Immoral Outrage

Have you ever experienced an indignant feeling when you saw people doing what you believe is wrong?  I remember one such occasion when I was incensed as it became apparent I was deceived and misled by someone I trusted to tell the truth.  I was later convicted because I took personal offence when it was in truth sin against God.  It was easy to justify my anger through what is called moral outrage, but since my heart was not humble and contrite before God it was actually immoral outrage.

There are passages in the Bible where the outrage people expressed was more an indicator sin within them brought to light by supposed offences.  A classic example is when Nathan the prophet came to king David and told him what turned out to be a parable about a rich man who had many sheep.  In the tale he callously stole the prized, only lamb of a poor man and killed it to provide a meal for his guests.  David was furious at this injustice, and immediately condemned the rich man to death for his theft and lack of pity, and commanded four-fold should be given to the poor man.  The prophet Nathan said, "You are the man!"  Then he laid out how David conducted himself like that rich man he condemned to death, for he had stolen Bathsheba as his own wife (when he already had many) and used the sword of the Ammonites to murder her husband Urijah.  God laid out the worst of David's crimes from which all others sprang in 2 Samuel 12:10:  "You have despised Me."  David's response was immoral outrage and hypocrisy, seeing he had not repented of his own sin against God.

When Jesus was in Bethany, the Gospel of John tells us Mary poured a pound of expensive, fragrant spikenard to anoint Jesus.  The Gospel of Matthew says the disciples were indignant at what they perceived to be a waste of the oil, for it could have been sold and the proceeds--which amounted to be around the average annual wage--could have been given to the poor.  John tells us it was Judas Iscariot who expressed this outrage, and it was not for the sake of the poor!  His greedy and sinful motives are laid bare in John 12:6:  "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it."  Jesus rebuked His disciples and told them to leave Mary alone, for the good thing she had done in anointing Jesus for His burial would be spoken about as a memorial wherever the Gospel is preached.

It used to be when I saw people living in some sort of sin, I used to experience what I will call immoral outrage because I took personally the offence committed against God--as if I was the victim.  More and more by God's grace I am finding that feeling of indignation replaced by compassion, for in clinging to sin people close their arms to the almighty, awesome God who loves them and seeks a relationship with them.  In choosing a sinful lifestyle people reject God and His grace extended to them, for He has done everything to pay the price for their redemption, joy, peace and rest.  Jesus looked upon the multitudes with compassion and wept because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and when we are consumed by immoral outrage we are among those who have wandered from His side in self-righteousness and pride.  May the LORD continue to change us to be more like Him:  to love others and pray for those who do wrong as we are no better.