Meditation today: the holy wrath of God

the holy wrath of God: he made a whip with ropes and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and the oxen, and overturned the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables, and to those who sold the doves he said: di here, and stop making my father's house a market. "John 2: 15-16

Jesus made a beautiful scene. It directly involved those who were turning the Temple into a market. Those who sold sacrificial animals did so to try to profit from the sacred practices of the Jewish faith. They weren't there to serve God's will; rather, they were there to serve themselves. And this produced the holy wrath of our Lord.

Importantly, Jesus' anger was not the result of losing his temper. It was not the result of His out of control emotions pouring into extreme anger. No, Jesus was in full control of Himself and exercised His wrath as a result of a powerful passion of love. In this case, his perfect love has manifested itself through the passion of anger.

Anger it is normally understood as sin, and it is sinful when it is the result of the loss of control. But it is important to note that the passion of anger, in itself, is not sinful. A passion is a powerful drive that manifests itself in various ways. The key question to ask is "What is driving this passion?"

the holy wrath of God: prayer

In the case of Jesus, it was hatred for sin and love for the sinner that drove him to this holy wrath. By flipping the tables and pushing people out of the temple with a whip, Jesus made it clear that he loved his Father, the house they were in, and he loved people enough to passionately reproach the sin they were committing. The ultimate goal of His action was their conversion.

Jesus hates the sin in your life with the same perfect passion. Sometimes we need a holy rebuke to get us on the right path. Don't be afraid to let the Lord offer you this form of reproach this Lent.

Reflect today on those parts of your life that Jesus wants to purify. Allow him to speak to you directly and firmly so that you are moved to repentance. The Lord loves you with perfect love and wants all sins in your life to be washed away.

Lord, I know I am a sinner who needs your mercy and sometimes needs your holy wrath. Help me humbly receive your reproaches of love and allow you to cast out all sins from my life. Have mercy on me, dear Lord. Please have mercy. Jesus, I trust in You.