Anger

Anger – Jonah 4:1-9

Please stand for the reading of God’s Word.

But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.” But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?” Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah’s head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

This is the word of the Lord.

You may be seated.

Do you ever read something in the Bible and be like…how is this in the Bible? What was going on in your mind as we were reading that text? Because for me, I cannot hear the story of Jonah without flashbacks of VeggieTales going through my mind. Anybody else? No one else pictures a piece of asparagus wearing ancient Middle Eastern clothing, mixed with theatrical songs and humor? Alright.

Jonah does that to me every time I read it. What a crazy and interesting story. And so short at that, right? I hope you have your Bible. Look at this. This is a story most of us know or at least have heard, and it’s only 4 whole chapters.

Let me summarize it for you, okay.

Chapter one 1: God calls Jonah to preach to the Ninevites, who are known for their violence. (Not just veggie tales slapping each other with fish) But Thanos killing half of all of living thing kind of violence. Ad lib: Jonah says nawh and hops on a boat, but a storm comes, and they throw him overboard. The sea calms, and Jonah is swallowed by a big fish. Ad lib

Chapter 2 – Fearing his own death, Jonah repents to God and thanks him for saving him, and says he will go and preach.

Chapter 3 –So he does, and the whole city repents and becomes followers of God. Even the king and the animals. Fasting and wearing sackcloth ad lib

And yet. Like we read and , Jonah, whose name literally means dove, (which in the bible often represents peace and sacrifice) gets angry. And not just a little annoyed or flustered angry, but I would literally rather die than be in this situation anymore. He says in chapter 4:2, “Isn’t this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. 3 Now, Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

And the Lord, I am assuming, says to him in a kind but concerned tone, “Is it right for you to be angry?” And Jonah replies like Luca does when I tell him that he can’t have ice cream for dinner. He goes and pouts and waits to see what I will do.

Jonah goes to the top of this hill on the day when God was supposed to let the city crumble under all its violence, and sets up camp. But it’s, ya know, the desert, so God sends in a leafy plant to offer shade for Jonah. But the next day he sends a worm to eat the plant. That day, God made it incredibly hot, and Jonah started feeling sick from something like a heat stroke.

Look, I am dramatic. Let’s get that straight. Ask Aub; it’s the truth. Just ask her about what it’s been like to live with me while I have been having foot problems. But idk if I have gotten to this point. Jonah says, in verses 8-11, “It would be better for me to die than to live.” But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?” “It is,” he said. “And I’m so angry I wish I were dead.” But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?”

Jonah, with burning anger, says this is a disaster that these people are allowed to live, and you have forgiven them; I would rather die than this be the reality in which I live.

And you know what? Maybe his anger seems a little justified. Maybe it might seem right to him that these awful people should not be forgiven. Maybe it might even seem right to you. Maybe someone or something in your life makes you angry. That you feel like deserves justice. Maybe someone did something to you that you couldn’t control. Or maybe you know people who are doing things to other people, and you can’t imagine God would forgive them. Maybe Jonah isn’t as crazy as he looks, an asparagus dressed in a turban. Maybe just maybe, his anger is justified.

But God comes in and shows him, through a plant and a worm, that this is not how the kingdom of God works. This is not the way of the kingdom. Not the way of Jesus that we are called to follow. Jonah was angry, but for all the wrong reasons.

Anyone else excited for Avengers: Doomsday? I think one of the most interesting characters is the Hulk. What a master mind, incredibly intelligent human being, who then turns into a raging, everything-destroying machine. Can anyone tell me his famous tagline?

Has anyone in this room seen me angry? I mean, like really angry? Maybe I have turned on my dad voice, but I don’t think many of you have actually seen me with a flipped lid. Maybe our mission trip to Colorado…. but it TAKES a lot to get me angry. I would describe myself as patient; Aubrey would say I am a pushover. Especially with my boys. But what is interesting is that the few times I have actually gotten mad like yelling, destroying everything, angry- it's scary. Luca legit cried one time because I think he was legit terrified.

