145 Sermon Illustrations on Anger

Socrates, finding himself in great emotion against a slave, said, "I would beat you if I were not angry." Having received a box on the car, he contented himself by only saying, with a smile, "It is a pity we do not know when to put on a helmet." Socrates meeting a gentleman of rank in the streets, saluted him; but the gentleman took no notice of it. His friends in company, observing what passed, told the philosopher "they were so exasperated at the man's incivility, that they had a good mind to resent it." But he very calmly made answer, "If you meet any person in the road in a worse habit of body than yourself, would you think you had reason to be enraged at him on that account? Pray, then, what greater reason can you have for being incensed at a man for a worse habit of mind than any of yourselves?"

Some time ago, in India, two little children were asleep in a bungalow, when a tiger came out of the jungles after something to eat. He scented the children, and broke into the bungalow after them. But the first thing the tiger saw was a looking-glass, and in the looking-glass he saw a tiger. The tiger did not know it was himself, so he growled and grew angry; and the tiger in the looking-glass growled and grew angry. That made him furious, and he sprang at the tiger in the glass, which, of course, smashed the glass into a thousand pieces; and it frightened the tiger so that he was glad to run off.

As small letters hurt the sight, so do small matters him that is too much intent upon them: they vex and stir up anger, which begets an evil habit in him in reference to greater affairs. Plutarch.

They that govern elephants never appear before them in white; and the masters of bulls keep from them all garments of blood and scarlet, as knowing that they will be impatient of civil usages and discipline when their natures are provoked by their proper antipathies.

— Bp. Taylor

CLUB.—There were two brothers; Alvah twelve, Michael nine years old. They generally lived together as happily as most brothers do. But sometimes they would quarrel; and when they did get angry with each other they the pedigree he carried back rather farther than the greatest strength of credulity would allow. "In gude faith, man," says the king, "it may be they are very true, but I did na' ken before that Adam's name was Lumley."

ER.

were very furious and reckless of each other's limbs and lives. Their parents were very uneasy at times, lest in a fit of anger one should kill the other. Much they talked to them, and warned them against anger, and against striking each other with fists and clubs, and throwing stones at each other. The boys, when not in anger, appeared loving and kind, and would promise not to strike and throw stones at each other.

One day they were earnestly engaged in a game of ball. Michael had the club, and had just knocked the ball. Alvah caught it—at least, he said he did, and declared it was his turn to knock it. Michael said he did not catch it, but that he wanted to cheat, and should not have the club. Alvah said he would have it. They grew angry, struggling for the club. Then Michael started to run with it. Alvah caught a stone and threw it at him. The stone flew as if winged with the wrath and fury of him who threw it, and struck Michael on the knee. It cut a deep hole right on the joint. In a little while the wound became painfully sore, and Michael soon lost the use of his leg. In time, it turned to a white swelling; and the leg had to be cut off above the knee to save his life.

All this pain and suffering, and maiming for life, merely to decide who should knock a ball! Michael lost his leg to defend his right to keep a ball-club! For this trivial cause, Alvah inflicted on his dear brother unspeakable suffering, and made him a helpless cripple for life. This was a costly fight, and for a worthless object. Anger often produces like results.

People who own automobiles have a great deal to say about "tire-trouble." There are a great many kinds of tire-trouble. In the first place, a tire often gets punctured by a nail running into it. Then there are "blow-outs" caused by the inner tube giving way. Then there are leaky valves, by which the air slowly leaks out. There are also sand-blisters, caused by little particles of sand getting into the tire and making a swelling in it, which soon gives way. And finally tires may get rim-cut, which means that the steel rim which fastens them on wears them through by rubbing. The result of these things is what is known as a flat tire with all the air gone out, and the automobile bumps on the hard rim. Boys and girls have tire-troubles, too. I have seen boys and girls get so vexed about things that they just exploded in a burst of temper like a blow-out in a tire. I have known them to run up against something sharp and difficult which took all the buoyancy out of them, just like a nail causing a puncture in a tire. I have known them to tell a lie, although nobody else knew it, and it bothered them so inside that it was like sand on the inside of the tire causing a sand-blister. I have known them to fret about things so that all their enthusiasm leaked away just as the tire that had a leaky valve. And finally I have known them to be rim-cut by associating with some sharp-tongued boy or girl. The result of all this was a flat tire, and these boys and girls just went bumping along without any happiness or lightness of heart. They couldn't get anywhere with their work or their play. The only cure that I know of for a boy or girl with a flat tire is more of God's uplifting strength. God says that they who trust in Him shall run, and not be weary.

