Hate - ertainment

The capacity to hate, never ceases to amaze me. In fact, it has gone behond capacity and is more like desire. As a nation, we just seem to love having someone or something to sneer at and despise. The story recently of the (alleged) peodophile nursery worker is just the latest in a stream of stories where people have gone out of their way to publicly display their hate. Whilst I too am worried and disturbed by the accused behaviour, I have to wonder what makes someone go out and allow their personal feelings be aired in public. Some of the behaviour in this case, spiting, swearing, threats and even an arrest for disorderly behaviour, resulted in the news being more about them than the original perpetrator!

I have to wonder where society is heading when this sort of behaviour is becoming more and more common place, even acceptible! Passion is one thing, but allowing passion to develop into mob mentality is quite another. Couple that with the increase in this type of crime, or indeed many others, and we get a rather depressing view of our world!

Thinking these things through I was immediately challenged with the Gospel reading in which Jesus got passionate and allowed that to spill into agressive action. I am of course talkign about the turning of the table in the temple. Reflecting on it a little further thouth I have come to the conclussion that the two examples are in no way related, and that by having this display of anger Jesus was not advocating the scenes we witness frequently on our televisionh screens.

In Jesus' case there was somehting that needed addressing that wasn't being addressed by anyone else. We have a criminal system in our country that at least tries to be fair, therefore action is taken for us.

I believe that in the turning of the tables Jesus was completely in control, he knew exactly what he was doing and why it needed doing, at no point did his anger escalate to the degree he went further than necessary. No sword fights, spitting at officials or threats of physical abuse. This is in stark contrast to us today, in which we allow (we refering to society, but not everyone in it) our emotions to get the better of us, and when we start we find it difficult to stop - especially if in a group of people.

The biggest difference between to two is that in the case of our daily displays of protest, the route cause is usually hate, it is a chance for peopleto gather and vent at the object of their hatred. Justice is already being carried out, the only purpose is therefore to publicly display rage and hate. In Jesus's case the underlying emotion was Love. Love for God people. This Love led to a practice and tradition being challenged. He didn't march up to the pharisees and spit in their faces, or threaten violence if they didn't stop their profiteering, he directly addressed the system.

As difficult as it is sometimes, we would do well to follow the examples of Jesus. Focus our energies on Love, and allow that to provoke action where action is needed, rather than be fuelled by hate, which serves no purpose other than to pull us down with it!

God Bless