When I try to visualize the type of person Jesus would be I typically imagine a loving, accepting, generous and kind person. I do not think of the someone who is aggressive and angry. Yet, this is part of who Jesus is too. Jesus got angry; he raised his voice; he made enemies. At every turn during Jesus' ministry the Pharisees, scribes, and religious leaders were there to offer their critique and judgment. They were his nemesis, trying to undercut his message and eventually seek ways to turn him over to the Romans. Eventually Jesus has enough and lets loose a barrage of vitriol that is prophetic, unexpected, and shocking.
Jesus is invited for dinner at a Pharisee's house and when he is judged for not washing his hands properly, he finally loses it.
“Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.40You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also?41So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you.42“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and herbs of all kinds, and neglect justice and the love of God; it is these you ought to have practiced, without neglecting the others.43Woe to you Pharisees! For you love to have the seat of honor in the synagogues and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces.44Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it.” Luke 11:39-44
Jesus calls the religious leaders of his day: greedy, hypocrites, spiritually superficial, and spiritually dead. He calls them out and names all the ways in which they are full of wickedness and evil. Jesus is not comforting he is confronting; he is not merciful but merciless; he is not gracious and forgiving but incredibly harsh. How do we feel about this Jesus? Can we handle a Jesus who gets angry and calls people out? Or do we prefer a cuddly Jesus who brings comfort and placates us? Of course it is not an either/or proposition. Jesus offers both love, mercy, and forgiveness AND challenge, confrontation, and truth.
Jesus does not get angry without reason. His anger is righteous and directed specifically at those in power who are not faithful to God. Jesus' anger is for those who abuse others, pretend to be something they aren't, and those who exploit and oppress. These are things worth getting angry about! These are things worth fighting against. The question for each of us is: what makes you angry? Is it trivial an inconsequential things (traffic, inconvenience, etc) or injustice? Jesus gets angry about things that matter and works to make a difference. We are called to do the same.
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