Sixth Sunday After The Epiphany / Sixth Sunday In Ordinary Time
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VIII, Cycle A
Object:
Theme For The Day
Let us keep anger from ruling over us.
Old Testament Lesson
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Choose Life!
This passage is the conclusion of a lengthy address by Moses that begins at 29:2. We often speak of "the ethics of consequences." This passage is perhaps the primal example of that sort of thinking. Moses lays out, in starkly simple terms, the consequences of obedience to the law on the one hand, and disobedience on the other. "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity" (v. 15). Obey the commandments and you shall live with the Lord's abundant blessings (v. 16).
Disobey them, and "you shall perish," without ever knowing the benefits of the promised land (verses 17-18). In verse 19, Moses further emphasizes his message by casting it as a solemn vow ("I call heaven and earth to witness against you today"). "Choose life," he pleads with them, "so that you and your descendants may live." Parents know the ethics of consequences very well. Once children enter adolescence, this sort of reasoning often forms the foundation of their ethical guidance. "Don't smoke; stay away from drugs; shun promiscuity" -- often, parents' best hope of getting their children to adopt such guidance is to help them see and understand the consequences of these behaviors. Moses is taking the same line with the people of Israel. He knows he cannot force them to be righteous. He can only lay out the consequences and plead with them to heed his wisdom.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
God Gives The Growth
Paul continues his argument about how the simple proclamation of the cross defies human wisdom, and is inaccessible by means of human reason alone. Initially, he tells the Corinthians, his simple message to them was as mother's milk, for they were not yet ready for solid food (verses 1-2). Even now, they are still not ready to fully comprehend the gospel, because they are demonstrating signs of disunity and party spirit (verses 3-4). The Christians of Corinth have been lining up behind various authoritative teachers, offering deeper allegiance to these human beings than to Christ (v. 5). Using an agricultural metaphor, Paul reminds them that, although teachers like Apollos and himself seeded them with the good news, it was the Holy Spirit that has really brought about the growth (verses 6-8). "For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building" (v. 9). These are important words, even today, for those who may identify more strongly with their own denominational traditions than with Christianity in general. Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley -- these are but tillers of the soil, sowers of seed. It is God who provides the sun and the rain.
Gospel Lesson
Matthew 5:21-37
Anger And Adultery
Continuing where last week's reading left off, Jesus provides further examples of how his disciples' righteousness is to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Here, he provides a concrete example of what surpassing righteousness means (verses 21-26). His followers are not only to follow the laws against murder, but are to exceed even those strictures, cleansing themselves even of anger. Jesus' disciples are to place such a high priority on reconciliation that they should even interrupt their act of sacrifice in the temple if they have an unfinished quarrel to resolve. His next example of surpassing righteousness has to do with adultery (verses 27-30). Not only are his followers to avoid adultery, they are to avoid even adulterous thoughts. In a rhetorical flourish (not to be taken literally), Jesus teaches his followers to have such zeal for righteousness that they value obedience more, even, than their own bodies.
Preaching Possibilities
These are demanding, even harsh words that come from Jesus' mouth. Until we hear them, most of us can take comfort in the fact that we have never been seriously tempted by the commandment, "Do not kill." Yet, here he seems to be saying that every time we lose our temper, it's as though we are breaking that commandment. Elsewhere in the scriptures, we hear a more compassionate word about anger ("Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" -- Ephesians 4:26). Here, Jesus is making it sound like anger itself is impossible for a Christian.
We've all of us had times when we've loosed the beast of rage. A raised voice, an especially cutting remark, a hurtful criticism calculated to injure rather than correct: all these are symptoms of anger run amok.
Not all anger is bad, of course. We need to be sure, as preachers, to say that loud and clear. Anger is a primitive emotion that the good Lord programmed into our genes so our ancestors could survive. The anthropologists speak of the choice between "fight or flight": an early reaction our primitive ancestors had to make in the face of a perceived threat.
Let's say a wild beast suddenly appeared in their camp. In a split second, each person in that little band of hunter-gatherers would have to decide whether to head for the hills, or pick up a pointed stick and do battle. Most of the time, each one would make that decision in a split-second, on a barely conscious level. The emotion that surfaced -- fear or anger -- determined what choice each one was likely to make. In either case, the strong emotional response sent a shot of adrenaline surging through the body, preparing the muscles to either run fast or thrust hard with the spear.
