The Incredible Hulk

Anger. 

It is often called 'the red mist'. For Bruce Banner it is more green than red. His muscles bulge, his face snarls, his clothes rip. He becomes the Incredible Hulk.

It seems to me there are a lot of Bruce Banners walking around today - if you make a mistake whilst driving you're likely to be met be a torrent of swearing and digit flicking - if you glance at someone a little too long you might get a 'whatchyoolookin'at?' - if you're a waitress or shop assistant barely a day goes by when you don't feel the self righteous indignation of a customer that hasn't got exactly what they wanted.

A degree of respect and politeness has dissipated from our society and it has been replaced with a bubbling anger that rests just beneath the surface of many people. It only takes an insignificant incident for the blood to boil, the eyes to redden and the bulging green muscles of the Hulk to burst forth.

In the long history of the Incredible Hulk when he becomes the Hulk out of anger alone he causes as much damage and as he does good. He is a super hero only when he can reign the anger in and focus on what needs to be done. When he simply reacts in a rage  he leaves devastation - which is why he is always pursued by the police and the army. He can only ever 'save the day' when he can get his head straight and uses his incredible strength for good.

Proverbs has a few things to say about anger:

A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. (29:11)

For as churning the milk produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. (30:33)

It is so easy to respond to injustice, stupidity, cruelty, selfishness, greed and all types of evil with anger. It is easy. Natural. Anyone can do that.

It is much harder to treat those things - and their perpetrators  - with love and self-control. Much harder. 

"Ah... but Jesus got angry - clearing the temple" I hear you say. 

Maybe.

Without doubt Jesus' actions resemble actions of anger - turning over tables and driving people out. Though the gospels never suggest that Jesus' motivation was anger, even a righteous anger. Also I think we would have to say that Jesus' actions were planned - it is not like He hadn't been to the Temple hundreds of times before without going crazy. 

Why was it that day did He chose to make a stand? - because it was a prophetic sign of his wider mission - the coming Kingdom clearing away a tainted and misguided religiosity. It certainly wasn't an unplanned, unintended rage that we are constantly guilty of giving in to.

Jesus said this about anger:

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment (Matt 5:22)

Anger often belies our own deeper problems - insecurity, unforgiveness, selfishness. It is a symptom of our own sense of displacement or isolation or feeling that we are peripheral characters in the theater of life. 

In Paul's famous explanation of love in 1 Corinthians 13 he states that love "...is not easily angered". And that is key - to be loving, we need to do not that which is easy, but that which is hard, making sure our reactions do not subvert our intentions.

... saying all that, the Hulk makes anger look pretty cool. Where did I leave my gamma ray machine?

dg