Hulk Smash

Emotions of the Heart Part II
Ang Lee’s Hulk was an early 2000s entry into Marvel’s movie franchise and It failed to impress audiences. But most fans will agree that Hulk’s first smash felt very satisfying. Bruce Banner was a test subject for gamma radiation at the hands of his father. It led him to bottle up his anger. When it reached its pinnacle, Bruce turned into the terrifying Hulk. smashing his father’s lab to pieces. He didn’t just trash the place, but completely shattered every piece of furniture and equipment. This was vengeance on the crime committed against him and no movie patron thought Bruce’s father didn’t deserve it.

One of the hardest New Testament stories in the Bible is Jesus’ ‘smash’ moment when he was so outraged he knocked over tables, disrupted displays, and scared everyone in the temple. He witnessed the temple dedicated to his father being used as a buying and selling flea market for religious tourists. The thought of a free and accessible holy place to meet God being used as a way to make a quick buck was too much. On top of that, the sales tables were blocking the Gentiles from worshipping.

Hundreds of theology books and devotionals will explain why Jesus went into his planned destruction, but very few tell us how we can mirror Christ’s example in modern times. Honestly, I am surprised Jesus got away with it (some scholars explain that Jesus did it twice). I guarantee that if we tried anything like that publicly to express our anger, we would end up in serious jail time.

When dealing with righteous anger, we must address it with wisdom, direction, and self-control. Jesus did not blindly react to his anger, letting himself go into a rage with no self-control; instead, he planned a demonstration to show the salesmen and priests that their actions were inappropriate. He did not target anyone with abuse or insults, but he did rebuke the action. He didn’t get angry because he couldn’t find a seat in church; he lamented over others being hurt.

When you follow God and work with other people, you might need to perform a self-controlled rebuke. That can look like a 1-on-1 talk, posting a fair and firm article disputing someone’s belief, or withdrawing from an event. If you are doing this to protect others from harm, then you are mirroring the spirit of Christ’s anger.

But, above all, anger by itself, uncontained and sharp, is not a helpful tool. If that is all you can give, you should only pray for those causing the incident. Prayer is the most direct path toward changing hearts and minds. 

Research: Matthew 21:12-13, James 1:19-21
What do you think happened in the aftermath when Jesus disrupted the temple scandal?

How does human anger differ from righteous anger?

If you knew you could never properly show anger, would you be content praying for people to change?