Day 188

DAY 188

THE GOSPEL & ANGER

Job 32 & 33 and Acts 14

An editorial note: yesterday was “Day 186” and today is “Day 188” so what happened to Day 187? Well, I had two “Day 181’s” so we had to correct the numbering. Now onto Job and Acts.

In Job a new character is on the scene, Elihu. Maybe Elihu will be the long sought after source of counsel and comfort that Job has been looking for. Maybe Elihu will be the man to be less about judging God as he exalts himself, and will be more about mercy. Maybe…maybe NOT.

Elihu “burned with anger” at both Job and Job’s three friends. The text says that Elihu was younger in years; he was waiting to hear the wisdom of his elders, and he was getting really upset, wanting to possibly scream at all. Listen to him describe himself, “For I am full of words…behold my belly is like wine that has no vent; like new wineskins ready to burst.” And so Elihu begins; you can read his speech today, and tomorrow, and the next day.

I had a boss who one day said to me, “It must be nice to be an angry young man.” It was a humbling moment for me. Anger never serves anyone well, young or old. I remember that time well. I was full of knowledge and eager to participate, but I can look back on those days now and realize what I did not know.

Anger is something that Paul faces in Acts chapter 14. His model of engaging a city is always the same: go to the synagogue and engage the Jewish leaders and people inviting them to hear and accept the Good News about the Jewish Messiah. If they reject this Good News, then go outside the synagogue and invite the Gentiles. He does it in Iconium and is almost stoned (after a great number believed!). At Lystra after Paul heals a man, people not only want to receive the Good News, they want to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, they were attacked and Paul was in fact stoned, yet survived. He went on to other cities.

Talking about God, about your beliefs, and talking especially about Jesus, often provokes anger today. Someone asked me today if I wear my collar when I travel. I answered that most times I do. They wanted to know how people reacted. The answer is that people react in a number of ways. Some are nice and tell me about their church and priest/pastor. Some have many questions and look to me as a stranger to sort some of it out during a long plane ride. Some are angry. The angry folks are angry at all sorts of things: God, the church, their family…the list goes on. I often find that people who are angry are hurting.

It can be hard to not respond to anger with anger, but look at Job and Paul. Neither are “door mats” for the people who are angry towards them, but neither attacks. Job has gotten a little mouthy, but given what he has faced he has been remarkably restrained. There is no recorded retaliation by Paul of any kind - then of course there is Jesus.

The point of all this is for me to think about how I handle anger: mine and others directed at me. The goal is not to lash out at others, nor be sucked in. The goal is to live as Christ and in the process bring others to God.