Temper, Temper

There seems to be a lot of anger out there. For example, take Howard Dean's latest blow-up. Futhermore, zeal — even religious zeal — seems to be the "excuse" for it. This is not the exclusive province of the left. For example, note this review of Philip Yancey's book, What's So Amazing About Grace?:

Yancey tells of the response to an article he wrote on President Bill Clinton for the magazine Christianity Today. Given the rare opportunity to interview Clinton one-on-one, Yancey did his homework and then wrote what he thought was a balanced account of the President and his faith. "I was totally unprepared for the firestorm of reaction," Yancey reports. "I wonder if my mailman will ever recover from the strain of lugging bags of angry letters to my mailbox. The vicious tone of personal attack caught me off guard. As I read through stacks of vituperative letters I got a strong sense for why the world does not automatically associate the word "grace" with evangelical Christians."

How are we to react to opposition? Are we to show righteous indignation? I contend, in most cases, we should not. Take the following passage for example.

Luke 9:51-56 (NKJV): A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior

51 Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, 52and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. 53But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. 54And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?"[1]

55But He turned and rebuked them,[2] and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. 56For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them."[3] And they went to another village.

Footnotes

1. 9:54 NU-Text omits just as Elijah did.
2. 9:55 NU-Text omits the rest of this verse.
3. 9:56 NU-Text omits the first sentence of this verse.

Calvin's commentary on verse 55 is quite instructive:

You know not of what spirit you are. By this reply he not only restrained the unbridled fury of the two disciples, but laid down a rule to all of us not to indulge our temper. For whoever undertakes any thing, ought to be fully aware that he has the authority and guidance of the Spirit of God, and that he is actuated by proper and holy dispositions. Many will be impelled by the warmth of their zeal, but if the spirit of prudence be wanting, their ebullitions end in foam. Frequently, too, it happens, that the impure feelings of the flesh are mingled with their zeal, and that those who appear to be the keenest zealots for the glory of God are blinded by the private feelings of the flesh. And therefore, unless our zeal be directed by the Spirit of God, it will be of no avail to plead in our behalf, that we undertook nothing but from proper zeal. But the Spirit himself will guide us by wisdom and prudence, that we may do nothing contrary to our duty, or beyond our calling, nothing, in short, but what is prudent and seasonable; and, by removing all the filth of the flesh, he may impart to our minds proper feelings, that we may desire nothing but what God shall suggest. Christ likewise blames his disciples because, though they are widely distant from the spirit of Elijah, they rashly take upon themselves to do what he did. For Elijah executed the judgment of God, which had been committed to him by the Spirit; but they rush to vengeance, not by the command of God, but by the movement of the flesh. And therefore the examples of the saints are no defense to us, unless the same Spirit that directed them dwell in us. [emphasis mine]

So, the question of the day is when we rush to vengeance are we truly following the Spirit or indulging our flesh? The diagnostic question that Jesus gives us here is are we seeking to destroy our opposition or to save them? It is no coincidence that at this very time Jesus was set on going to Jerusalem to die. He wasn't willing to rain fire from Heaven on the Samaritans but rather to storm it on their behalf.