City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane.

The Word

⁵⁷ “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? ⁵⁸ As you go with your accuser before the magistrate, make an effort to settle with him on the way, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison. ⁵⁹ I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”^[j]

^{j: Greek lepton, a Jewish bronze or copper coin worth about 1/128 of a denarius (which was a day’s wage for a laborer)}

-Luke 12:57-59 (ESV)

⁶ but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? ⁷ To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸ But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!^{[ Or brothers and sisters]}

-I Corinthians 6:6-8 (ESV)

4 But it displeased Jonah exceedingly,^{[ Hebrew it was exceedingly evil to Jonah]} and he was angry. ² And he prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster. ³ Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.” ⁴ And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?”

-Jonah 4:1-4 (ESV)

Reflection

It is interesting that we find this passage, about making peace with your neighbor, right after a passage where Jesus tells us that He brings division.  Are we not to be like Christ and bring division ourselves?  Jesus tells us that we are to make peace with our neighbors, but He also says that you are going to be fighting with your family.  What?

How can this be consistent, or more important, fair?  Fair?  That’s a good question.  Is it important that our dealings with each other be fair?  That’s a hard standard to achieve.  As sinners saved by grace, it is probably not the right standard to pursue, given that it would be applicable to us first and grace would be excluded.  We should keep in mind that fair treatment, if applied faithfully, would cause us to give full account for every sinful thought and deed.  It is not fair to God that we should sin, given the excellence and beauty in which God created us.  Our first offense is always against Him.

So, when Jesus tells us to make peace with our neighbors, He is not being unreasonable, even if we are dealing with unreasonable neighbors.  “Why not rather be cheated” says Paul.  This perspective is easier to have, if you have the understanding that God has you covered.  So, you will not end up on the short end.

I do not know why, but for some reason, I just love Jonah.  He is stuck in his pride, but his story is so honest.  People think that he ran away from God’s call because he was fearful of how the Ninevites would treat him.  In reality, Jonah wanted God to bring wrath down upon them.  In Chapter 4, Jonah shows us how to throw a tantrum in front of God, like a 4-year-old.  He is inappropriate.  He is prideful.  But this is such a clear portrait of where we can get to when we are determined to prove ourselves right, regardless of God’s higher purposes.

So, the question is to you.  Do you do well to be angry?

Application

The only time I could say that being angry has helped me is during a sporting event, where it caused me to be more determined.  But in my personal interactions, I have not found anger to be a helper.  Usually, it has clouded my judgement and led me down the path of bad decisions. 

So, first understand that it is okay to be angry.  This is a natural part of life.  God is angry at times, so why should we think that it does not affect us? 

But we must learn to shepherd that anger.  If you have a project at home where you need some rocks broken, anger is a great help.  But establish a safe zone first.

Suppose someone has done something that has really upset you, and you need to write them an e-mail.  First, it would be better to talk in person.  E-mails are terrible vehicles for communicating complicated ideas and intentions.  But if you need to use e-mail, write it all out and hold nothing back, but do not send it.  Take a walk, mow the lawn, and build an addition to your home.  Once you’ve let some of the steam boil off, write a second draft.  This time focus only on the issue at hand, and do not assume bad intentions on the part of your neighbor.  Only speak of yourself and for yourself. 

Pursue peace, as far as it can go with you.  And remember, if you come out on the short end, it might not be so bad.  God has you covered.  Trust also in Him.

Prayer

To You, oh Lord, I give all my trust and belonging.  And besides You, I seek nothing.  Teach me to forgive from my heart and release those who have done wrong against me.  Help me to see Your purpose and Your plan in all my doings.  And help me to walk in the grace You so abundantly give.  In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.