God is Just Like Jesus…
09.07.25
We see a sharp contrast between how Moses and Jesus handled their “anger.” Moses, in his pride and arrogance, struck the rock. Jesus humbly laid himself down to “honor his Father’s house” in obedience without violence or retribution.
Setting aside the misread of the table turning in the Gospels (it was more of a move of compassion and less of the cage match we often picture), the common consensus is that Jesus is the picture of love (both in mercy and grace.) Unfortunately, the same is not always understood with our picture of God. Thanks to many challenging texts in the Old Testament, there are many who struggle to see God as compassionate. Here is a long quote from the great book “Having the Mind of Christ” about this issue.
“God is just like Jesus. To put it another way, “God is Christlike, and in him is no un-Christlikeness at all.” To say that God, who is always present and at work, is the kind of God you’d want to have around doing stuff! There are all kinds of ‘gods’ (Zeus, Molech, Loki) who’s presence and work in our lives would be MOST unwelcome. Also, many of us have an unconscious tendency to pit God against Jesus, as if Jesus died to save us from God. But according to the New Testament, Jesus reveals the God who saves us from sin and death. Jesus doesn’t make it possible for God to forgive us; Jesus reveals God’s forgiving love to us. God is just like Jesus. Jesus is what God is like, full stop. “The Son is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being.” Hebrews 1:3”
When we see the consequences of Moses’ lapse in character (acting out of anger and pride), God’s love continued to pour out to the people, but Moses ended up missing out on the fullness of God’s blessing.
When we have a tainted view of God (as angry instead of loving), we can also miss out on God’s blessings because we start to see God as a boss who is keeping tabs on us all. If we see God that way, those around are viewed as a means to either gain more of God’s favor or God’s side eye, depending on how you see them. If we see the God we serve as compassionate TO ALL, it frees us from seeing people as utilities or liabilities so we can be compassionate TO ALL.
Seeing God clearly, and seeing ourselves clearly (which includes confession and repentance), will lead to us seeing others compassionately. When that happens, the emotion of anger won’t be placed onto others (or ourselves), but can be a healthy motivator to right the wrongs around us, which restores God’s glory in God’s house (the world around us.)