In the Jardin des Plantes we saw a hooded snake in a most unamiable condition of temper. There was a thick glass and a stout wire between us, and we did nothing but look at him, yet he persisted in darting at us with the utmost vehemence of malice, until the keeper requested us to move away, with the advice that it was not well to irritate such creatures. When one meets with an irascible person, on the look out to pick a quarrel, ill conditioned, and out of elbows with the whole world, it is best to move on, and let him alone. Even if he can do you no harm, and if his irritation be utterly unreasonable, it is best to remove all exciting causes of provocation, for it is never wise to irritate vipers. You do not on purpose walk heavily across the floor to teach a gouty man that you have no respect for his tender feelings since he ought not to be so susceptible; neither should you vex those afflicted with a bad temper, and then plead that they have no right to be so excitable. If our neighbours' tempers are gunpowder, let us not play with fire.

A cobbler at Leyden, who used to attend the public disputations held at the Academy, was once asked if he understood Latin. “No,” replied the mechanic, “but I know who is wrong in the argument.” “How?” replied his friend. “Why, by seeing who is angry first.”

Let not your angry passions rise, if you would be a full overcomer. (Text.)

It is difficult to realize that only the other day an effort was made in Paris to replace the old magneto signaling system, with its little crank at the right of the telephone which has not been seen in large cities in this country for many years, by the much more convenient automatic signaling system. But the Paris correspondent of the New York _Times_ says that such was the case. And, more curious still, the effort to introduce this improvement met with disfavor! The correspondent explains: “Hitherto excitable Frenchmen whiled away the time while awaiting ‘Central’ to answer, by grinding furiously at the crank bell-call. The new system denied them this form of relief. The result was that their pent-up feelings found outlet in imprecations and wild gesticulations. In many cases the telephones were damaged by poundings and shakings and had to be removed. It is said that the French Minister of Telephones was forced to admit that the imported system was a complete failure. ‘The new system may be good enough for the highly-trained Americans,’ he is quoted as saying, ‘but I am convinced that my excitable countrymen need the safety-valve of the old-fashioned bell.’”--_The Western Electrician._

How to deal with anger.

1. Causes of anger. (Biblical examples)

2. Attempts to control anger.

a. Nurse it.

b. Disperse it.

c. Rehearse it.

3. Cure for anger.

a. Reverse it.

b. Redirect it.

Charles Cerling is an American Baptist pastor in Michigan. A few years back he returned to his office after a vacation and began sorting through the mail. As he leafed through the minutes of the last deacons' meeting, one phrase stood out: “We discussed our leadership situation.” He knew what that meant; and sure enough, a few days later he was fired.

Cerling says his anger began to build in intensity. The church tried to be kind, and let him use all the stationary and phone calls he needed during the 90 days they gave him to find a new church. He used their postage and telephone lines as if money were water. Maybe Guam needed a new pastor. He called them. Spending their money was an expression of rage.

The entire time he entertained himself with fantasies of revenge, until he realized it was destroying him. He checked into a motel for 24 hours and did nothing but pray and study the Bible. God delivered him from the pit of anger.

Author had been put down continually by his father while growing up. Was hard to forgive him. Used many wrong strategies till he gave in to biblical truth.

1. When forgiveness comes hard.

2. Divine forgiveness.

3. In the wake of an injury.

a. reaction

b. evaluation

4. Blind forgiveness. (doesn't work)

c. decision

d. action

e. result

5. Expectant forgiveness.

6. Mark of true forgiveness. (infinitely, totally, 490 x, like Joseph

forgave brothers and Jacob forgave Esau)

7. Path to forgiveness.

(Following article is a prayer by Peter Marshall for release from resentment.)

The feeling that something is not fair is perhaps the most morally offensive feeling there is, says Willar Gaylin, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. We all carry around an innate sense of justice. What should we do when our integrity is injured?

1. Take attitude that the wrongdoer will be punished by their conscience.

2. The wrongdoer needs to be publically punished.

a. But justice is hard to determine. (Revenge is over-reaction).

3. Fantasizing can be cathartic.

4. Express your indignation. Most people don't like to be disliked.

One woman sent a colleague who had undermined her project a photo of

himself, cut into pieces. Years later he confessed it truly had

chastened him.

Cost of revenge:

1. Hurts yourself.

Divorcee agreed to sell her husband's Mercedes-Benz and split the

proceeds as part of their divorce settlement, signed over the car to

the first bidder for $25 and sent a check for $12.50 to the enraged

husband. She got back at her husband, but lost a lot of money.

