Do not be quick in spirit to be angry. For anger is in the heart of fools. [Ecclesiastes 7:9 (NLV)]
He who is slow to anger is better than the powerful. And he who rules his spirit is better than he who takes a city. [Proverbs 16:32 (NLV)]
In Jesus’ day, the Jews made animal sacrifices at the temple to satisfy Biblical requirements. Since those who traveled long distances to Jerusalem found it inconvenient to bring their own livestock, merchants sold animals at the temple. Additionally, every Jewish man had to pay an annual temple tax. No coin bearing the image of Caesar, a foreign prince, or an idol could be used, so money changers worked in the temple exchanging half shekels for any foreign coins. It’s easy to see how the outer court of the temple became both a marketplace and bank.
Unfortunately, what seemed a good idea turned into exploitation and corruption. The priests were renting out temple stalls for this bazaar. In order to pay that rent, merchants sold the animals at inflated prices and excessive fees were charged by the money changers. Moreover, the priests and Levites were reselling the animals offered as sacrifice back to the merchants. Instead of being sacrificed, the same animals were being sold and purchased over and over again. Think about the noise all those people made while conducting business and haggling over prices. Add to that the racket of bellowing cattle, bleating sheep, and cooing doves. Then consider the odor from all those animals and their droppings. Picture that sort of commotion in the narthex or on the front steps of your church. How could anybody worship in such a corrupt and chaotic environment? No wonder Jesus was angry at the way His Father’s house was being misused.
John recounts an interesting detail in his narrative of Jesus’ first cleansing of the temple. After seeing the temple’s marketplace, Jesus made a whip from ropes. With all the sheep and cattle around, it wouldn’t have been difficult to find ropes but braiding a whip would have taken some time. Knowing our Lord’s tendency to pray, I suspect Jesus prayed as he fashioned that whip. In those few minutes of prayer, He took his anger and turned it into a plan. He must have planned well because, as intense as his actions were, we don’t read of injuries, rioting, arrests or Roman soldiers arriving to quell the disturbance. While many of us would have gone off half-cocked and made a mess of things, Jesus took the time to prayerfully plan his action.
The Old Testament is filled with instances of God’s anger and we know Jesus got angry. If God can get angry, why can’t we? We can, if our anger is a righteous indignation. Anger itself isn’t the sin; it’s what we do with it that can make it a sin. The Bible tells us that God is slow to anger and we should be, too. Jesus took the time to braid a whip; let us take a lesson from our Lord to wait before expressing our righteous indignation or acting out of anger. We must never be led by anger but rather by God’s word and prayerful thought.
I often find myself lost in the Bible, fascinated by this amazing book of history, poetry, passion, and wisdom. Comparing translations and reading commentaries helps me understand the context and meaning of verses. Knowing something about the specific church to whom Paul was writing, for example, allows me to better understand his directions, many of which seem peculiar in today’s world where churches don’t argue about circumcision and food isn’t offered to idols. For example, Paul wasn’t playing fashion police when giving instructions about hair length and head coverings to the church in Corinth. Although Greek women worshipped without head coverings, Jewish women had always covered their heads in worship—an uncovered head for them was a sign of loose morals. Moreover, in Corinth (the city with Aphrodite’s temple and its 1000 prostitutes) both long hair on men and short hair on women were signs of prostitution. Paul was trying to unify both Jewish and Gentile believers and prevent anyone’s appearance from interfering with their ability to be a witness for Christ. Bible study also makes old familiar verses take on deeper meaning. David’s sorrowful words of repentance in Psalm 51 are even more poignant when we know they refer to his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. Bible study, however, is far more than an intellectual exercise; it enables us to know God as He revealed himself in Scripture and then to weave His word into our daily lives.
I have a small wooden box on my desk—my “God box.” It’s where I literally give my concerns to God; right now there are three items in it. The first is a photograph of a little girl. It is my grand, a sweet child with three congenital heart defects—none of which is going to disappear and all of which promise more trouble in the future. She also has learning issues—none of which will dissipate and all of which will cause more difficulty as she progresses into higher grades. The second item is a medallion from a sobriety program. It represents several people I love who have battled alcoholism or addiction—a battle they will continue to fight daily for the rest of their lives. The third item is a laminated card on which is written Reinhold Niebuhr’s Serenity Prayer. That one is for me.
Second Chronicles tells of Uzziah, a man who became king of Judah at the age of sixteen and reigned for fifty-two years. A successful and renowned warrior, he defeated both Philistines and Arabs and expanded Judah’s borders. Uzziah was also a great builder; during his reign, cisterns were dug, towers fortified, forts built in the wilderness, and catapult-like machines that could sling stones and arrows were built on Jerusalem’s walls. With God’s help and guidance, Uzziah became famous and powerful.
“Compromise” and “cooperation” are words we hear all too rarely when it comes to our government. Illinois, with a $206 billion debt, has been operating without a budget for nearly a year because Republicans, Democrats and the governor can’t come to an agreement. Although Illinois managed to continue most operations this past year, the state’s poorest and neediest residents suffered the most. If an agreement isn’t reached by July 1, there will be additional shutdowns, more programs cut, schools will lose funding and all road projects will stop. Unfortunately, the winning of political arguments has become more important than serving the people.
