Wrestling with an angry god

i am loving the easter journey this year with the Glenferrie gospel. I mainly work with it at tuesday stuff and then mull it over during the week. so far, with two out of the three readings, at least someone in the group has been offended at Andy's words and actions.

We loved it when Andy fixed the ferris wheel and saved the street festival but we HATED it when he took offense at being manipulated and "owned" and put a chair though a cafe window. (As you have read yourself or perhaps guessed this is similar to the cleansing of the temple in John 2.) Someone said "i just would think he was a loony and have nothing more to do with him." We all agreed, it would be scary, awful, wrong and disturbing. No matter how much good such a character might do, i would think "danger". So can i let myself off the hook by just saying "well Stu got a bit carried away- he wrote a character like Andy but could not quite do Jesus justice on these tricky bits." Hmmmm -i don't think so, nice though that might be.

As we looked at the passage more, Stu showed us that in John Jesus had sat down and made a whip (pre-meditated act, smouldering anger at the injustice done to God and God's world simmering away.) and then cleared out the whole temple like a bushman herding cattle through the dust and the bush....that is correct...the whole temple forecourt. Animals running everywhere, tables overturned, money split and stolen by people rushing out of the way. Businesses ruined, trading halted. An ugly scene, a violent scene -an unreasonable God.

At this point i was feeling a lot of sympathy for the religious leaders of the day. Stu downplayed the scene with only one cafe cleared (he should have cleared the whole street!)

So i have been mulling it over. Glad that Stu has brought Jesus to life in such a vivid way. Struggling and examining myself, the bible, God. I have not got very far and would greatly enjoy your thoughts.

Firstly it seems clear that i am still very influenced by the Greek philosophical view that the highest reality/the great God is devoid of emotional impulses -the classical terms (that are still central in the teaching of academic theology SADLY) are "impassive", and "unchanging". so terribly unhelpful and NOT the key ideas that the bible teaches as it introduces the world to God. (God's name and deep self revelation "I am who i am" and equally in the hebrew "I will be who i will be" -is about open, dynamic freedom, centre-edness and personhood -bloody Greeks -they have not helped us here.) So let me more deeply embrace an EMOTIONAL GOD, who delights in the deep truths of emotion. How could God not be wailing with grief and anger over the terrible deaths, murders, disasters, rapes, persecutions and wars. Equally how could God not be joyfully hovering over sunset and beach, mountain and city, love and friendship, art and food?

Secondly i am a person who struggles with anger (in myself and others.) The more anger that is in the air the higher my anxiety levels get. I move away from it at speed. So that's my problem and whilst perhaps unpleasant no doubt i have some growing to do in order to be present to anger.

but yet! this violent destruction is just unreasonable. i am teaching my kids to use their words, not their fists. Jesus made it VERY CLEAR but is that OK? i am struggling and can't say "yes".

It is all God's stuff - his to destroy, the bible often reminds us of that. James teaches that God is a different being -able to be righteously angry (where as we have little chance of that). But yet...

and yet... still mulling it over, attracted and repelled by Andy, fascinated and aware that I may have rejected "un-sanitised Jesus" had i lived in Palestine.