Anger Options
Jet pilots describe how the body responds when the force of gravity increases as mach speed increases. Not only does the chest feel more and more pressure, the field of vision gets narrower and narrower. At some point only a pinhole of light is left, and either you slow down or you black out.
Anger also works like this. As your anger increases your options decrease. As anger swells your ability to see clearly gets smaller.
Solomon says that anger dwells in the bosom of fools.
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools.
(Ecclesiastes 7:9 bibrefecclesiastes7 bibrefecclesiastes7v9 ESV)
Madness means a loss of mind. A man who’s gone mad may just be crazy, he may be destructive.
The Pharisees were angry with Jesus. When they saw the man with the withered hand they were not touched with pity or mercy (Luke 6:6-7 bibrefluke6 bibrefluke6v6 bibrefluke6v7). When they watched Jesus heal they were not persuaded by Jesus’s power. When they heard Jesus’s question about healing or harming, saving or destroying his life—which is about as basic as it could be—they were not able to see themselves in the story.
They were “filled with fury” (ESV), “filled with rage” (LSB), “filled with madness” (KJV) and it is because they were without mind (ἀνοίας) (Luke 6:11 bibrefluke6 bibrefluke6v11). They discussed their options for dealing with Jesus but all they could come up with was one: harm Him.
Anger narrows your life. Brothers and sisters, mortify your anger before it makes you mad.