Because in those moments, all kindness has gone out the window. My anger becomes like a plow on a snow truck, moving everything out of the way, not caring who or what gets hurt in the process. You feel me? You ever been there? With your parents? Your sibling? Your friend? You say things you know you shouldn’t, do things you know you will regret? And then you look back after you have calmed down, wonder how it got to that point, and feel a bit embarrassed? Just last night, Aubrey went to go hang out with a friend. So it was a dad putdown night. Things were going good. Judah went to sleep in minutes, and Luca was almost passed out, but then Judah woke up, and everything went to poop. I was visibly frustrated, and my three year old looks at me and says with all sincerity “Dad I am sorry that I can’t go to sleep.” Gosh.

And here I am, a grown man, angry becuase he wants his boys to sleep so he can catch up on a tv show and relax.

But here is what might be kind of confusing. He is what might thought you off. God gets angry. Like really angry. Like, Jesus is going to come back and destroy satan and everything bad and make everything new again kinda angry….How does that make sense?

What you need to understand that anger itself is not bad. You need to understand that being angry is okay.

In fact, it is a God-given emotion. But there is a difference between how he gets angry and how we often do.

James 1:19-20 says this: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

Did you catch that? Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. This text implies a few things. One that God gets angry. 2 that we get angry and often its not the right kind of angry.

Which means that there are two kinds of anger.

1. Righteous anger.

2. Unrighteous anger.

Righteousness in Greek is (dikaiosynē), which means just, according to God’s law, made right.

            So how can something be just, according to God’s law, but also angry?

If you are anything like me, it is hard to picture God as angry. That is not how I picture Jesus. Or the Father, who sent his Son to die on the cross for us. The all-forgiving, unconditional love, God…right? Isn’t he all about love and peace? Turning the other cheek, right?

Pastor and Author Tim Keller once said: “If you have a god who never gets angry, you can’t have a god of love, because if you never get angry about anything, then you don’t love anything. If you love and see the thing you love threatened, you're angry. If you are indifferent, you are not in love.”

Let me explain it this way. Hopefully it’s decades before most of you have children, but have you ever heard a new parent say, “I saw his/her face for the first time, and it changed everything.” Well its not just a cliché. I literally delivered Luca, and when I saw his face for the first time, something in me clicked. I looked at him, with tears in my eyes, and said, “Hey, Bubba,” and no joke, I thought to myself, “I would die for this kid. I will do whatever it takes to protect and love him.”

God’s anger is similar to that, but so much better. Because God’s anger is informed by truth and love. It is anchored in his goodness. God is equally loving, just, and powerful.

            God gets angry when we sin, not because he is mad at us, but because he loves us. He wants what is better for us. He loves us so much that he doesn’t want us to walk the path of death. You hear me?

            God is angry at Satan and his demons because he is hurting us and his creation. And God’s righteousness leads to an action of love.

Let me say it this way.

            Righteous anger leads to an action of Love.

Look at the life of Jesus. Do you remember that time in Mark 3 when he heals the man with the withered hand? It says, “He looked around at them (the Pharisees who were telling him he shouldn’t heal someone on the sabbath.) in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.” And then he heals him.

Or when the disciples start yelling at the little kids in Mark 10. It says When Jesus saw this, he was indignant….And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them, and blessed them.”

You see what I mean? Each time, Jesus’s anger leads not to revenge or hurting someone, but the exact opposite. He healed a man’s hand and blessed the little children out of righteous anger.

But what about Jesus flipping tables? Remember, in Mark 11? Remember? He goes to the temple and flips tables because people are selling doves and animals to sacrifice? He was mad because the temple was meant to be a house of prayer, not a place for people to sell things to offer to God as sacrifices.

