3 Ways That Jesus' Anger Differs From Our Own
Anger.
It is one of the most intense emotions that we can feel. It can lead us to do and say things that we thought we never would and wish we never had. It is born from envy and sadness and gives birth to shame and regret. Anger is one of the biggest emotions, and if left unchecked, it is a one-way street that leads to death and destruction.
The things that we do or say in anger are embarrassing, and oftentimes, if we take some time to think about why we are so angry in the first place, we realize that the thing that made us so angry was really not as important or as big as we originally thought. Overall, anger is considered a negative emotion that creates negative outcomes, but unlike the previous emotions that we have discussed in this series, it is documented in multiple gospel accounts that Jesus did in fact experience anger. Jesus, however, got angry for much different reasons than we often do. So what are the differences?
1 – When Jesus experienced anger, there was nothing selfish about it.
If we are honest, most of our anger is very self-centered. We get angry when someone inconveniences us. We get angry when someone lies to or about us. We get angry when someone hurts us or breaks our trust. More often than not, our anger is all about us and how we have been affected by something or someone. Our anger hinges on the idea that we are the center of the universe and should not be bothered by anyone else’s actions or behaviors. Our happiness is more important than anyone else’s. Our comfort is more important than anyone else’s. How dare someone else think so highly of themselves as to cut us off in traffic or leave the dishes in the sink for us to come behind them and wash? You laugh, but I am betting that you have gotten angry at someone within the last 7 days for something similar. I know I have.
Or maybe your experience with anger in the last 7 days has seemed more serious. How dare he go on that website after he promised never to look at that stuff again? How dare she degrade me like that in front of our friends? How dare she take credit for that idea at work? How dare he lie to me about where he has been all those nights? These examples are not quite so humorous or easy to examine, but as painful and uncomfortable as it is, if we take a hard look at those examples, we will see that those also hinge around us being the most important thing in our world.
Jesus was arrested, beaten, spit on, mocked, and ultimately killed over a false accusation. Not one account of his arrest, trial, or crucifixion mentions him being angry. Why? Because he knew that it was not about him. Even though he is the son of God, he never considered himself to be better than anyone. He always valued others before himself. In fact, Luke 23:34 records him asking God to forgive the very men that had just nailed him to a cross stating ignorance as their excuse. Even in the most painful and excruciating moment of his life, he still thought of others as more important than himself. It doesn’t get much more selfless than that.
2 – Concern for God’s holiness and protecting the purity of God’s worship were at the root of Jesus’ anger.
One of the most well-known examples of Jesus’ anger is found in all four gospels. Jesus goes to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover and finds people exchanging money in the temple and selling animals for sacrifice. In his anger, he drives out all the animals and turns over the tables of the people exchanging money. This behavior is very much out of character for him, but don’t miss the Old Testament connection to this New Testament account.
Way back in Genesis, Adam was charged with guarding the Garden of Eden, which was the sanctuary of God’s presence. God created the Garden of Eden as a place where he could interact with his creation. It was the place where Adam and Eve could spend time in his presence talking with him. We all know how that turned out. The sneaky little serpent slithered in and brought sin into the sanctuary that was the Garden of Eden, thus separating Adam and Eve from God.
Fast forward to the New Testament, and the temple in Jerusalem is now the sanctuary of God’s presence. The temple is now the place where people go to worship and spend time with God, and Jesus walks in to find that, once again, the purity of the place set apart for meeting with and worshipping God is being defiled. No wonder he gets so angry. Jesus begins to do what Adam should have done in the Garden…drive out the sin that is trying to creep in and separate God from his people. The driving forces of his anger in this account are guarding the sanctuary of God’s presence and concern for God’s holiness and worship.
3 – Jesus’ anger never stemmed from hatred or ill-will but from a genuine love for others and concern for their spiritual welfare.
At the beginning of Mark 3, Jesus heals a man on the Sabbath. Before he does this, he asks his critics a question, but no one will answer him. Verse 5 says, “He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts.” His anger was birthed out of sadness and concern for the spiritual condition of the hearts of the men trying to trap him and have him killed. If I am being completely honest, most, if not all, of my experiences with anger are not birthed out of a genuine concern for the spiritual condition of someone else’s heart. Perhaps more of them should be.
Look back at those three things. Do you see the theme that connects them all? It can be found in the book of Matthew, and we talk about it all the time at Next Level Church.
Love God and love people.
That is what being a follower of Christ is all about. That is what we were created for in the first place.
So how do you experience anger the way that Jesus did and not the way that the world tells you to? You allow the Word of God to hold your anger in check the same way that Jesus did. You ask yourself these three questions:
Is this a selfless issue?
Is this rooted in a concern for God’s holiness and the purity of his worship?
Is this coming from a place of love for others and a genuine concern for their spiritual wellbeing?
If the answer is no, you take it to God and lay it at his feet. You go to God and yell and scream and throw as big a fit as you need (He is a big boy, he can take it) to feel better and prevent yourself from acting inappropriately out of the anger that you feel. This is how you allow the Word of God to hold your anger in check, and maybe, just maybe, you grow closer to God in the process.
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