You don't have to be a scholar to see that the world is not all black and white. There's lots of grey areas that Christians spend their time debating over--alcohol, tattoos, music, relationships...etc. Where do you draw the line between right and wrong?
One area I've often been confused about is anger. I'm not even pretending to know everything, but want to share my thoughts on this issue.
The punchline of the sermon often goes like this, "Anger is fine, as long as you handle it well." I mean, Jesus was angry. He cleared the Temple, overturning tables and driving out livestock with a whip (see John 2, Mark 11, and Matthew 21). Although only one passage describes Jesus' emotions, and it uses the word "zeal", never mentioning anger, it is implied that Jesus was a little fiery. And rightly so.
I just found a verse in James which I have always skipped over, that talks about anger. Somehow I've missed the second half of 1:19-20 all these years. Right in between "every good a perfect gift" and "do not merely listen to the word", James sandwiches this nugget of truth:
"...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires."
I get a few things from this verse. The first thing that stuck out to me is that James is talking about man's anger. So there is a difference between God's anger and man's anger. When Jesus yelled at the moneychangers, he wasn't operating in human impulse. He was burning with the very righteousness of God. With perfect zeal.
Jesus knew how to handle that zeal which was inside of him. He knew exactly what he was doing. He wasn't just acting in the moment. Every action had a purpose.
If we can learn to grasp this anger which God demonstrates over and over again in Scripture, as he tears down kingdoms and builds new ones, forces kings to their knees and raises up the lowly...if we can imitate this attitude, we're golden. The thing I realized is that my human concept of anger is where the mess comes. We get angry at things that don't bother God. He doesn't get offended like we do--praise the Lord that he doesn't!
This calls for a deep fear of the Lord, a dedication to understanding his heart. Jesus was expressing the deep heartache of God that men had turned his House into a marketplace.
Another word that sticks out to me in this passage is righteousness. Moreover, righteousness that God desires. It's like God is saying, "Listen--I have something so much better for you than the sour feeling that's creeping through your stomach right now. You don't have to get upset about this stuff--you can learn to gaze on My face instead, and soak in beauty rather than offense."
I am so thankful that God offers to release us from the chains of bitterness and offense. He cancelled all our offenses on the Cross. He brought ultimate reconciliation. This isn't to say that problems won't ever come up, but we can live free from the human anger that is so tempting.
God says, "Don't look to offense. Look to Me."
He is righteousness. He is perfection. He is love.
As we look to Him and His word, His peace and joy enter our hearts. We don't have room to be angry! We are more consumed with destroying offense and hurt than feeling it!
Does this mean we walk around with cheesy smiles all the time? No. Jesus showed a depth of joy that was so strong, it enabled Him to go to the Cross and be killed for the sake of those who hated him. This is what I'm talking about. His eyes were so fixed on the truth that He even begged God to forgive those who nailed His hands to the wood.
Many of us have been hurt by angry, selfish, bitter, or offended people. Christ is offering freedom. He says, "That way has never brought growth or holiness. Let's try my way. Let's fill those burned holes in your heart with joy and grace instead."
I hope that this encourages you not to try and cover up your hurts, but to allow Jesus to heal them, and allow His zeal into your heart.
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