            Do you see and understand the motivation here? Jesus is not flipping tables to flip tables. He isn’t doing it out of rage or vengeance. He does it because he loves the Father and he loves the people, but they have decimated the temple, turning it into a place to buy and sell things and oppress the poor people into not being able to offer sacrifices for their sins.  

Jesus’ anger was never impulsive. It wasn’t a gut reaction that happened without thought. His anger was never selfish; it always came from love. God’s anger, is always out of love.

            Yet, we look at Jonah and see that the kind of anger Jonah held was not out of love, but out of hate. He was so angry that he wanted to die, not because God had taken away the lives of this city, but because he was gracious enough to save them. He was mad at God’s goodness, even though he himself had been forgiven by God multiple times, including, but not limited to, God saving him from drowning in the ocean by sending a big fish to swallow him whole! Jonah has no problem accepting God’s mercy for himself but does have an issue with God forgiving the Ninevites.

God says, “Is it right to be angry about this?”

“Is it right to be angry about this plant?”

God is questioning his motivation. He is testing his heart.

Unrighteous anger blinds us to what really matters.

Unrighteous anger, in the words of the church father John Cassian, “Blinds the soul’s eyes.” It is a poison that affects the whole body. It clouds the mind and removes all rational thinking. You become blinded by your anger, and people get hurt in the process. Anger impacts relationships; it burns bridges with people and institutions, and at worst, can keep you from walking in God’s calling for your life.

            Paul says in Ephesians 4:26-27: “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

He isn’t saying, “Don’t get angry.” But what he is saying is, " Don’t let your anger lead to sin.”

“Don’t let it lead to hurting people. Don’t let it lead to hurting yourself. Ask yourself, where is this coming from and where will it lead?”

Theologian Will Willimon once said, “Our anger is a natural and necessary response in the face of injustice. It is an acknowledgment that this is not the world that God intended.”

It's okay to be mad at injustice. It's okay to be mad at the number of sex trafficking rings that exist. It's okay to be mad that some people are treated differently because of the color of their skin. It's okay to be mad at death, sin, and disease. But it's what you do with that anger that matters.

For so many, anger isn't actually the issue. It’s a symptom of something deeper. The way we express anger is often not righteous, because the real issue is that something is inside us, and we use anger to mask it.

Maybe you are angry with your sister because she gets more attention from your mom, and you feel unseen.

Maybe you are angry with your friend group and started dividing it through gossip because you felt like you weren’t enough to be accepted.

Maybe you are angry because you feel like people don’t take you seriously, so you overextend yourself.

Maybe you feel angry because God has forgiven someone you don’t feel like should be forgiven.

More often than not, anger is an easy, surface-level emotion that hides a deeper reality: a lie within you.

Are you catching the problem with Jonah? He is angry, but its out of a lack of love. Maybe he thinks he is better than the niniveites. Maybe he is angry because he didn’t think they deserved grace and mercy. Maybe Jonah is angry because he feels as if they were to far gone to receive mercy. Yet God showed them just as much, if not more, mercy.

And the world has taught us that anger is the answer. Violence is the way to get what you want. Survival of the fittest. But that’s not how the kingdom of God works. What might seem right side up to the rest of the world is actually upside down.

Remember our home boy with the coolest name ever? Evagrius Ponitcus? Well, in that book we talked about, ya know, Talking Back: A Monastic Handbook for Combating Demons, he lays out 8 deadly thoughts that we as humans tend to fall into. And over 1600 years, this list- I will be it- was not directly taken from scripture but inferred, has been passed down, and accepted for generations. This tradition of understanding lies that lead us to death is steeped in rich historic Christianity. A group of people who have seen these pitfalls of man and want to keep warning us about them. Eventually, these 8 deadly thoughts came to be known as the “7 deadly sins”. Because they are the starting points for sin. This is diagnostic. These are symptoms.

