Should Christians stay calm when provoked?

Question

Or they should react violently like Jesus did:

Joh 2:15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.

Answer 1

Grasshopper, there is a time for peace and a time for wrath. People say Jesus/God would not support wars. This is far from the truth. All throughout the bible God has chosen sides, and provoked conflicts. He's even said in some situations that he wanted an entire people to be wiped out. We are no different, If a person provokes me to wrath by harming what I hold dear, such as my family, I'll show them wrath beyond all measure. In the same breathe I can show love, just as the God that made me.

Answer 2

Yes.

1 Corinthians 13 - “But now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love"

Love is not quick to take offence and seeks reconciliation. It does not keep accounts of wrongs done by others (2 Cor. 5:19; Rom. 4:8). God’s kind of love is forgiving. It does not hold grudges and “is never provoked,” and “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” Forgiveness is modeled for us perfectly in the love of Christ (Lk. 23:34; 1 Peter 4:8; Jas. 5:20; Matt. 18:21-22; 11:27-30). He was never touchy, fretful or resentful. Jesus did not store up resentment and bore no malice toward others.

John 2:15 "he drove them all out". Jesus was aggressive to keep them away from the temple. It was a holy place, a place of worship not a place to make money off of people. Note in the verse he drove them out (aggressive), it does not say that he strikes them (not violent or provoked).

Answer 3

Jesus was obviously angry at the merchants who exploited those who came to God's house to worship. There is a difference between uncontrolled rage and righteous indignation- yet both are called anger. We must be very careful how we use the powerful emotion of anger. It is right to be angry about injustice and sin; it is wrong to be angry over trivial personal offenses. look at it this way Jesus made a whip and chased out the money changers. Does his example permit us to use violence against wrongdoers? Certain authority is granted to some, but not to all. For example, the authority to use weapons and restrain people is granted to police officers, but not the general public. The authority to imprison people is granted to judges, but not to individual citizens. Jesus had God's authority, something we cannot have. While we want and strive to live like Christ, we should never try to claim his authority where it has not been given us. Jesus took the evil acts in the temple as an insult against God, and thus he did not deal with them halfheartedly. He was "eaten up" (verse 17) with righteous anger against such flagrant disrespect for God. May God have mercy on those who make light of his word

Answer 4

No. Nowhere does the Bible teaches that we should stay calm when provoked. You are perpetuating the nonsense that Christians must always be trodden upon and face all the flak that can get from their enemies. Wrong again dude! Christians can get angry also. But the thing is that they should not sin in their anger. Now, Jesus was angry indeed because the Temple (a place of prayer) has been made into a place of trade like a black market. So He drove away the traders and their wares. Sure He offended many, but did He sin? Haven't you heard that doing the right thing is not necessarily the most pleasant thing?

Answer 5

Ideally we all would be peaceful souls and not be provoked... but we have a human nature... and we often flare up and react.... Jesus did drive the animals and money changers out of the temple. He could have done worse considering who He is... but he just tossed them out and told them why. We can't say He did wrongly. If your own home was invaded... you would not just sit back in a chair and continue to do the crossword puzzle in the paper. We would be quick to defend it. And Jesus was defending His Father's house.

Just gotta try to be forgiving and loving... but when we fail, we have the Lord to turn to and to ask for His forgiveness.

Answer 6

For those who read the B ible, let me remind us that love is not EASILY provoked, is SLOW to anger , and keeps no RECORD of wrongs- that is to say that a spat today is forgotten tomorrow
However, that does not mean that we are to stand by and let someone destroy our homes, harm our families. Erego, Jesus chased out the money changers; being the Son of God-He was defending his family

Answer 7

We should ALL stay calm when provoked. Otherwise wars start.

I don't ever remember reading in the bible that Jesus was a wimpy man of peace. What he did at the temple would be considered neccessary force. Aren't we allowed to exercise reasonable force in defence of our homes?

Answer 8

Jesus didn't act violently.
They were making his father's sacred temple out of a place for robbing people of their money.
They were buying and selling in the temple of God.

So he overturned tables? He didn't pimp slap anybody!
Read it in full context then ask the question.

Answer 9

I suggest that you read the entire chapter to better understand what was going on.

If some thugs came into *your* home, and started to really mess the place up, I am sure you wouldn't say that it would be just hunky dorey!

The Temple is Jesus's home, i.e., "His Fathers' House".

Answer 10

First of all...Jesus was not provoked in that scenario.

Second...why is it everytime people want to show it is OK for a Christian to be violent - that passage is quoted. There are far more passages saying forgive and turn the other cheek.

~ Eric Putkonen