In such a circumstance, anger is not a weakness, but a positive advantage. The problem arises for us when something that's not lethal (or, not even potentially so) triggers that primitive defense mechanism. That something may be a perceived insult or slight as minor as another driver beating us to the toll booth. To act out anger in that kind of circumstance is foolish and even dangerous. But, it's something some of us come perilously close to doing, at times.
It's not sinful to have angry feelings. Feelings are not easily controlled. That primitive (but effective) programming within our genes is sure to generate angry feelings from time to time. The real question is what we do with those feelings.
Many of us believe we only have two choices of what to do with angry feelings. We can either stuff them down or let them out. Neither one is a good choice, in most circumstances.
The consequences of letting anger out, to rage unchecked, are obvious: broken relationships, hurt loved ones, and eventually social isolation. The simple truth is, habitually angry people end up having few friends. Others simply don't want to be around them, to receive their rage -- and so they choose not to. Eventually, the only ones left are those who can't easily go away, the angry person's family.
Sometimes anger is dissipated by being released, and things return, more or less, to normal. Yet, in certain people, the release of anger triggers such an adrenaline rush that it results in a kind of high. "Rageaholics," as they are sometimes called, are among the most dangerous people to live with because they develop, over time, an almost physical need to be angry. They let themselves become angry for little or no reason. As more distant targets move out of range, their insatiable anger directs itself at those closest to them. Eventually, even family members may have to leave for their own survival. If they do not, they can get caught up in a cycle of verbal or physical abuse -- perpetually blaming themselves for their spouse's or parent's anger and vowing to do better next time.
The other easy, but inadequate, response is to stifle angry feelings. While this may seem, on the surface, to be a compassionate Christian response -- swallowing the fire so that others will not be burned -- eventually, everyone ends up being a victim.
When anger is internalized, it can lead to physical illness. It can also lead to mental disorders such as depression -- indeed, one major psychological theory of depression is that it is anger turned inward. Stuffing angry feelings may have a certain usefulness in the short run, but in the long run it can be deadly.
Fortunately, there is another choice -- a middle way -- between the two extremes of loosing anger or stifling it. That middle way is to name the anger.
Now, at first glance, this may seem inconsequential -- but, in reality, naming is very powerful. The writers of the Hebrew scriptures knew this particularly well. In their way of thinking, learning some-thing's name gives you power over it. Remember how Jacob finds himself wrestling with a mysterious human figure at the fords of the Jabbok. Jacob grapples with this powerful but mysterious stranger all through the night, until finally he extorts a blessing from him. Then he asks the stranger his name, but the stranger will not give it to him. By this, Jacob knows the stranger is God.
Centuries later, Moses is off on a hillside watching over the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro. He comes upon a bush that is on fire, yet is not consumed. A voice booms out from the burning bush telling Moses what he must do to rescue the Israelites from slavery. Knowing this is the Most High God, Moses asks the name of the one who is addressing him. This one tells Moses what he would not tell Jacob (and indeed, what no human being, until Moses, had yet heard): "my name is 'I Am That I Am.' " Armed, then, with the ultimate weapon -- the very name of God -- Moses is finally prepared to do battle with Pharaoh.
In much the same way, knowing anger's name -- and being able to speak it -- is often the first step on the road to gaining power over it. It's a strange thing, but anger is such a powerful emotion that it can be difficult to recognize from within. How often have you heard someone say with gritted teeth, clenched fists, and steam fairly shooting out of the ears, "I am NOT angry!"?
The fact is, anger is very often a secondary emotion. It's the consequence of some other, primary emotion -- one that's so fearful and troubling that it leads its victim to choose anger as the less threatening of the two choices.
Let's say, for example, someone has done or said something to make us fearful. The last thing most of us want to do is admit we're feeling afraid, so we become angry instead. The same thing can happen with sadness, envy, or jealousy. These emotions themselves can feel threatening, and so some of us, in response, resort to anger as a last, primitive line of defense.
The key to dealing with many varieties of anger, then, is to search beneath the surface of the angry feelings and try to discern what's really going on. Then, when we have sensed those true feelings' presence, we are able to name them and thereby gain power over them.
