Tuesday 17 March 2026

Psalm 145

Background
To say that Paul is angry would be an understatement! It feels like you have to read this passage holding the page at arm’s length, as Paul rips into the Corinthians, who have allowed themselves to be swayed by the glib 'super-apostles' that we read about yesterday ( 2 Corinthians 11:1-11). It almost feels like we’re the ones being slapped in the face!

Is it wrong to be angry? Certainly, anger can lead us into trouble if we can’t control it. So is Paul wrong to be angry? The 13th century friar Thomas Aquinas (probably) said “He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust.”

Anger can be very destructive, and Jesus warned us against inappropriate anger in the Sermon on the Mount, “I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgement” (Matthew 5:22). But Jesus himself got angry, and anger can also give us the energy we need to fight against injustice and defend the truth we see being undermined.

Perhaps being angry at injustice is easier to understand than anger at our faith being misappropriated. But look at what is happening to the Christians at Corinth – they are being taken advantage of. The slick ‘super-apostles’ are taking them for a ride.

We live in a very angry society. People seem quick to lose their rag at things which should really only be irritating – like a VAR (video assistant referree) decision going against our team, or being cut up while driving (we ourselves never cut anyone up, of course). But when we get the basic values of the gospel wrong, it affects our everyday human relations. Some people will use the gospel to take advantage of weaker brothers and sisters. So getting the basics right matters – all else flows from that. Our relationship with God in Christ affects all our relationships. If a false gospel is being proclaimed, we need to get angry. Not for ourselves, but for the damage it causes to all our relationships.

To Ponder:

• What makes you really angry?
• What are you going to do about it?

Prayer
Jesus, forgive us for the times when we have been angry and our anger has hurt people and been unloving.
Forgive us for the times we have not been moved to anger when we should have been, and injustice has gone unchallenged. Amen.

Bible notes author: The Revd Richard Parkes
Richard Parkes is a retired presbyter, currently living in Newcastle-under-Lyme.