If you are trying to put out a fire, by all means, do not douse it with gasoline. Or as the writer of Proverbs says, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15:1). We are tempted to take up somebody else’s anger. This is a mistake because it has no resolution. One who has been wronged can forgive a harm. But if we take up their offense, we have no easy resolution, since we were not really harmed by it.
After the people of Ephesus had ranted and fumed for a few hours, the city clerk came out and calmed the situation down. Listen to his reasoning: everyone knows the worship of Artemis is important. These men did not rob, vandalize, or blaspheme the temples. If there is a legal issue, the idol-makers can take the Christians to court. If we get caught rioting, we couldn’t explain our reasons for it to the authorities. In this case, logic carried the day.
The part of our brain called the amygdala leads us to fight, flee, or freeze. It shuts down the reasoning part of our brain with a surge of adrenaline. Cortisol was flooding the minds of the angry mob in the theater at Ephesus. But the city clerk’s calmness became contagious, defusing the situation. Again, the writer of Proverbs says, “Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end” (Proverbs 29:11). Best of all, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9). We remind the world of our Father when we seek and make peace.