The first step to learn to say, "I'm angry." Now this is a very hard thing to do in the midst of an argument, because often the angry person is not using "I" statements at all, but rather, "you" statements -- as in, "You know what the problem with you is, why it's _____ (fill in the blank)." When the angry person is finally able to admit, "I'm feeling angry," then often it's not long at all before he or she is able to say, "Yes, and I'm also feeling sad, which is where my anger is coming from." In the words of Ben Franklin, "Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one."
To practice this skill of naming and defusing anger is not easy. Many people require psychological therapy, or membership in a support group of some kind, in order to learn how to identify angry feelings within themselves. Yet, this is a skill that's very much worth acquiring. Remember, the only other choices are rage or depression.
So, let us strive not to run from anger, but to name it; and having named it, to have the courage to let it go, seeking reconciliation with those our anger has wronged. Anger is God's gift; it has its place. Yet, there is a far greater gift: the gift of love.
Prayer For The Day
God of abundant mercy,
we confess that there have been times
when we have allowed anger to rule.
We know the feeling of rage, boiling within:
how it is both frightening and strangely fascinating.
Sharpen our awareness of our inner feelings and motivations,
so we may learn to name anger for what it is.
When we, ourselves, fall victim to another's anger,
give us gifts of patience and understanding.
Keep us safe and help us to be agents of reconciliation.
We pray in the name of him
who bore the brunt of the world's anger on the cross:
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
To Illustrate
Scott Adams, creator of the "Dilbert" comic strip, was conducting his "Second Annual Highly Unscientific Dilbert Survey," when he asked this question: "If you had a chance to hit your boss in the back of the head with one of the following objects, with no risk of being caught, which would you use?"
Here's how his respondents answered:
A large bean burrito --19%
"Nerf" ball --17%
Ripe melon --14%
Framed certificate of appreciation --13%
Outdated computer you are forced to use --13%
Your last performance review, including the 600-pound filing cabinet you keep it in -- 13%
All your coworkers, bound by duct tape, and flung from a huge catapult -- 8%
A Ford Pinto with a full tank of gas -- 7%
Adams explains why the bean burrito was the big winner: "I think the bean burrito won because it would make a really cool sound and it would be messy with or without guacamole." He observes, further, that the bean burrito may have picked up a few votes for another reason: "over 64% of respondents selected a non-lethal response, knowing if their boss were injured, it would mean more work for them."
Well, that's how things work in the twisted universe of Dilbert. Yet, even in the real world, you have to admit there's something intrinsically attractive about anger.
***
Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back -- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.
-- Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (HarperOne, 1993), p. 2
***
There is an old story about the famous painter, Leonardo da Vinci. During the time when Leonardo was working on his famous painting, "The Last Supper," he became angry with an acquaintance of his. The two men had words and parted from each other on very bad terms. Leonardo returned to the church on whose wall he was painting the fresco.
It was no use. Leonardo found he could paint nothing he was happy with. It just so happened that he had reached the point in the project where he was doing the face of Jesus. Time and again, he tried to render a passable likeness of the Lord, but he was unable to do so.
Finally, the great artist realized that he had work to do, but it was not in the church he had been commissioned to decorate. Leonardo put down his brushes and palette, and sought out the man who had been the subject of his wrath. He asked the man's forgiveness. The man accepted his apology and offered an apology of his own.
It was only then that Leonardo was able to return to the church and finish painting the face of Jesus.
***
There is a Zen parable about a wise man who was tutor to the emperor's sons. This teacher observed that the oldest boy was prone to outbursts of anger. One day, in the midst of the boy's tantrum, he dragged the child over to a beehive and thrust the prince's hand into it, until he had been stung.
The prince was so taken aback that anyone -- even his teacher -- would treat him this way that he immediately stopped his raging. Looking down at the swelling spot on the back of his hand, he cried out, "I am going to tell my father!"
"When you tell your father, tell him this," said the teacher, "look at the bee."
Together, they studied the bee that had fallen to the ground, its entrails torn out along with the stinger. They watched it until it died.
"That is the price of anger," said the teacher.
That night the boy did tell his father, the emperor. His response was to give the teacher a gold piece. When that boy became emperor, years later, he had already become known for his quiet, deliberate judgment and his resistance to being provoked.
***
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (Macmillan, 1907), p. 97
***
When angry, count ten before you speak. If very angry, a hundred.
-- Thomas Jefferson
When angry, count four. When very angry, swear.
-- Mark Twain (just kidding)
Let us keep anger from ruling over us.
Old Testament Lesson
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Choose Life!
