“Anger
The Savior for Suffering Sinners
Good Friday 2020
Peter was angry. He took his sword and tried to defend Jesus.
The officers were angry that Jesus talked back to Annas and Caiaphas the High Priest so they struck Him.
The crowd was angry. They chose Barabbas over Jesus. They chose a murderer and insurrectionist over a loving Shepherd who showed mercy to His flock.
The chief priests were angry at Pontius Pilate. Three times he declared Jesus not guilty. Jesus could not, dare not, be set free, so they cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him,” and they threatened Pilate with Rome, “We have no king but Caesar.”
Anger is usually caused when your person, identity, or life is threatened. Peter was angry because his life was tied to Jesus. If Jesus was arrested and convicted – Peter wouldn’t be too far behind. Is it any wonder that he denied knowing Jesus three times?
The High Priest demanded respect. He was threatened by Jesus so he bribed Judas to betray his Lord. When Jesus challenged the High Priest’s authority the bailiff became angry and slapped him.
Throughout the Gospels Jesus challenged the Jewish leaders with God’s Word. That Word threatened their place and power. When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead it was their last straw. Either Jesus died or they were no more. Jesus had to go.
In the Lord’s passion none of this anger is justified. Jesus was heading to the cross to save Peter, Annas, Caipahas, and Pontius Pilate, the Jews and the Romans. He was not a threat to anything good. He was only a threat to their false gods and to their selfish identities. Peter wanted Jesus to have glory so he could have glory. The High Priest wanted Jesus to die so he could retain power. The crowds were angry because they were fed a lies by their religious and political leaders.
But what about righteous anger? Anger when you suffer evil is not sinful. Anger when someone has sinned against you is not sinful. Anger is not sinful as long as you do not take God’s place as final judge. The Scripture declares “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19, ESV)
When you suffer evil it bruises and bloodies your soul. Your life is marred and mangled when someone abuses you in thought, word or deed. You have every right to be angry, but you have no right to revenge or hatred or harm. Earthly justice? Yes, according to the laws of the land, but evil can never be overcome by evil. The Apostle Paul writes, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
The Lord alone works vengeance. He alone makes someone pay for evil. We call this Friday Good Friday because God pays for evil Himself. He takes out His wrath against all evil, all sin, all of us sinners, upon His only begotten son.
700 years before Jesus hung on the cross outside Jerusalem Isaiah prophesied, “But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:5–6, ESV)
Good Friday proclaims the mystery that God is simultaneously good and loving. Being good He cannot stand evil. Being good He must destroy evil. Being love He doesn’t want evil to defeat us. Being love He doesn’t want to destroy us for our evil. So He sends His Son. God’s good and God’s love is shown in the Son of God in human flesh on the cross. God the Father heaps upon His Son the evil of our sins and then gives evil its due – judgment, cast off forever, eternal death On the cross Jesus suffered His Father’s judgment against evil. You sin you die. Jesus takes our sin. Jesus dies. You sin you go to hell. So Jesus suffers hell – totally forsaken by His Father.
God’s good and God’s love in Christ, work what your anger could never work – your life is restored, your soul is revived, your shame is removed, your value is priceless. You cannot stop evil or destroy it, but He did in Christ. Being sinned against brings chaos to your life. It divides and destroys. In case you haven’t noticed there’s a lot of anger going around these days. Anger at government. Anger at losing a job. Anger at an unseen virus. Anger at family. To quote Luther, “We’re hot tempered, rude, quarrelsome.” That ought not be for those who are in Christ.
Being saved by Jesus brings peace to your life. His atoning death restores and rebuilds you. You are alive forever. Your real family, the family that is born of God by the blood of Jesus, is eternal. You’re the treasure of heaven since the Father paid the greatest price to save you. That is yours by faith now and by sight at the resurrection – no more evil, no more sin, no more lies, no more pain. You will see Jesus and you will see yourself in Christ – forgiven, cleansed, loved, child of God.
Believing in Jesus’ death for sinners you now know what is good and what is love. God your heavenly Father is good and He is love. You can be angry, but do not sin. God your Father has taken care of evil – the evil against you and the evil within you – in the name of Jesus. Amen.