The other day, I was watching some DVD’s with my grandsons, Brett & Jaydon, 5 and 3 respectively. They love watching superhero DVD’s (yes!!) and so they had selected The Avengers. One of the episodes on the DVD featured the Incredible Hulk. I remember reading about the Incredible Hulk in comic books when I was a teenager. And then I watched the TV series by the same name starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno from 1978-1982. But I haven't seen the movie about the big, green guy that came out in 2008. Guess I'm going to have to do that.
If you aren’t familiar with the Incredible Hulk, the story goes like this. A scientist, Dr. David Banner, accidently exposes himself to high levels of gamma radiation. The radiation doesn’t appear to have an effect on him at first, but when Banner gets angry, he suddenly turns into a very powerful green monster known as the Incredible Hulk. The theme is basically a combination of the Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde and Frankenstein stories. Of course, the Incredible Hulk, with his raw power, greatly appeals to boys and men.
As I said, I grew up reading comic books about all the superheros, but as I sat there watching the animated version of the Hulk with my grandsons, I was reminded why I have a problem with him. The problem is that when David Banner gets angry he turns into the Incredible Hulk. The Hulk then uses his superior strength to take care of whatever situation he’s dealing with. So the underlying lesson is that getting angry solves problems. That is not the kind of lesson I want to teach my grandchildren. Or anyone else’s children or grandchildren, for that matter. The reason why is that nothing could be further from the truth.
In real life, anger creates far more problems than it solves. Think of a marriage where a couple gets into an argument. Yelling and screaming. Name-calling. Slamming doors. Throwing objects. Maybe even physical abuse. Instead of discussing their differences in a rational manner that makes solving problems possible, anger makes reconciliation very difficult. If not impossible. The same is true of other situations. Whenever a person or persons become angry, common-sense and level-headedness usually go out the window. The result is that a relatively small disagreement can mushroom into a huge argument or altercation. One that leaves behind hurt feelings. Guilt. Remorse. Lasting scars. Now there are athletes who use anger to help motivate them to play better. They nurse grudges against an opponent. Or they manufacture an offense from the most innocent of comments. Or perceive a slight. This athlete then uses their anger to help them play better. Of course, the downside to this is that an athlete’s anger can cause them to take revenge on another player. To do something that is illegal. If caught, they get penalized and so does their team. The end result is that sometimes the anger the athlete was trying to use to help them ends up hurting them and their team instead. Then there is the larger issue that anger often becomes a learned behavior. How many athletes do we know who get angry off the field as well? Who wind up getting into fights at bars. Or who are involved in domestic violence in the home.
The fact is that there is not much good that comes from anger. In the overwhelming majority of cases, anger only makes things worse. Which is why the Bible has so much to say about it. Among other things, we are told to refrain from anger. To deal with it immediately and not let it go on unaddressed (Ephesians 4:26). To stay away from people who are given to anger so that we don’t adopt the pattern ourselves (Proverbs 22:24-25). To give a gentle reply to people and not a harsh one (Proverbs 15:1). Yes, it is true that Jesus displayed anger. His cleansing of the Temple is a prime example of this. But Jesus’ anger was a holy anger. It was indignation at the callous disregard He saw of His people toward God. It was focused anger. Controlled. Unlike the anger that we often experience which leads us to become out-of-control.
The bottom line is that I’ll probably still watch the Incredible Hulk with my grandsons. But I will use it as a teaching tool. I will explain to them that anger does not solve problems. It creates them. And makes them worse. I will then tell them what the Bible says about anger. And talk to them about the poster child for anger in the Bible - Samson. Anger certainly was the undoing of his life. I will explain how allowing the Holy Spirit to control our lives is a much better route to take. That such things as patience, forgiveness and love are much better responses to problems. And problem people.
Lord, You know that anger is one issue that I struggled with as a child. Most likely I learned it from my dad. It was an area that threatened to ruin my entire life. I thank you that when I put my faith in Jesus as my Savior that Your Holy Spirit helped me in this area. To the point where now people can’t believe that I ever had a problem with it. Continue to help me to avoid anger. To be loving. Kind. Patient. Forgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