This passage is the conclusion of a lengthy address by Moses that begins at 29:2. We often speak of "the ethics of consequences." This passage is perhaps the primal example of that sort of thinking. Moses lays out, in starkly simple terms, the consequences of obedience to the law on the one hand, and disobedience on the other. "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity" (v. 15). Obey the commandments and you shall live with the Lord's abundant blessings (v. 16).
Disobey them, and "you shall perish," without ever knowing the benefits of the promised land (verses 17-18). In verse 19, Moses further emphasizes his message by casting it as a solemn vow ("I call heaven and earth to witness against you today"). "Choose life," he pleads with them, "so that you and your descendants may live." Parents know the ethics of consequences very well. Once children enter adolescence, this sort of reasoning often forms the foundation of their ethical guidance. "Don't smoke; stay away from drugs; shun promiscuity" -- often, parents' best hope of getting their children to adopt such guidance is to help them see and understand the consequences of these behaviors. Moses is taking the same line with the people of Israel. He knows he cannot force them to be righteous. He can only lay out the consequences and plead with them to heed his wisdom.
New Testament Lesson
1 Corinthians 3:1-9
God Gives The Growth
Paul continues his argument about how the simple proclamation of the cross defies human wisdom, and is inaccessible by means of human reason alone. Initially, he tells the Corinthians, his simple message to them was as mother's milk, for they were not yet ready for solid food (verses 1-2). Even now, they are still not ready to fully comprehend the gospel, because they are demonstrating signs of disunity and party spirit (verses 3-4). The Christians of Corinth have been lining up behind various authoritative teachers, offering deeper allegiance to these human beings than to Christ (v. 5). Using an agricultural metaphor, Paul reminds them that, although teachers like Apollos and himself seeded them with the good news, it was the Holy Spirit that has really brought about the growth (verses 6-8). "For we are God's servants, working together; you are God's field, God's building" (v. 9). These are important words, even today, for those who may identify more strongly with their own denominational traditions than with Christianity in general. Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley -- these are but tillers of the soil, sowers of seed. It is God who provides the sun and the rain.
Gospel Lesson
Matthew 5:21-37
Anger And Adultery
Continuing where last week's reading left off, Jesus provides further examples of how his disciples' righteousness is to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Here, he provides a concrete example of what surpassing righteousness means (verses 21-26). His followers are not only to follow the laws against murder, but are to exceed even those strictures, cleansing themselves even of anger. Jesus' disciples are to place such a high priority on reconciliation that they should even interrupt their act of sacrifice in the temple if they have an unfinished quarrel to resolve. His next example of surpassing righteousness has to do with adultery (verses 27-30). Not only are his followers to avoid adultery, they are to avoid even adulterous thoughts. In a rhetorical flourish (not to be taken literally), Jesus teaches his followers to have such zeal for righteousness that they value obedience more, even, than their own bodies.
Preaching Possibilities
These are demanding, even harsh words that come from Jesus' mouth. Until we hear them, most of us can take comfort in the fact that we have never been seriously tempted by the commandment, "Do not kill." Yet, here he seems to be saying that every time we lose our temper, it's as though we are breaking that commandment. Elsewhere in the scriptures, we hear a more compassionate word about anger ("Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger" -- Ephesians 4:26). Here, Jesus is making it sound like anger itself is impossible for a Christian.
We've all of us had times when we've loosed the beast of rage. A raised voice, an especially cutting remark, a hurtful criticism calculated to injure rather than correct: all these are symptoms of anger run amok.
Not all anger is bad, of course. We need to be sure, as preachers, to say that loud and clear. Anger is a primitive emotion that the good Lord programmed into our genes so our ancestors could survive. The anthropologists speak of the choice between "fight or flight": an early reaction our primitive ancestors had to make in the face of a perceived threat.
Let's say a wild beast suddenly appeared in their camp. In a split second, each person in that little band of hunter-gatherers would have to decide whether to head for the hills, or pick up a pointed stick and do battle. Most of the time, each one would make that decision in a split-second, on a barely conscious level. The emotion that surfaced -- fear or anger -- determined what choice each one was likely to make. In either case, the strong emotional response sent a shot of adrenaline surging through the body, preparing the muscles to either run fast or thrust hard with the spear.