2. Fantasizing revenge can take over reality.

A study conducted at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC, showed that a major reason successful people are fired or forced to retire before advancing as far as they were expected is due to their inability to handle anger, especially under pressure.

Andrew Jackson was known for being unforgiving and having a terrible temper. In a duel with Charles Dickinson, Jackson was wounded but had not yet fired. A gentleman would aim and fire into the air, but Jackson aimed and fired into his heart. His mean streak haunted him throughout his political life.

Version in sermon:

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Forgiveness as a character issue.

As New Jersey's presidential primary approaches, one consideration every voter must face is the character of the candidates. Negative campaigning is nothing new in American politics and neither is the character issue. More than 180 years ago a candidate for President had to confront rumors that neither Bush nor Clinton have had to face. Even though he was a forceful and proven leader, it was his inability to forgive that called his character into question. I am speaking, of course, of Andrew Jackson.

One scholar has said that when Andrew Jackson hated, it often became a grand passion. He could hate with a Biblical fury. He would resort to petty and vindictive acts to nurture his hatred and keep it bright and strong and ferocious. He needed revenge. He always struck back.

On May 30, 1806, Jackson met crackshot Charles Dickinson in a duel at Harrison's Mills, Kentucky. It appears that Dickinson had made some rude comments about Jackson's wife. Others had too - she wasn't actually divorced when Jackson married her.

So that morning they paced off for the duel. Upon the signal to "Fire!," Dickinson instantly raised his pistol and, as expected, got off the first shot. Kicking up dust from Jackson's coat as it entered, the bullet stuck him full in the chest. Everyone watching knew that Jackson had been hit. Astonishingly, Jackson did not fall but remained standing, ramrod straight. The 70-caliber ball had chipped off his breastbone, broken two ribs, plowed through chest muscle to come within an inch of his heart. Blood drained down his leg and began to fill his boot.

Dumbfounded, Dickinson had to remain on his mark to await his fate. He was now at Jackson's mercy.

A man in Jackson's situation customarily raised his pistol, aimed it at his disarmed opponent, then pointed it at the sky and fired. It was the gentlemanly thing to do and earned you much respect. Dickinson stood frozen, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes fixed on the ground. Jackson raised his pistol, took level aim - and pulled the trigger. A harmless "click" followed. The hammer had mercifully failed to strike.

Jackson now had a second chance to consider his actions, to remind himself that Dickinson's wife was pregnant. Jackson himself was born after his father's death and knew the hardship of growing up fatherless on the frontier. As Dickinson waited helplessly in place, Jackson carefully recocked his pistol and again took deliberate aim at his opponent. And for the second time he pulled the trigger. This time the weapon did not misfire, and Dickinson fell mortally wounded. Jackson showed no remorse for having shot Dickinson in cold blood.

The episode would haunt Jackson the rest of his life. The full ounce of lead was lodged so close to his heart that doctors never dared to try to remove it. Thereafter he experienced sporadic chest pain that increased with old age.

During his first presidential campaign in 1828, the opposition compiled a list of his brutality and printed a handbill with 18 coffins on it. Each had the name of an individual killed by Jackson's gun or order. His harshness and inability to forgive almost cost him the presidency, not to mention his life.

A case study of Jesus' cleansing of the temple in Mark 11:15-19.

1. Sinless anger is altruistic.

a. Pilgrims were exploited.

b. God's temple was desecrated.

c. Jewish exclusivism was shutting out Gentiles.

2. Sinless anger does not nurse grudges.

3. Sinless anger is directed.

4. Sinless anger is usable.

5. Sinless anger is controlled.

Terry Anderson was taken hostage by Lebanese terrorists in 1985. His sister Peggy Say has spent years seeking to have him released, even pestering foreign governments. (She is a member of an American Baptist church in Pennsylvania.)

On August 24, 1990, Irish hostage Brian Keenan was released. Peggy went to see him. He had been in Terry's room and found his Bibles. Terry was doing a historical study of the Bible and had learned French from his roommate. He had a Bible in French as well as a Catholic and a Protestant Bible in English.

Peggy asked Keenan, "Is Terry mad at the AP [he was a reporter for them]? Is Terry mad at the government? Who's Terry mad at?" Keenan looked puzzled. "He's not mad at anybody, really," he said. For the hostages, the five and a half years had been like they'd been for us, their families: cyclical. It's almost like the stages of grieving: first the denial, then the anger, finally the acceptance of what is. The hostages had passed through all those phases, and in the last year or two they had become very introspective, very moral.

