Do We Do Well to Be Angry?

The war in Gaza is gut-wrenching, as all wars are. Ultimately, there is only one solution for lasting peace in the region. It is surprisingly a theological and psychological one. Pope Francis said this much, but his words fell on deaf ears. God’s comments to the prophet Jonah in the book bearing his name gets to the heart of what is needed now more than ever. 

Upon Jonah’s stubborn indignation that God’s grace extends to all, even those of a different faith – the hated Assyrians – God asks him, “Is it right for you to be angry?” (Jonah 4:4) The verse can also be translated, “Do you do well to be angry?” The latter better captures the salient point for us: anger is insidious and blocks the good. 

A few lines later, Jonah 4:9 makes the same point when God tells the prophet about a bush that withered which had provided him shade where he could pout about God’s generosity, “Do you do well to be angry with the plant?” And he said, “I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” Jonah’s anger is palpable, extreme to the point of causing him to want to die. His anger precludes any goodness to follow. One hears echoes of the current conflict in these words. 

Is it any wonder why anger has been labeled one of the seven deadly sins. It literally kills us individually and collectively. This is so because anger blocks the ingredient necessary for peace — forgiveness. 

The antidote for the current conflict is simply forgiveness. It is simple yet profoundly difficult to achieve. Just as individuals must forgive, so must groups and nation states. Just as individuals can be sinful so too can groups. One could argue the rise of National Socialism and WWII that followed was in part because after WWI the Allies were justifiably angry and over-punished Germany in the Treaty of Versailles; thus, a mere twenty years after WWI, the world was at war again. Anger, even righteous, justified anger, led to an unwillingness to forgive, consequently, paving the way to another world war! Today both Israelis and Palestinians must forgive, yes, forgoing justice for any progress to be made. Just see what happens if this does not occur. 

Undoubtedly, turning the other cheek is one of the hardest things to do, but the alternative is a world on fire, as it currently is. God’s words to Jonah are most apt because anger precludes forgiveness and without the latter there is no healing and moving forward. The first step in this and every conflict is to address and get rid of the anger; forgiveness is part of the process and flows forth after anger subsides. It is often argued the war in Iraq was a consequence, in part, of a righteous anger not quelled. Look where that got us. Research has demonstrated the active ingredient in forgiveness is empathy, notably for the person or group needing to be forgiven.  

God knows anger will destroy us and the world, literally; therefore, anticipating later rabbinical techniques, God asks the prophet a couple of questions, which contain the answer. God is playing therapist and in our parlance today is essentially asking, “How is the anger working for you? Of course, like Jonah, we do not do well to be angry. Interestingly, as Jonah wallows in his anger, he does not respond to God, perhaps suggesting its danger. Later, Christian tradition shockingly suggests that our destiny is tied up with our ability to forgive, a point often forgotten but arising out of the very words of the most famous of all Jews, Jesus (cf. Matt 6:14-15).      

Some will read this and find it naive, trite or even simplistic and easy to think from the vantage point of relative ease and safety in America. However, that does not make the fact that ridding ourselves of anger and enlisting forgiveness is the solution to healing oneself, the world and all conflicts between people. Forgoing retribution is the only way to stop the vicious cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Perhaps it will take the bigger, stronger party to do just that. Granted, forgiveness is exceedingly hard and takes great effort and time, but it works! Countless stories of Shoah survivors attest to this fact. Nothing else truly can bring a lasting peace and catharsis. 

The solution to this protracted, horrendous conflict that has seen too much senseless bloodshed is simple — forgiveness. Without it there is no hope. Forgiveness for October 7th, forgiveness for the Nakba, forgiveness for those who have supported in ignorance or anger one side or the other, forgiveness for the wrong that both groups have done and the violence both groups have perpetuated on each other since the beginning of this conflict. Unfortunately, we have blood on our hands. Therefore, we all need forgiveness. Granted, it is so painful and hard to achieve, but there is simply no other way forward, no other way to stop the vicious cycle of violence and death. 

God’s question to Jonah therefore reverberates to Israelis and Palestinians today, as well as to all of us: “Do we do well to be angry?”