Bible Verses That Freak Me Out #22 - "Every careless word" - Matthew 12:36

“I say to you that people will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.” – Matthew 12:36

Well, yikes. This is one of those times that I hope that Jesus is kidding, or exaggerating for emphasis. Every careless word? That could take awhile…

I ran across this verse in of those “coincidental” occurrences that sometimes happen in life. I had been stewing over some words that were spoken to me recently. Have you ever had the experience of doing something you were proud of, and receiving a dozen or so compliments concerning that thing, and one negative or snarky comment? And which one sounds out over and over in your mind? Exactly – the negative one.

But running across this verse also reminded of the times I have said something I wished later that I could take back. And that’s just the careless words that I remember. It disturbs me sometimes to think that my careless words may have haunted people in the way others’ careless words have haunted me – causing doubt, anger, shame, or frustration.

The context in which Jesus speaks these words is also disturbing. He is condemning the Pharisees, those experts in external righteousness. He says two verses earlier, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Richard Foster, in his introduction to the classic “Celebration of Discipline,” comments on this verse:

“It is not that we plan to be this way. We have no intention of exploding with anger or parading a sticky arrogance, but when we are with people, what we are comes out. Though we may try with all our might to hide these things, we are betrayed by our eyes, our tongue, our chin, our hands, our whole body language. Willpower has no defense against the careless word, the unguarded moment. The will has the same deficiency as the law – it can only deal with externals. It is incapable of bringing about the necessary transformation of the inner spirit.”

Foster is suggesting that the only way to eliminate the careless word is to make sure that your heart is overflowing with the fruits of the Spirit. And the only way to do that is present ourselves regularly – with discipline – before God and ask that he transform us from the inside out.

In other words, the only way to keep from being haunted by careless words, or haunting others with our words, is to be haunted by the Holy Ghost.