Righteous Anger

 The wind is blowing with scary fury outside.  It's impossible not to notice.  The weather app says to expect wind gusts up to 55 mph...yikes...not my favorite.  The whistle-like noise of the wind filtering through the front door is a reminder we need to replace it soon.  The noise of the gusts beating on the windows and rattling the downspouts makes me really nervous.  All I can think of is how scary it must be to be in a tornado.  It'd be like being hit by the whip of God.

While I'm trying to keep my mind occupied in this windy March evening, I started thinking again about Jesus' humanity and about how He experienced a wide range of human emotions.  The fury of the wind brought me to moments in the Bible when Jesus expressed His righteous anger.  Being about one week away from Holy Week, the passage of Jesus overturning the tables at the Temple popped into my mind.

13 When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” John 2: 13-17

This is quite a moment.  Meditating on all its details would take volumes.  Tonight, all I want to highlight is how the incident showcases Jesus the man.  I have a ton of experience with anger.  I guess that's why this portion of Scripture speaks to me so loudly.  I have no problem imagining someone being so irritated that he'd improvise a whip and start swinging it in the air to drive away the perpetrators like a regular Indiana Jones.  All I could think of is: "boy, I'd loved to have seen that!"  Notice, He didn't whip people...Jesus used the whip on the sheep and cattle.  Then He flipped tables, scattered the money and yelled at people.  "Get out of here!" was most certainly the message. "Stop turning my Father's house into a market!"

He was indignant...angry...annoyed...but the difference between Jesus' anger and mine is that His was justified.  It was righteous anger.  He was angry at all He saw because it opposed God.  His disciples got it when in verse 17 they recall Psalm 69:9 

for zeal for your house consumes me,

and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.

Jesus could not look the other way while the people desecrated God's House.  The zeal spoken by the Psalmist many years ago in his prophetic image had to be seen.  My anger is selfish in nature.  My manifestations of irritation are usually all about me and how my agenda has been disrupted.  My annoyance is mostly about me not getting my way and feeling disrespected.  It's all about my pride.  My rage is very far from righteous.  That's why Jesus' example is so perfect for short-temper people like me.  This passage seems to say, "hey, it's OK to be angry and to display it publicly...but only if it is not misplaced.  Like Paul says:

26 “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

27 and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4: 26-27

Notice he doesn't say, do not be angry ever.  He says when you do get angry, "do not sin...do not give the devil a foothold."  Paul knows how anger can so very easily unfold sin and weakness which the enemy takes advantage of right away to grab a foothold immediately.  The admonition of not going to bed angry can't be more perfect.  It is one of the greatest tips to avoid going down the slippery road of sinning while angry.  

In both John's and Matthew's gospel, the conclusion of this incident seems to indicate Jesus went back to serving people, healing them and performing wonderful signs.  That's another amazing example of what to do when experiencing anger: redirect your energy into something productive like service.  Amazing!

I hope I can remember these tips for anger management the next time I feel the volcano inside of me about to erupt.  The wind seems to have slowed down a bit.  The whip of God appears to have been put away.  It's time to look at the damage.  I'm sure we're OK...maybe a little cleaner since the wind could be seen as God's broom too...which purpose is to make things healthier and better.

May the inspiration of Jesus' human reactions take up residence in our heart so we know how to act in every situation always in His righteousness. Amen!