From The Pastor’s Heart OP-ED BY DR. ROBERT KENNEDY
Many persons these days are claiming it. They are using it as an excuse for their bigoted anger and rage. When they are challenged for it, they want to make it seem that they are condemning society’s sins, but when one observes more closely, it simply covers their hatred and to hide their deep-seated rage. Although they would like to connect what they are doing to God, it often seems that such is more the expression of their unbridled passion than anything connected to God.
I am talking about “righteous indignation.” For that is how many persons label their behavior these days. They put under the label of righteous indignation their violence, leading to the murders we see even in churches.
Yes, people are filled with indignation at those who are committing child abuse, sex trafficking, abortions, peddling pornography or those who are engaging in other non-traditional sexual behaviors. They are putting them in hell, or as my grandmother used to say, “in hell crosswise.” I am not endorsing any “non-traditional” behaviors or actions costing so many innocent human lives. I am against them as much as I am against any gun-carrying, pot-smoking behaviors that I am seeing around me.
But I also want to speak about my anger towards the way we treat immigrants, the fatherless and the oppressed, those who are being given less pay than they deserve, and so on. It’s also how we respond to the injustices about us, and I am maintaining that the way many of us are responding, we are reflecting the kind of righteousness that Christ called “hypocritical righteousness.”
Righteous indignation is typically a reactive emotion of anger over mistreatment, insult, or malice of another. And we are not to question that there is a place for such if it is genuinely righteous indignation. Christ displayed it when he used those cords to drive the money changers out of the temple when he sought to break down the walls of prejudice between Jews and Gentiles, men and women, and then proclaiming that his house should be a house of prayer for all people (cf. Mark 11:15-17; Matthew 21; John 2:13-16).
And further, when he made it clear that what the religious leaders such as the Pharisees were doing was mere “hypocrisy,” and then cried out as he left the temple, “Your house is left unto you desolate.” (Matthew 23).
One commentator states that: “Christ’s indignation was directed against the hypocrisy, the gross sins by which men destroyed their souls, deceiving the people and dishonoring God. In the specious deceptive reasoning of the priests and rulers, Christ discerned the working of satanic agencies. His rebuke was keen and searching as He denounced sin, but He spoke no words of retaliation. He had a holy wrath against the prince of darkness, but He manifested no irritated temper. So the Christian who lives in harmony with God, and possesses the sweet attributes of love and mercy, will feel a righteous indignation against sin; but a passion will not rouse him to revile those who revile him. Even in meeting those who are moved by a power from beneath to maintain falsehood, he will still preserve calmness and self-possession in Christ. (Ellen White, 1889, The Desire of Ages, 619, 620)
In effect, the righteous indignation of Jesus was not with any prejudice or negative feelings of hatred against those about him. His heart was filled with love, compassion, empathy, humility, longsuffering, and pain. In fact, when he “wept” at the graveside of Lazarus, he did it because he saw that so many hearts were steeped in faithlessness (cf. John 11:35).
If we follow the example of Jesus, our righteous indignation will be legitimate and not be carried out with guns and spears or any weapon of warfare. As someone says, righteous indignation is only righteous when it is directed toward what angers God Himself. It is justly expressed when it confronts sin with love and the understanding of divine justice. It needs to be directed and regulated so that it is not filled with pride and self-centeredness. So, while we need our anger to be directed at sinful behaviors and unmistakable injustice, we must not allow ourselves to commit the very sins that we seek to condemn.
Let us look at the instructs the apostles gave regarding our indignation (anger).
Paul gives us some sound advice on the appropriate approach, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26-27). “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will stack burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:19-21)
The apostle James states: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20)
The apostle Peter adds: “But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Peter 3:14-17)
I know that the apostolic instructions were directed to Christians. And I wish that our contemporary Christians would accept the instructions as their own, rather than being confused with varied political ideologies that push so much anger and resentment, that they lead to extreme negative behaviors. If we were to accept the instructions, we could truly show that we do not endorse any sin but that we are seeking to build up the kingdom of God.
If you show righteous indignation, let God constrain it.
