Murder and Anger
When I was in school, one of the phrases often heard, particularly from girls, was “You’re so immature…” It was, of course, intended to be cutting and dismissive. This made boys want to prove their maturity, which was typically done with some even more immature gesture. We all want to be thought of as mature and wise — as adults.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he called them babies. “I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food.” (1 Corinthians 3:2, click here for the full passage.) I think he was referring to the kind of saying we get from Jesus in Sunday’s Gospel lesson. Jesus said, essentially, “You thought it was enough just to not murder people, but even if you are just angry, you are liable to judgement.” (Click here to ready the passage.)
That’s a tough lesson! Who can really never be angry? Does that leave us all condemned? What does this mean we are to do? It is pretty straightforward to simply avoid murder. But how do I deal in a Godly way with anger?
Next we run into a similar problem with lust. Jesus reminds us that it is not enough just to avoid aldutery, but we must avoid even lust.
Think of training a child. We start with “Don’t touch anything on the stove!” or “Don’t cross the street without holding a grownup’s hand!” As time goes on, those simple rules are replaced by more nuanced responses and we eventually learn how to cross the street and how to handle pots on the stove.
As Jesus demonstrated in the clearing of the Temple (John 2 and elsewhere, click here), there can be an appropriate place for anger. Lust can be appropriate and healthy in marriage. Time and experience teach us how to make these judgements – how to be mature in these things. (Well, some never seem to learn, but that is another topic for another column!)
The goal for us is to submit the complexities and struggles of life to God, to ask Him to teach and guide us, to seek out the principles of Scripture, and to surround ourselves with Christian community to hold us accountable.
Where might you need to do a bit more “growing up” when it comes to dealing with anger, lust and other besetting emotions?
This column appeared in the February 12, 2023 edition of St. John’s eNews. Click here for the complete issue.
If you are reading this at a different time, you may click here for the current eNews.