They had made a pact with one another, Keenan told Say: they would do things with their lives on the outside that would have value, that would be moral, that would make a better world. And each would see to it that the promises they made in captivity were kept. If anybody started straying, the others would phone him up and say, "Hey, get back on line here." [1413]

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Accusatory rhetoric is often the way Christians argue with each other. In the seventeenth century, the Puritan preacher Richard Baxter wrote a pamphlet in which he lumped the Quakers with "drunkards, swearers, whoremongers, and sensual wretches" and other "miserable creatures." And then - just in case he had not yet insulted them enough - he insisted that Quakers are no better than "Papists."

The Quaker leader James Naylor announced that he was compelled "by the Spirit of Jesus Christ" to respond these harsh accusations. He proceeded to characterize his Puritan opponent as a "Serpent," a "Liar," a "Child of the Devil," a "Cursed Hypocrite," and a "Dumb Dog."

This is strong stuff. What makes it especially sad is that the angry talk often makes it difficult to get to the real issues. The debate between the Puritans and the Quakers was actually an interesting and helpful one. But I doubt that either group heard the helpful things the other side was saying. Too much angry rhetoric was in the air.

Articles and worksheets on domestic violence. An attached booklet deals with Christians and anger. Definitions of degrees of violence are listed, as well as the psychology of batterers.

Forgiveness is not a matter of "forgetting."

I. Forgiveness and vengeance.

A. Thoughts of enemies inhaling excrement. Isa 25:10-12

B. Does forgiving open us up to further abuse?

C. "Forgiveness is too often seen as merely an exercise in releasing

bad feelings and ignoring past harm, pretending all is well."

II. The myth of forgetting the harm.

A. Does God forget our sin?

1) Ps 25:7 and Jer 31:34 say he does.

2) Judgment Day assumes he does not. 2 Cor 5:10

3) Taken away and buried sin are metaphors. Ps 103:12; Mic 7:19

B. Emphasizing forgetting fuels a spirit of denial.

1) It warps the perspective.

III. The myth of releasing anger.

A. Forgiveness is usually not a sudden deliverance from anger.

1) It is an on-going work of God.

B. Anger or hurt is not necessarily contrary to forgiveness.

1) God feels anger and hurt at our sin.

2) An absence of strong feelings implies a lack of heart

involvement.

3) Anger can be a loving response.

IV. The myth of not desiring revenge.

A. Many see revenge as incompatible with forgiveness.

1) Revenge involves a desire for justice.

2) A true hunger for vengeance is our commitment to destroy sin.

B. Vengeance belongs to God.

1) We should not seek it on our own.

2) We anticipate the Day of the Lord.

V. The myth of peace at any price.

A. Offenders are not always won over by unconditional love.

1) Turning the other cheek is the not same as fear-based service

offered to avoid guilt or attack.

2) Overlooking harm in order to achieve a sentimental but not

substantive peace actually encourages sin.

3) Forgiveness is a weapon of wisdom that is designed to

disrupt and entice.

B. Shrewd sacrifice exposes the heart of the one doing harm.

1) This generosity has a redemptive bite.

VI. What does it mean to forgive?

A. A central image is the master who mercifully cancels an

incomprehensible debt. Matt 6:9-15; 18:21-35

B. The only debt that remains is to offer others a taste of

redemptive love.

C. Working definition of forgiveness:

"To forgive another means to cancel a debt in order to provide:

1) Opportunity for repentance, and

2) Restoration of the broken relationship."

What made Jesus angry?

Unforgettable self-restraint.

For the most part, Jesus held his temper.

The whipping in the temple is a calculated expression of temper.

Bridling anger.

Temper can arise from frustration, lack of control over situations.

Jesus was angry on our behalf.

He did not have a reputation as an angry man.

Kindness instead of anger.

Jesus' response to Judas shows kindness.

Paul tells us to be angry and sin not.

Allow your anger to transform your relationship with God.

Most people do not walk into the day seething with anger that looks for an opportunity to explode. Most of us feel anger when we are slighted, cheated, or attacked. And when we do get angry, it is common for us to wonder: What am I supposed to do? How am I to handle this situation so that I don't (1) cause more trouble, (2) offend, (3) make a mountain out of a molehill, or (4) embarrass myself? [Illustration of frustrated airline ticket holder when another person jumps in line.]