In such a circumstance, anger is not a weakness, but a positive advantage. The problem arises for us when something that's not lethal (or, not even potentially so) triggers that primitive defense mechanism. That something may be a perceived insult or slight as minor as another driver beating us to the toll booth. To act out anger in that kind of circumstance is foolish and even dangerous. But, it's something some of us come perilously close to doing, at times.
It's not sinful to have angry feelings. Feelings are not easily controlled. That primitive (but effective) programming within our genes is sure to generate angry feelings from time to time. The real question is what we do with those feelings.
Many of us believe we only have two choices of what to do with angry feelings. We can either stuff them down or let them out. Neither one is a good choice, in most circumstances.
The consequences of letting anger out, to rage unchecked, are obvious: broken relationships, hurt loved ones, and eventually social isolation. The simple truth is, habitually angry people end up having few friends. Others simply don't want to be around them, to receive their rage -- and so they choose not to. Eventually, the only ones left are those who can't easily go away, the angry person's family.
Sometimes anger is dissipated by being released, and things return, more or less, to normal. Yet, in certain people, the release of anger triggers such an adrenaline rush that it results in a kind of high. "Rageaholics," as they are sometimes called, are among the most dangerous people to live with because they develop, over time, an almost physical need to be angry. They let themselves become angry for little or no reason. As more distant targets move out of range, their insatiable anger directs itself at those closest to them. Eventually, even family members may have to leave for their own survival. If they do not, they can get caught up in a cycle of verbal or physical abuse -- perpetually blaming themselves for their spouse's or parent's anger and vowing to do better next time.
The other easy, but inadequate, response is to stifle angry feelings. While this may seem, on the surface, to be a compassionate Christian response -- swallowing the fire so that others will not be burned -- eventually, everyone ends up being a victim.
When anger is internalized, it can lead to physical illness. It can also lead to mental disorders such as depression -- indeed, one major psychological theory of depression is that it is anger turned inward. Stuffing angry feelings may have a certain usefulness in the short run, but in the long run it can be deadly.
Fortunately, there is another choice -- a middle way -- between the two extremes of loosing anger or stifling it. That middle way is to name the anger.
Now, at first glance, this may seem inconsequential -- but, in reality, naming is very powerful. The writers of the Hebrew scriptures knew this particularly well. In their way of thinking, learning some-thing's name gives you power over it. Remember how Jacob finds himself wrestling with a mysterious human figure at the fords of the Jabbok. Jacob grapples with this powerful but mysterious stranger all through the night, until finally he extorts a blessing from him. Then he asks the stranger his name, but the stranger will not give it to him. By this, Jacob knows the stranger is God.
Centuries later, Moses is off on a hillside watching over the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro. He comes upon a bush that is on fire, yet is not consumed. A voice booms out from the burning bush telling Moses what he must do to rescue the Israelites from slavery. Knowing this is the Most High God, Moses asks the name of the one who is addressing him. This one tells Moses what he would not tell Jacob (and indeed, what no human being, until Moses, had yet heard): "my name is 'I Am That I Am.' " Armed, then, with the ultimate weapon -- the very name of God -- Moses is finally prepared to do battle with Pharaoh.
In much the same way, knowing anger's name -- and being able to speak it -- is often the first step on the road to gaining power over it. It's a strange thing, but anger is such a powerful emotion that it can be difficult to recognize from within. How often have you heard someone say with gritted teeth, clenched fists, and steam fairly shooting out of the ears, "I am NOT angry!"?
The fact is, anger is very often a secondary emotion. It's the consequence of some other, primary emotion -- one that's so fearful and troubling that it leads its victim to choose anger as the less threatening of the two choices.
Let's say, for example, someone has done or said something to make us fearful. The last thing most of us want to do is admit we're feeling afraid, so we become angry instead. The same thing can happen with sadness, envy, or jealousy. These emotions themselves can feel threatening, and so some of us, in response, resort to anger as a last, primitive line of defense.
The key to dealing with many varieties of anger, then, is to search beneath the surface of the angry feelings and try to discern what's really going on. Then, when we have sensed those true feelings' presence, we are able to name them and thereby gain power over them.
The first step to learn to say, "I'm angry." Now this is a very hard thing to do in the midst of an argument, because often the angry person is not using "I" statements at all, but rather, "you" statements -- as in, "You know what the problem with you is, why it's _____ (fill in the blank)." When the angry person is finally able to admit, "I'm feeling angry," then often it's not long at all before he or she is able to say, "Yes, and I'm also feeling sad, which is where my anger is coming from." In the words of Ben Franklin, "Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one."
