When we think of anger, we often picture Jesus, whip in hand, overturning tables in the temple, and label it “anger.” But wait! Did He “lose it”? Did He “blow His stack”? No. With purposeful resolve, He cleansed what was holy. His actions were deliberate, not a fit of rage.
Yet, there is a place, a singular moment, where the Bible uses the word anger and Jesus together.
It is in Mark 3:5.
“Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ So he stretched it out, and it was restored.”
Imagine Jesus, His gaze sweeping across the faces of the religious leaders. He sees their rigid hearts, more concerned with rules than with righteousness. He sees their indifference to a man’s withered hand. In that moment, His eyes reflect both anger and sorrow.
He didn’t lash out; He healed! He said, “Stretch out your hand.” Instantly, the man was healed. Jesus’s anger was not rage.
So what should we learn from this? The answer: When anger stirs within you, remember this scene, then ask, “What did Jesus do?” He controlled the anger and used it for good. His example reminds us that even in our anger, we can choose to do God’s will, and bring healing, not harm.
I’m Lonnie Davis, and these are thoughts worth thinking.