1. Control or transform?

Anger control techniques use "time outs." You pause and consider the

consequences and alternatives, and by that point a rash response has

been avoided. Some Scriptures support this, but it is better to be

transformed by anger than to just control it. Often anger is an

effort to make up for the "failure" of God.

2. Waiting can intensify anger.

a. Rash anger is almost always violent, damaging, and ungodly.

b. Anger that is not acted on does not generally evaporate.

c. Once anger wanes, there is no impulse to wrestle with ourselves

or with God.

3. Pondering: Wrestling with God.

a. Don't dwell on anger, but settle it.

b. Ponder and search your heart.

4. Surprised into praise.

a. God invites us to see into the dark parts of our heart.

b. To truly cure anger, we must grasp the goodness of God.

c. Wait for God's wrath, rather than seeking revenge today.

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There are three unhealthy approaches to handling our anger. All three tend to perpetuate anger rather than facing it in a way that leads to growth. (Each is given a checklist of descriptive behaviors.)

1. Suppressing anger.

They hesitate to admit their own anger and stoically put on a good

front. They feel powerful emotions are not acceptable. Or,

perfectionism or a need for approval may prevent you from revealing

any "weakness."

2. Open aggression.

Arises from focusing so strongly on your personal needs that you are

insensitive to the needs of others. This pattern results when (1)

emotional energy is expended on trivial matters and (2) deep

insecurity leads to exaggerated efforts to be heard.

3. Passive aggression.

Caused by a need to have control with the least amount of

vulnerability. Such a person knows they are angry but assumes it is

too risky to be open, so they frustrate others by subtle sabotage.

It was just another normal day at work for Doug Cone. Then a young man 31 years of age, he was his usual ill-tempered, angry self. The anger was like a hot coal in his stomach that never cooled down, he recounted.

A troubled person most of his life, he held no job for longer than two years and was about to be fired from his present one. His wife had just left him, taking their only child -- a son he thought the world of.

That day, a co-worker named Jim came up to him, looked into his eyes, then stated, "Doug Cone, God has a better way for you." That got his attention and started him on the path which now has him leading Deer Creek Baptist Mission, Stockbridge, Georgia, which opened the doors of its own building last year. Cone was pastor of the mission when it started in 1992 in Deer Creek Mobile Home Park with nine people.

But initially, Cone didn't do anything about the encounter with his co-worker, Jim -- except going over and over the statement in his mind for about a year.

Eventually God led Cone to a group of people who shared the Word of God with him and he was ready to listen. Once he had thought he knew it all; now he realized he didn't.

Lying on his bed one night about 10:30, he kept having troubling thoughts. Then he began to remember Scripture from when he was 12 years old, when for a six-month period his mother had made him attend Sunday school. Thoughts of Jesus and Bible verses he didn't even know he remembered kept coming back to him.

Cone told God then he wanted to accept Jesus as his Savior, but he didn't want to just become "saved." He wanted to live the life. At the moment he was forgiven, he said it was as if God poured cool water over burning coals of anger. He began to understand some of the Scripture, and he recounted a yearning to learn more of the Bible and to share it with everyone he came in contact with.

Cone went back to school, first Georgia Tech, then Georgia State. Realizing after a year that secular knowledge was not what he was thirsting for, he enrolled in Liberty Bible Institute. A year later he began to teach Sunday school and feel a call to the ministry.

After much searching and a weekend at a camp meeting in north Georgia, he could not sleep. The tug was so strong, he was exhausted. The moment he gave in and gave it to God, he felt the pressure lift. After talking to his pastor and congregation at the time, he started a ministry in a nursing home in south Fulton County which continued for four and a half years. Later, with his wife and two children -- in a restored marriage -- he moved to McDonough, Ga., joined Friendship Baptist Church, was ordained a deacon and served two years as associate pastor.

His next stop was the mobile home park mission, which is blossoming as a thriving work in its community.

All this would not have happened, however, if "Jim" had not looked beyond a co-worker's anger and defenses and taken the risk to be a witness for God, not knowing this side of heaven what can come of a word spoken to a lost person.

Maxey is a free-lance writer from Stockbridge, Georgia.

NewsCopyright (c) 1995 Baptist Press RNbp5323mrwB5323g5324

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The gospel writers paint their portraits of Jesus using a kaleidoscope of brilliant “emotional” colors. Jesus felt COMPASSION; he was ANGRY, INDIGNANT, and CONSUMED WITH ZEAL; he was TROUBLED, GREATLY DISTRESSED, VERY SORROWFUL, DEPRESSED, DEEPLY MOVED, and GRIEVED; he SIGHED; he WEPT and SOBBED; he GROANED; he was IN AGONY; he was SURPRISED and AMAZED; he REJOICED VERY GREATLY and was FULL OF JOY; he GREATLY DESIRED, and he LOVED.

