Did Jesus Suffer from Double Standard by Calling Somebody a Fool?
The critics would love to point out Matthew 5:22 against our Lord Jesus. At first look, it seems Jesus suffered from double standard when He said:
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."
Here's a commentary by Pastor Matt Slick of CARM.org saying:
When Jesus said in Matthew 5:22 that you should not call anyone a fool, contextually He was speaking of those who were unrighteously angry. That is why Jesus mentions anger in this verse. There is a righteous anger which is not sinful (Eph. 4:26 - "Be angry and do not sin . . ." ), as well as unrighteous anger that is sinful (James 1:20 - "for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God"). When God is angry with someone, He is always righteous in His anger. Jesus, being God in flesh (John 1:1,14; 20:28; Col. 2:9), can righteously be angry with people and pronounce upon them the foolishness of their deeds--which He did (Matt. 23:17). Also, undoubtedly, Jesus knew Psalm 14:1 which says, "The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God' . . ." Jesus didn't forget the well known verse, and God is not wrong for calling someone a fool, especially when it is true.
It should also be logical to say that Jesus had shown one fact. NO MATTER how one tries to justify himself/herself before God, every person has been guilty of misjudgment and is already in the danger of Hellfire themselves. However, Jesus who did no sin (and He did NOT sin by calling fools as fools because it was REALLY TRUE, one can also see here the Pharisees were liars and likewise all men as liars before God) came to pay for the penalty of sins (2 Corinthians 5:21).