THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

By the Rev Dr Liz Hoare

His disciples remembered that it was written: ‘Zeal for your house will consume me,’ (John 2:17). ‘He’s in his angry phase,’ my friend said knowingly as the toddler’s contorted little face got redder and his screams louder. The implication was, I think, that he would grow out of it. Did this mean we are not supposed to get angry when we grow up? A lot of Christians seem to think so as there is not much anger expressed among us, or if there is it is frowned on and makes others feel extremely uncomfortable.

We do not do anger very well in our churches. But then the world is not very good with anger either. There is plenty of it, but often it gets directed at the wrong people or it is simply destructive and achieves nothing. All the armed conflicts in the world are fuelled by anger but the same is true of neighbourhood feuds, family strife and broken relationships. In most cases, anger causes more pain and resentment than change for the better.

In John 2:13-22 there is a scene where Jesus got very angry indeed. He went into the temple courts and witnessed the selling of sacrificial animals and money changing hands and he was incensed. Tr y to picture the scene. Jesus made a whip out of cords and literally lashed out at all who were involved in these unholy transactions. Tables overturned, doves flew everywhere, cattle, sheep and people were scattered.

For anyone uncomfortable with red hot anger, this was an excruciating scene. I can’t imagine Jesus uttered his condemnatory words quietly either. He was deeply angry because his father’s house was being violated. We can make theological sense of this without really thinking about Jesus’ blazing anger.

John tells us it was the time of the Passover and we already know that Jesus was the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Jesus’ zeal for his father’s house would ultimately lead to his death, and he went on to speak of his resurrection in his exchange with the Jews.

The vivid scene in the temple remains a challenge when we encounter anger in another person or within ourselves.

Christians desperately need to learn what to do with anger. Like all emotions, it is neutral in itself. It is what we do with anger that matters. Immediately after instructing the Ephesians to speak the truth to their neighbours, Paul urged them to ‘be angry but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger,’ (Eph 4:25,26). He does not say ‘Do not be angry’ but ‘be angry but do not sin’.

There are times when it is right to be angry. How can we not be angry at injustice or the fact that every day children die for want of a few pence to purchase basic medicines? If pretending not to be angry with someone when we are seething inside is not the way to deal with our feelings, indifference to things that God hates is also inadequate. The Rev Dr Liz Hoare (nee Culling) is tutor in prayer, spirituality and mission at

Wycliffe Hall