In our quest to be like Jesus we often overlook his emotions. Jesus reveals what it means to be fully human and made in the image of God. His emotions reflect the image of God without any deficiency or distortion. When we compare our own emotional lives to his, we become aware of our need for a transformation of our emotions so that we can be fully human, as he is.

Paul tells the Corinthians that as Christians gaze upon the glory of the Lord, “with unveiled faces,” we “are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18, NIV). The apostle is suggesting that looking intently on the Lord will bring about a metamorphosis into Christ’s image by the Spirit. Paul illustrated this kind of transformation in his own life when he told the Philippian Christians, “I long for you with the compassion of Christ” (Phil. 1:8). Paul embodied the emotions of Jesus.

Many theologians throughout history have argued strongly that God is not moved by emotions. This doctrine of the impassibility of God, developed by early Christian apologists such as Justin Martyr, sought to distinguish the God of the Bible from pagan gods whose passions led them into all kinds of scandalous behavior. It is not surprising that Christians responded to the myths of Zeus’s rapes and arbitrary vengeance with an absolute statement of divine impassibility. What they meant to emphasize was that God does not have mad, shameful passions like the gods of pagan mythology.

The question “What is God really like?” is answered during an exchange between Jesus and his disciple Philip. “Show us the Father,” Philip said. Jesus responded, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” Not only do the emotions of Jesus reflect an essential component of the image of God, his emotions also reveal the NATURE of God. On the basis of our belief that the written Word and the Living Word give us a trustworthy revelation of God, we know that God is emotional.

If we are the body of Christ, created and redeemed to represent Jesus in our world, then we, like Paul, need to “gaze upon him” and learn to experience the emotions of Jesus. Then we can know him, and in knowing him know God, and know ourselves as we were created to be.

COMPASSION

The Gospels tell us that Jesus “felt COMPASSION.” The Greek word for “compassion” speaks literally of a sensation in the guts, but was used to speak metaphorically of an emotional sensation -- just as we speak of “heart- breaking,” “head-spinning,” or “gut-wrenching” feelings today.

For whom did Jesus feel compassion? For people in need: a leper (Mark 1:40- 41), a widow by the coffin of her only son (Luke 7:13), and two blind men (Matt. 20:34). He also felt compassion when he saw crowds starving for bread (Mark 8:2). His compassion was stirred by physical and spiritual needs. His heart broke when he saw people who were distressed and downcast, like sheep without a shepherd (Matt. 9:36).

Once, when I was living in the Philippines, one of my great mentors -- Phil Armstrong -- and I were watching small children scavenging for food on mountains of smoking garbage outside of Manila. The nauseating stench turned my stomach. When a little boy struggled to turn over a rotting dog to find something under it, Phil’s body convulsed with sobs. “O God! O God! Please, God, save these children!” Whenever I read of Jesus’ compassion for the crowds of starving people, I hear Phil’s heart-rending cry. His compassion ignited and fueled the mission movement he led, just as Jesus’ fueled his mission.

Jesus’ empathy flowed out from his intimacy with the Father. It was after a time of withdrawal to a lonely place by himself for prayer that Jesus saw the leper and felt compassion (Mark 1:35-42). It was when he was in a lonely place by himself that crowds of people came to him and he felt compassion for them (Matt. 14:13-14).

In times alone with God, Jesus gained emotional receptivity and energy. Out of these times, his vision was clear, his words were empowered, and his touch cured. He created bread, restored sight to the blind, cleansed a leper, and raised a widow’s dead son. His compassion was translated from feelings to actions. His empathy was the effective power behind them.

ANGER

Compassion moved Jesus not only to heal, but also to ANGER. In a dramatic scene, Mark portrays Jesus “looking around with anger” at religious leaders (3:5). They were concerned only to see if Jesus would break their rules by healing a man on the Sabbath. When Jesus did, they immediately plotted to kill him. But though Jesus was angry with these religious rulers, he was also “grieved by their hardness of heart.” While the cruelty of their callousness deserved his anger, the condition of their stony hearts caused him grief.

Aristotle saw clearly that “anyone can become angry -- that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way -- that is not easy.” That is the challenge before us.

