Shelby Star article: Righteous Anger

Re-titled by the Star: "Examine your motivation for righteous anger" and published Sunday, May 19, 2013.

There’s a lot of talk lately about righteous anger: anger at the Boston bombers, politicians, radicals and enemies of various descriptions. The gospel story about Jesus turning over the tables of the money-changers in the temple is often used to illustrate what motivates righteous anger.

In those days, Jews were obligated to journey to the big city of Jerusalem at the Passover to pay the annual temple tax and offer sacrifice according to the Law. Hundreds of thousands of faithful Jews made this pilgrimage each year and were greeted by thousands of priests, attendants, and soldiers who managed the event.

The Temple had become a huge institutional machine. The law required that only unblemished animals could be offered in sacrifice, and since the rigors of travel would have spoiled their own animals, most pilgrims bought their sacrificial animal at the temple. Money changers were needed to convert Roman and other foreign money into money that could be used to pay the temple tax, money that had no idol or image imprinted on it. All of this took place in the outer precincts of the temple known as the Court of the Gentiles. There was so much “business” going on that any semblance of reverence or solemnity would have been lost to the chatter of people, the cries of animals being sacrificed, and the smell of their blood.

It’s true that the money changers and animal sellers were providing a service in accordance with the customs developed under the authority of the religious leadership. As often happens though, faithful pilgrims were getting ripped off as huge profits from the vendor “fees” benefited the religious leadership and the representatives of the Roman government.

The very reason the people were coming to the temple, to pray and worship God, was lost to the “business” of the institution under the guise of keeping the Law. It’s no wonder Jesus wasn’t happy. Throwing over the tables Jesus demands repentance, demonstrating what motivates righteous anger: interfering with those whom God draws into worship and relationship.

Jesus’ actions also delineate an important change. The old way of approaching God in the temple is over and Jesus ushers in something new, something unprecedented: himself. Jesus is the temple of God, and people may go directly to him; no money changers, no animal sellers. The only requirement for admission to this temple is faith.

This was such a new thing that even the disciples didn’t fully understand it until well after the resurrection. That’s because developing a mature faith takes time, diligence in prayer, and participation in a worshiping community.

When we face trials, our faith and our community carry us through. The disciples couldn’t have imagined that God would redeem the crucifixion by the resurrection, even though Jesus kept telling them that it would happen. But they stayed together, prayed together, and let God lead them in surprising ways that spread the kingdom to those outside of it. Remember Peter’s dream in Acts: “kill and eat” (10:9-15) which led him to testify that “God shows no partiality.”(10:34)

As we live out our faith, it is important to examine what is motivating our righteous anger whenever it arises and let go whatever ideas, habits, and rules we have that interfere with those whom God is drawing into worship and relationship in our time. Who they are might surprise and discomfort us as they did Peter, but our faith assures us that God has it all in hand: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.” (Isa 55:8).