hatred. Maliciously calling another person a fool is equivalent to murder and worthy of discipline by God. “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles” (Proverbs 21:23).

Most of our slanderous remarks are not made to others’ faces but rather behind their backs. We need to set guiding principles in our life so we can guard our self from being unkind to others, even when speaking about them in private conversation. The Bible tells us, “Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure…. Let not a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him… And whoever spreads slander is a fool” (Psalm 101:5, 140:11, Proverbs 10:18).

When God expressed His contempt for a person by calling him/her a fool, He did it with complete and accurate knowledge that the person to whom he attributed foolishness was, in reality, a fool. Accusations made by God (through the writers of the Bible under the power of the Holy Spirit) are not born of unrighteous anger, but of complete knowledge, divine consideration, and a desire for fools to turn from their prodigal ways (2 Peter 3:9). We need to be very careful about calling someone a fool, even when we think they deserve it. Paul wrote, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26). Christ Jesus experienced righteous anger (Matthew 21:12). We need to be very cautious when we’re angry; never letting unjust and hurtful criticism or slander against others come from our lips (Matthew 12:36).

“Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in Him” (1 John 3:15). The word “brother; denotes not only a relative, or fellow Christian, but any other person. “Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit” (Psalm 34:13). “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (James 1:26).