I look back with regret at most of my angry outbursts. But I do not regret an incident at the neighborhood pool when I was ten years old. Some teenagers were tormenting my brother Kenny, who had Down syndrome. I went ballistic -- screaming, scratching, gouging, biting. When the lifeguard pulled me off them, he told me to say I was sorry. I refused to apologize for defending my powerless brother against the “powerful” bullies. But only now is my anger mixed with grief over those who were so stunted emotionally that they were insensitive to the needs of precious people like my brother.

Jesus felt “indignant” (Mark 10:14) when his disciples did not allow mothers to bring their children to him for his blessing. The disciples’ self- importance irritated Jesus. Jesus slapped them with stinging rebukes: “Let the children come to me; stop preventing them.” Jesus then hugged the children, blessed them, and laid his hands on them (10:16). Jesus’ feeling of annoyance with the disciples quickly gave way to an outpouring of warm affection for the children.

In another instance, crass commercialism in the temple inflamed the zealous anger of Jesus and moved him to a violent action. The words of the prophet were like fire in his bones: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17, quoting Isa. 56:7). ...Though the terrified merchants running from the crack of his whip saw only the destruction of business as usual, Jesus’ anger was motivated by “zeal for your house” (John 2:17, quoting Ps. 69:9).

Recently in our town there was a discussion about building a shelter for hundreds of homeless women and children. A friend of mine said that selfish pursuits were blinding people to this desperate need. She was upset, as Jesus was, that needy people were not being given the opportunity to find and worship God. ... In both cases the origin of anger was meeting the needs of others, and the aim of anger was constructive.

Our anger is often sparked by a threat to our own self-interests and usually results in bitter hostility. We need to heed Paul’s warning: “Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Eph. 4:26-27). The temple-cleansing story is too often used to justify incivility and unforgiving animosity.Paul knew of our propensity to legitimize our self-centeredness, and so his words on anger are full of warning. Anger is fire. When it burns destructively, it harms and destroys life. But the anger of Jesus kindles a flame within us that warms and restores life.

GRIEF

Take a moment and reread the story we call Jesus’ “triumphal entry” (Luke 19:41-44). In Roman tradition, a triumphal procession showcased a victorious general riding in a gold-covered chariot pulled by white chargers. His army marched in resplendent array behind him. Wagons loaded with spoils and slaves attested to his power.

But Jesus rode on the colt of a donkey. A motley parade of peasants and children cheered him on his way as their long-awaited king. And the emotion that best describes Jesus’ state as he rode was GRIEF.

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem as he rode down the Mount of Olives into the city. His words describing the impending catastrophe were hyphenated by sobs. He wept, he wailed with grief over the coming desolation of Jerusalem.

Jesus also wept at the tomb of Lazarus. Witnesses said, “See how he loved him” (John 11:36). When Jesus saw Mary weeping, “he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved” (11:33). When he stepped near to the tomb of his friend, “again he was greatly DISTURBED” (11:38). When the word “disturbed” was used for animal sounds, it denoted the loud, angry snorting of horses. When used for human emotions, it emphasized the mixture of anguish and rage. Jesus wept. His groans welled up from the depths of his spirit, racked his body, shook the tombs, and echoed back from them. He raged against death, that terrible enemy that had attacked this, and every, family. ...

Likewise, Jesus was “troubled in spirit” when he told his disciples that one of them would betray him (John 13:21). He grieved over this betrayal by his friend Judas. Jesus had lavishly given his love to Judas. He called Judas to be one of the inner circle with the Twelve, to be close to him, and to participate in his work. He gave Judas the moneybag. He washed his feet. He gave Judas the place of honor next to him at the table. He gave him the dipped bread, a sign of love. All the time he knew that Judas would betray him. But still Jesus did not withdraw to protect himself. He gave himself to Judas without measure, and so he set himself up to suffer the pain of betrayal. When Judas led the temple troops to arrest Jesus in the garden, Jesus called him “friend.”

The Gospels portray Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane as one who is crushed by a heavy load of grief. He did not shrink from disclosing his deepest and darkest emotions to his disciples: “I am deeply grieved, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). He begged them to stay awake and keep him company, but they “slept because of sorrow.” His emotions were too heavy for them to bear. They escaped into sleep, leaving Jesus alone. “Terror-stricken and in terrible anguish” (Mark 14:33), Jesus agonized over the awful choice to endure or to escape the cross. As he wrestled in prayer, he was drenched in his own sweat “which ran like blood to the ground” (Luke 22:44).

