Insights From Matthew – When Jesus Gets Angry

Angry Jesus

Here’s a good test of your gospel knowledge – when does Jesus get angry? One of the obvious times of Jesus getting angry is when the money changers have turned His Father’s House of Prayer into a market place and the zeal of God consumes him to whip them out of the temple. You may even recall when Jesus has some dialogue with the religious rulers he’ll sometimes use language that denotes that He is not amenable or being compliant with the religious status quo. For example referring to them as whitewashed sepulchres is not something you say as a compliment in the calmest of tones.

When I read Matthew 11, however, I came across another episode where Jesus wasn’t the sweet, loving, meek and mild Jesus that we prefer to remember. Now if I said Matthew 11, I’d like to think that like me you’d go straight to the end and read the wonderful invitation for those who are weary to find rest for their souls in Him. That’s such a reassuring piece of scripture to read. Yet we’d be missing something crucial if we didn’t read the things He was saying that lead to this.

In verses 1-6 Jesus has to give a wake up call to his cousin John the Baptist who has asked his disciples to get word whether indeed Jesus is the one. Be clear, in as much as Jesus isn’t having a hissy fit, He is certainly ensuring that His cousin is put in the picture and shouldn’t lose heart as to who He is.

Building on that Jesus in verses 7-19 makes two extraordinary statements. One hailing his cousin as one of the spiritual heavyweights you’re likely to come across. Then saying that the least in the kingdom would be greater than him. Makes you think, doesn’t it. He’s not finished there, though, because He then goes on to highlight how people are typically sceptical to the truth whether in criticising John for his lifestyle or Jesus for living one that appears very different to his cousin’s.

You Wouldn’t Like Him When He’s Angry

This appears to be the prelude for Jesus to really let rip, though in verses 20-24. Now when I read in verse 20 that Jesus begins to ‘denounce’ folk, this does not sound pretty. In fact the CEV puts it that Jesus was upset with these folk. That suggests to me that a bit like David Banner informs Mr. McGee in the classic television series of The Incredible Hulk these folks won’t like it when the brother is angry.

Who are these people though? Are they the religious folk? Are they the rulers in the place? Not at all. Jesus is upset that cities have heard the joyful sound and seen evidence of the coming kingdom and have chosen to reject the invitation.

Stop and consider that a moment. Read those five verses carefully. This is Jesus we are hearing – not Paul, Peter, John or James – this is the main guy, saying some heavy things about a people group who have not repented. He explicitly states that if foreigners with dubious moral value in history had got what they got then they would have jumped at the chance to repent quicker. As a result of their rejection they would be in a lot of trouble. This is a people group – not just a section of the society – this is a city who had rejected the gospel.

Previously in commissioning His disciples to prepare His speaking gigs, Jesus quite clearly let them know that if there was rejection from people concerning the news they were sharing, they were to knock the dust off their sandals and move on. That doesn’t mean much to 21^st Century, but in the day that was a significant remark of disrespect in response to being disrespected and now in this chapter, Jesus is giving a good example of what that looks like.

In his anger, noting that it is in response to rejection, it is not unfounded rejection. This is a people who are part of the commonwealth of those called the chosen of God. They have the narrative running through them of the impending return of the Messiah. This is a people who are aware of who God is and what He has told them. Yet in spite of all that, they still don’t accept the glaringly obvious in the proclamation and demonstration of the Kingdom come in Christ.

Repentance: Why It’s A Big Deal In Line With What Makes Jesus Angry

Why is that such a big deal for us today? It’s not an excuse to go about haranguing communities that don’t respond to the gospel, especially new ones tthat have little or no true knowledge of this news. It is to give an insight into what our lives should be as believers to the world around us. Our lives should be lived as ones in repentance – turning from where we were headed and now embracing the welcoming arms of the King and His Kingdom. Choosing to reject this, especially having known of it so much will not make Jesus happy at all.

I could go as far as to say that some apparent communities of grace have gone back on their true love and their haughty approach to their religious status implicitly rejects the call to repent and proactively respond to the Kingdom. When we’re more interested in naval gazing than in spreading the good news, we fall in the same category as Capernaum and Chorazin. We hear the message, and reject it.

There is always something to learn from the different emotional responses of Jesus to various situations and it is in the light of His coruscating critique of those who rejected the message of repentance that His call to come to Him is so resonant. This is an invitation to repentance. This is an invitation to turn away from your self-sustaining methods of dealing with issues, and embrace instead His yolk. This is an invitation to find real rest in repentance. This invitation is not responded in isolation and is not a momentary one-off decision. It is a growing embrace of this rest as His character is embedded in us. This is seen in how we engage in the community of grace and how we thus join the mission to show this glorious Kingdom of peace, righteousness and joy to the dying world around us.

The cost of rejecting this invitation could find us at the end of some angry words of the Messiah on His return.

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

dmcd