Righteous Anger

cat with angry face — Photo by Safoora Taimoor on Unsplash

13 The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. 15 Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 The Jews then said to him, "What sign can you show us for doing this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

(John 2:13-19)

The recounting of Jesus' anger (also found in Matthew 21, Mark 11 and Luke 19) could be the best answer to the desire some have to frame anger as sinful. Granted, nowhere in the passage does it say that Jesus was angry, but his actions do seem indicative of anger. Upon entering the temple in Jerusalem, what Jesus saw looked more like an open market than a sacred place of prayer and worship. The selling of animals and the changing of money were necessary because many of the people who came to the temple had traveled a great distance, and could not bring their sacrifices and offerings with them. The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke note Jesus' dissatisfaction with the corruption that was taking place in terms of inflated rates of exchange and unnecessarily high prices for the animals being charged to people who had no other option. However, John's gospel doesn't call out the corruption, it calls out the system as a whole. John's gospel endeavors to ensure that we see the transition that was taking place - from the temple being a human built place to being the person of Jesus, from people needing to bring their own sacrifices to atone for their sins to Jesus' sacrifice being sufficient to atone for all sin. Jesus had been the presence of God in their midst, yet they were going about business as usual.

This was worthy of Jesus' anger!

Jesus showed us that we have a right to be angry at injustice and unrighteousness, that we have a right to make a scene to call attention to that cause, and that the presence of God in us gives us the authority but does not exempt us from the consequences of acting on that authority. Notice that Jesus did not use language that would disrespect, harm or abuse - he did not sin, nor did he cause anyone else to sin. Notice, also, that anger was not Jesus' default setting - he didn't walk around looking for reasons or opportunities to be riled up or cause a commotion. Anger is a powerful emotion that God has given us to move us from complacency to action. We should not be afraid of our anger, we should listen to it. We have the responsibility to interrogate what makes us angry, and prayerfully discern the appropriate course of action. We should endeavor to use all of our emotions in ways that build up, encourage, and enlighten - even when it's not neat or easy, even when doing so challenges the status quo. May we humbly allow God to use every aspect of our being to honor and glorify God.

6 Lord, the Lord Almighty,

may those who hope in you

not be disgraced because of me;

God of Israel,

may those who seek you

not be put to shame because of me. 7 For I endure scorn for your sake,

and shame covers my face. 8 I am a foreigner to my own family,

a stranger to my own mother’s children; 9 for zeal for your house consumes me,

and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. 10 When I weep and fast,

I must endure scorn; 11 when I put on sackcloth,

people make sport of me. 12 Those who sit at the gate mock me,

and I am the song of the drunkards. 13 But I pray to you, Lord,