Is God Angry?

 

Third Sunday of Lent

Year B

Exodus 20:1-17; Psalm 19:8-11; 1 Corinthians 1:22-25; John 2:13-25

Zeal for your house will consume me.
John 2:17

The story of Jesus cleansing the Temple is both fascinating and puzzling.  It seems so out of line with virtually everything else we read about Jesus in the Gospels.  This is the same Jesus who taught us the ways of non-violence and non-resistance; “Turn the other cheek… go the extra mile… love your enemies… be merciful as your Father in heaven is merciful.”  Yet, there can be no question that this incident also factors into the life and teaching of Jesus.  What are we to make of it?

Let’s take a look at the story.  It is recorded in all four Gospels.  That is significant and alone is a reason for further investigation.  In the other three Gospels this story takes place during Holy Week.  John places it at the very beginning of his Gospel.  Theologians are divided as to the reason for this.  Were there actually two cleansings of the Temple?  That seems highly unlikely.  Perhaps John has placed the story here for theological purposes even though it likely took place during Holy Week.  That seems more plausible to me.  I propose that the story is a way of pointing to what Jesus would accomplish at the cross, but John chooses to place it at the outset of the Gospel to demonstrate what Jesus will do throughout His life and ministry.

As we look at the story itself, Jesus enters Jerusalem.  We know from St. Luke’s account that Jesus was in the habit of coming here yearly with his family.  When He was 12 we have the famous story of Him being in the Temple and conversing with the religious leaders.  Mark adds a bit of perspective to the story.  He notes that when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday He went into the Temple and looked around.  Then He left [Mk. 11:11].  This proposes the idea that Jesus was not merely having an emotional tirade, but rather that it was calculated and intentional.

There’s another very interesting aspect to this story.  In our Gospel today we hear toward the end of the passage, “While he was in Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, many began to believe in his name when they saw the signs he was doing.”  Matthew’s account says something similar. Immediately after the cleansing event, we read there, “And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them,” [Mt. 21:14].  So both John and Matthew corroborate the idea of miracles and healing following the cleansing of the Temple.  Luke offers a slightly different perspective when he notes, “And he was teaching daily in the temple,” [Lu. 19:47].  Taken together, it appears that after the cleansing of the Temple, Jesus immediately began to teach, to heal, and to perform miracles.    

What should we make of it all?

First, let’s deal with this idea of an angry God.  Is it some obscure aspect that has been historically and traditionally misunderstood?  Many moderns would say yes.  But that dismisses a lot of information given to us about God. 

Is God angry?  St. Paul, writing to the Romans, says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth.”  We see this illustrated in numerous places in the Old Testament where God judges individuals and nations- even Israel- when they remain steadfast in their sins and refuse to repent.  We see it illustrated in our Lord in this passage today.  And we have numerous New Testament references to the Day of Judgment in which those who remain impenitent will be sentenced to eternal punishment.

On the flip side, it is worth noting that “his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime,” [Ps. 30:5] and “His mercy endures forever,” [Ps. 118:1].  How are we to reconcile these ideas?

First, let’s do away with the simplistic notion of choosing one over the other.  We must deal with the fact that both of these aspects are part of who God is.  Second, let’s understand that it is the love and mercy of God which are more prominent and usual.  If we humbly seek Him, even in spite of our many failings, He is ever waiting to forgive and restore us in love.  However, let us also reckon on the sobering truth that wrath is part of that equation and it is a part that we do well to consider.  If there’s no place in your theology for a God of wrath then you are worshiping a false god.

Why is Jesus angry in the story?  Because sin and hypocrisy have invaded the house of God to such an extent that everyone considers it to be normal.  It is His zeal for the house of God that purges it of what defiles and restores it to its intended purpose- to be a place for the truth and the power of God.  So then, what is meant by the house of God?  I propose three applications.

First, we are the house of God.  We are the Temple.  When sin and hypocrisy become normative in our lives God is angry.  He is not necessarily angry with us, but rather He is angry that we have become defiled and His intention for our lives is marred.  Remember, God hates sin in his children for the same reason that parents hate cancer in their children- because left unchecked it will kill.  So God comes in His wrath to destroy the sin in our lives and restore us to a place where we can hear His voice, learn His truth, and experience His healing and miraculous power.

Second, the Church is the house of God.  Like Israel of old, we are the people of God.  We are held to a higher standard.  God expects us to be a holy people who demonstrate His praise and are the ambassadors of His love.  When sin and hypocrisy become normative here God is angry.  He pours out His wrath in ways meant to purge and purify us so we can be what He intends.  I personally believe this is what lies behind the exposure of the priesthood scandal.  Are we listening?  Are we repenting?  Are we cleansing ourselves of the unrighteous leaven so that Jesus can teach, heal, and show His power on our behalf?

Finally, the house of God is the world.  God made this world, and the people in it, to be holy.  But sin has marred God’s creation.  While beauty persists, there is much that mars the creation.  Sin and hypocrisy have become normative.  We have all accepted it and we live with it.  And worse, we are content to live with it in ourselves.  But God is not.  Only that which is holy will inherit eternal life.  God will rightly judge those who remain impenitent.  His wrath will be revealed in the Day of Judgment.  While many of us find that entire idea abhorrent, the truth is we wouldn’t really have it any other way.  For what if heaven was just like here?  Then who would want to go?  Don’t we want the heaven of our dreams where there is no sin, no sickness, no pain, and no death?  Then sin must be completely purged and that means that those who love their sin more than God cannot go there.

Now, what will we do?  I propose a dangerous suggestion: allow the angry young Jewish Rabbi to come and cleanse your Temple.  It will be painful.  It will literally upset all that you hold dear.  But you are imprisoned.  You are still bound by sin.  And our loving God yearns with great zeal to set us free.  Let Him in.  Let Him turn the place upside down… and then watch as He restores it to right-side up.  Watch as He makes your life a place of truth, power, and the awesome presence of God!