Good and Angry

Do you ever get good and angry? Jesus did.

One such incident is described in Mark 3:1-6

Jesus entered the synagogue, where there was a man with a withered hand. The people (read: Pharisees, officials, guardians of religious tradition) watched him to see whether he would heal the man on the Sabbath, which would give them an excuse to accuse him. Jesus said to the man with the withered hand, "Come here." Then Jesus asked the people, "What does our law teach regarding the Sabbath: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill?" But they were silent. Jesus looked around at the crowd with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart. Then he said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out, and immediately held counsel with the Herodians about how to get Jesus killed.

Notice: Jesus got angry. Then what? What happened because Jesus got mad? The man with a withered hand was healed.

Jesus is not the only character in this story to get angry. The Pharisees also got angry. What did their anger lead to? They conspired with the Herodians to kill Jesus.

Jesus got mad and a man got healed. The Pharisees got mad and a man got killed. Jesus got good and angry. The Pharisees got just plain, old, rotten angry. Two pictures of anger. When we get angry is our anger closer to Jesus' or to the Pharisees' anger management? Does my anger lead to life or to death? Does my anger lead to healing or to deeper hostility?

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A long time ago when the kids were little we went to an ice cream shop. A friend of ours from New York, Kevin, was with us. Our youngest, Shelley, had a famously difficult time making up her mind. By the time she finally decided she wanted a cone I was getting impatient. I asked if she wanted me to get her a dish just in case she needed it. No, she insisted, she did not want a dish. She wanted just a cone.

We carried our ice cream to an outdoor table and sat in the warm evening enjoying our ice cream . . . for a few minutes. Then Shelley began whining that her ice cream was dripping. I got mad. I began scolding her for not agreeing to get a dish to start with while we were at the counter. There was a long line now. I didn’t think it was practical to get a dish now. I told her to hurry up and eat her ice cream before it all melted. She protested. I scolded. She whimpered. I scolded.

My anger did not cause her to eat her ice cream faster. It did not slow down the melting. It did not reduce the tension at the table.

A minute later, Kevin, got up without a word. Stepped over to the counter, butted in line, asked for and received a dish and returned in time to catch Shelley’s ice cream before catastrophe struck.

I had allowed my anger to turn me into a critic.

I don’t know if Kevin was also angry. It would have been reasonable. He was watching a grown man, a preacher, a writer of religious books act like a jerk toward his daughter. Whatever emotion Kevin experienced, instead of allowing it to turn him into a critic, he allowed it to push him into action. He got a dish. In the process he cured my anger, made Shelley happy, improved the quality of life for the rest of the family and other people at nearby tables.

He got good and angry.

What about you? Do you get “Good and Angry” or just plain, old, rotten angry?

There is a lot of talk these days about anger in American society. It's everywhere. On talk radio, on TV, among groups of friends talking about what they don't like in the nation.

I am troubled by how much of the anger floating around is somehow linked to the name of Jesus.

In just the last couple of weeks, several Catholic leaders have gotten angry because of public criticism of a church system that appeared to work harder at sheltering pedophile adults than it did to heal victims. These church leaders’ anger is misplaced.

I am reminded of Jesus' anger pictured in Matthew 23. He voiced strong anger at the religious leaders for their failure to take care of the people under their influence. Jesus himself criticized the religious system when it protected itself instead of the people God called it to serve.

We ought to get angry when we see little people abused and damaged by those in power. If we are going to get “good and angry” our anger should be directed into action to protect and restore, to heal and help. Good anger can motivate us toward good action.

One of the most glaring recent examples of plain, old rotten anger dressed up in Christian clothes is the Hutaree, a so-called Christian militia.

At the top of the home page on their web site is a quotation from Jesus: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13. At the bottom of the home page is this mission statement: "Preparing for the end time battles to keep the testimony of Jesus Christ alive"

What actually do? Apparently instead of preparing to lay down their lives for others they were making plans like the Pharisees of old, to take life. According to the United States Attorney's Office, the Hutaree allegedly planned "to kill an unidentified member of local law enforcement and then attack the law enforcement officers who gather in Michigan for the funeral".

I don't think we should quickly dismiss the Hutaree as just "nut cases." Their plans to kill, to create mayhem is the natural outgrowth of cultivating plain, old, rotten anger. They are angry at President Obama, at the political parties, at Congress. If you get angry enough there's no telling what you'll do. Jesus warned us that anger is the mother of murder.

Anger is powerful. It can move us strongly to cooperate with Jesus in spreading hope, healing and happiness. Or, if we are not careful, it can move us to cooperate with the kingdom of darkness in spreading hate, resentment and bitterness. This kind of anger carried to its logical conclusion becomes the source of murder. It’s what Jesus was talking about in Matthew 5, when he said that getting angry was like murdering someone.

God calls us to something better.

Where is your anger taking you?

Is your anger moving you to cooperate with Jesus in advancing his kingdom by helping people? Encouraging people? Healing people?

Or is your anger just plain, old, life-wrecking anger.

May God help us to be good and angry, motivated to bring relief to pain, hope to the hopeless, help to all within our reach.