Jesus’ familiarity with grief should give us pause. Too often we hear Americanized versions of the gospel that offer quick fixes, easy solutions, and suffering-free discipleship. We need the reminder that the man who knew God most intimately and fulfilled his will most completely was described by Isaiah as a “suffering servant”: “Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrows” (53:4).

JOY

While Jesus was a “Man of Sorrows,” Luke also paints a scene where Jesus “rejoiced very greatly in the Spirit” (Luke 10:21) - which implies more than cracking a wry smile. The occasion for this outburst was the return of the 70 from their successful mission. They had been given spiritual authority over all the powers of the enemy and, like a crack swat team, had liberated hostages. There was good reason to celebrate.

But Jesus cautions them, “Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (10:20). No matter how much power they exercised in their ministry, the ultimate source of their joy was to be rooted in their heavenly community: their names were written in heaven. Ministry is temporary. Life in the divine community is permanent. Then Jesus joyfully thanked the Father for opening the hearts of the disciples to see this and to enter into the fellowship of the Father and the Son (10:21-24). ...

On the eve of his execution, Jesus told his disciples that all he had revealed to them was so that “my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11; 17:13). They should abide in his love as he always abides in the love of the Father (15:10), and they should be one as he and the Father are one (17:11). Here again joy is the mark of life within divine love relationships.

Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, was also the Man of Joy. He obeyed the will of the Father and endured the cross by focusing on the joy set before him-the joy of unshakable love relationships in the heavenly Jerusalem (Heb. 12:2, 22).

LOVE

Love permeated, guided, and empowered the spectrum of Jesus’ emotions. He felt compassion, was angry, grieved, and rejoiced because he LOVED. Love is an unshakable commitment of the will. Love transcends feelings and keeps on going when feelings falter or vanish. But love also involves and expresses emotions.

Jesus loved with strong desire. He told his friends, “I have desired with great desire to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The combination of the verb “desire” and the noun “desire” doubles the intensity in Jesus’ expression of his deep longing to be with his friends.

When a wealthy young man ran up to Jesus, knelt before him, and asked how he could inherit eternal life, “Jesus looked at him and loved him” (Mark 10:21). As soon as he saw him, affection welled up in his heart for him, just as sometimes when you meet someone, you get a strong feeling that this person could be your best friend.

Much is made about the difference between friendship (PHILIA) love and divine (AGAPE) love, but this is overdone. The words are used interchangeably for Jesus’ love. For example, the sisters of Lazarus sent a message to Jesus to tell him, “the one you love (PHILEO) is sick” (JOHN 11:3). Then the gospel writer tells us, “Jesus loved (AGAPAO) Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.” The point is that Jesus loved in many different ways. All the words for love in every language of the world together are still insufficient to describe the love of Jesus.

His love led him to suffer and die. Jesus pointed to his sacrificial death as the ultimate measure of his love. “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). He asks his friends to live up to that standard of love. “This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.... You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12, 14). To live by that standard of love requires much more than emotions. It calls for total commitment to give up your life for someone else and to trust in the power of God to keep that commitment. But loving as Jesus loves also includes emotions -- intense, diverse, deep emotions. His kind of love will arouse emotions of compassion, anger, grief, and joy.

Sometimes we want insurance against the heartbreaks of love. The way of Stoic “apathy” seems safer than the emotional traumas that inevitably accompany the way of loving as Jesus loved. But hardening ourselves against the pains of love kills the capacity to love. As C. S. Lewis warns us in THE FOUR LOVES: “To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.”

I am spellbound by the intensity of Jesus’ emotions: not a twinge of pity, but heartbroken compassion; not a passing irritation, but terrifying anger; not a silent tear, but groans of anguish; not a weak smile, but ecstatic celebration. Jesus’ emotions are like a mountain river, cascading with clear water. My emotions are more like a muddy foam or feeble trickle. Jesus invites us to come to him and drink. Whoever is thirsty and believes in him will have the river of his life flowing out from the innermost being (John 7:37-38). We are not to be merely spellbound by what we see in the emotional Jesus; we are to be unbound by his Spirit so that his life becomes our life, his emotions our emotions, to be “transformed into his likeness with ever- increasing glory.”

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G. Walter Hansen is Associate Professor of New Testament and Director Of The Global Research Institute at Fuller Theological Seminary and the author of GALATIANS, part of the IVP New Testament Commentary Series.

Copyright(c) 1997 By Christianity Today, Inc/Christianity Today Magazine. February 3, 1997 Vol. 41, No. 2, Page 42 *