To practice this skill of naming and defusing anger is not easy. Many people require psychological therapy, or membership in a support group of some kind, in order to learn how to identify angry feelings within themselves. Yet, this is a skill that's very much worth acquiring. Remember, the only other choices are rage or depression.
So, let us strive not to run from anger, but to name it; and having named it, to have the courage to let it go, seeking reconciliation with those our anger has wronged. Anger is God's gift; it has its place. Yet, there is a far greater gift: the gift of love.
Prayer For The Day
God of abundant mercy,
we confess that there have been times
when we have allowed anger to rule.
We know the feeling of rage, boiling within:
how it is both frightening and strangely fascinating.
Sharpen our awareness of our inner feelings and motivations,
so we may learn to name anger for what it is.
When we, ourselves, fall victim to another's anger,
give us gifts of patience and understanding.
Keep us safe and help us to be agents of reconciliation.
We pray in the name of him
who bore the brunt of the world's anger on the cross:
Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
To Illustrate
Scott Adams, creator of the "Dilbert" comic strip, was conducting his "Second Annual Highly Unscientific Dilbert Survey," when he asked this question: "If you had a chance to hit your boss in the back of the head with one of the following objects, with no risk of being caught, which would you use?"
Here's how his respondents answered:
A large bean burrito --19%
"Nerf" ball --17%
Ripe melon --14%
Framed certificate of appreciation --13%
Outdated computer you are forced to use --13%
Your last performance review, including the 600-pound filing cabinet you keep it in -- 13%
All your coworkers, bound by duct tape, and flung from a huge catapult -- 8%
A Ford Pinto with a full tank of gas -- 7%
Adams explains why the bean burrito was the big winner: "I think the bean burrito won because it would make a really cool sound and it would be messy with or without guacamole." He observes, further, that the bean burrito may have picked up a few votes for another reason: "over 64% of respondents selected a non-lethal response, knowing if their boss were injured, it would mean more work for them."
Well, that's how things work in the twisted universe of Dilbert. Yet, even in the real world, you have to admit there's something intrinsically attractive about anger.
***
Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grievances long past, to roll over your tongue the prospect of bitter confrontations still to come, to savor to the last toothsome morsel both the pain you are given and the pain you are giving back -- in many ways it is a feast fit for a king. The chief drawback is that what you are wolfing down is yourself. The skeleton at the feast is you.
-- Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (HarperOne, 1993), p. 2
***
There is an old story about the famous painter, Leonardo da Vinci. During the time when Leonardo was working on his famous painting, "The Last Supper," he became angry with an acquaintance of his. The two men had words and parted from each other on very bad terms. Leonardo returned to the church on whose wall he was painting the fresco.
It was no use. Leonardo found he could paint nothing he was happy with. It just so happened that he had reached the point in the project where he was doing the face of Jesus. Time and again, he tried to render a passable likeness of the Lord, but he was unable to do so.
Finally, the great artist realized that he had work to do, but it was not in the church he had been commissioned to decorate. Leonardo put down his brushes and palette, and sought out the man who had been the subject of his wrath. He asked the man's forgiveness. The man accepted his apology and offered an apology of his own.
It was only then that Leonardo was able to return to the church and finish painting the face of Jesus.
***
There is a Zen parable about a wise man who was tutor to the emperor's sons. This teacher observed that the oldest boy was prone to outbursts of anger. One day, in the midst of the boy's tantrum, he dragged the child over to a beehive and thrust the prince's hand into it, until he had been stung.
The prince was so taken aback that anyone -- even his teacher -- would treat him this way that he immediately stopped his raging. Looking down at the swelling spot on the back of his hand, he cried out, "I am going to tell my father!"
"When you tell your father, tell him this," said the teacher, "look at the bee."
Together, they studied the bee that had fallen to the ground, its entrails torn out along with the stinger. They watched it until it died.
"That is the price of anger," said the teacher.
That night the boy did tell his father, the emperor. His response was to give the teacher a gold piece. When that boy became emperor, years later, he had already become known for his quiet, deliberate judgment and his resistance to being provoked.
***
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.
-- Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil (Macmillan, 1907), p. 97
***
When angry, count ten before you speak. If very angry, a hundred.
-- Thomas Jefferson
When angry, count four. When very angry, swear.
-- Mark Twain (just kidding)