So much of Ponticus's work came from seeing those around him. Because he saw that the Christians around him were claiming to live in God’s kingdom but actually were living like servants of Satan’s kingdom. And I believe we have done much of the same. We have lived life in Satan’s kingdom, and thought that his way of life seemed normal. Our society has taught us that if you don’t like something, then blow it up, or use whatever means necessary to reach your goal.  It’s become our gut reaction. We look around, and we see everyone else doing it. It seems right side up. But actually, it leads to death.

But the kingdom of God even comes in and flips everything on its head. The upside-down kingdom of God is what is natural and life-giving. The upside-down kingdom of God, the way of Jesus, although narrow and seemingly foolish, is the exact way to find life to the full.

That's why, each week for the rest of the semester, we will talk about one of the 7 deadly sins. Anger, Sloth, Pride, lust, gluttony, greed, and envy. Each week, we will talk about the upside-down way to combat these thoughts, demons, and sins. My hope is that you will walk away knowing how to combat these practically, and walk closer to God because of it. I want to wage war alongside you, walking in the way of Christ.

So how do we combat the sin of anger in our lives? How do we move from unrighteous anger to acting in righteous anger?

1. What you need to do is ask yourself, “What is actually causing you to be angry, and where is it leading you?”

Are you angry because of injustice? Because this isn’t how God intended the world to be? Or are you using anger to justify something that shouldn't be justified? Are you using it to hide a deeper emotion of fear, or guilt, or shame? Are you angry because you don’t feel like enough? Are you angry because you feel like you have to prove yourself? Are you angry because you don’t feel like someone else should deserve that, and you should?

2. If you catch yourself about to blow up, I know this sounds crazy and kind of silly, but I want you to try something really simple. But hard to do in the moment. I want you to breathe. When we get angry, our adrenaline starts pumping, our blood pressure goes up, and we start breathing really quickly. Which means, that the part of your brain that is rational and kind, receives less oxygen. You know, you’re using less of your brain when you are angry.

For thousands of years, people have used the spiritual practice of a breathing prayer.

You slow down, and you can say under your breath a pretty famous prayer called the Jesus Prayer: “Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Or you can even create your own. “God, you are good. Give me what I need.” “Jesus Christ, Son of God, give me patience.

Try it.

3. And this might sound crazy, but touch the person you are mad at. Obviously, this depends on the situation. This isn’t approrpate in all situations. But when its with your mom, or your friends, or your siblings, I want you to try this. Because when we are angry, we become selfish and forget that the person we are mad at is a human being loved by God. Someone told Aubrey and me this when we first got married. If you are in the middle of a fight, grab the other person’s hand and see what happens. Its really hard to be angry at someone when you are giving them a hug or holding hands.

4. Remember that God has forgiven you. Remember all the times that you have messed up and that God has forgiven you. How awful some of the things you have done. Think back to Jonah. Here is a man, who literally tries to run away from God and disobey him. Throws himself overboard, and God saves his life through a big fish. And yet, even then he doesn’t understand why God would save all these people. He has been given mercy, but doesn’t want it for others.

And hear me when I say this. Like Nate said a few weeks ago. There is a difference between forgiveness and reconciliation. There are times and certain situations where it is not safe for you to reconcile with someone, say an abuser, or someone who constantly hurts you. But that doesn’t mean we can’t forgive, and that they are too far gone for God to forgive them. But by reminding ourselves of the grace of God in our own lives, maybe we wont end up like Jonah cussing out a plant.

I know this will be hard. I know this wont be easy. But I think we can do it. I believe in us, because we have the Holy Spirit inside us and he can guide us. We are called to be ambassadors of his kingdom. An embassy is a place where ambassadors of a country, or in our case a kingdom, meet, and then are sent out it into the opposing kingdom, and represent the way that seems upside down to the rest of the world.

I believe in this youth group. We can be angry about the right things and be slow to anger in all other things. To act out of love, not out of hate. Is it right for you to be angry? Or are you just yelling at a plant?