March 31

Mark 11:15-19

Anger can be a difficult emotion to understand and manage, especially in this day and age. Most of us in polite society see anger as something to be avoided, something that nice and tolerant people keep out of their feelings repertoire. It is often viewed as the emotion of immaturity, something that is reserved for small children in their selfish meltdowns or for road ragers who frighten other drivers on the highway. Pervasive anger is often assigned as a symptom of deeper mental health issues, like a wet cough that accompanies pneumonia. In such cases, the patient works to develop appropriate coping strategies to manage this symptom rather than letting it have its head. Many in the faith see anger as an outpouring of the sin nature into our struggle for Christ-likeness. Certainly Cain is our example of what not to do as he let anger fill his hands for fratricide (Genesis 4:5-8). James, the brother of Jesus, made it clear that the Christ follower should “be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19-20). The Apostle Paul even goes so far as to tell us to “rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice…” (Colossians 3:8). So, in light of all this, anger is always bad and should be eradicated from the life of anyone who calls themselves a Christian, right? Well, maybe not.

Jesus got angry. It was part of His identity. In fact, this emotion highlighted multiple iconic moments in His life. Jesus was so angry with Peter that He called him “Satan” when he tried to derail the Lord’s mission (Matthew 16:23). Jesus was so angry with a fig tree that failed to feed Him that He cursed it to death (Matthew 21:18-19). Jesus was angry with His disciples when they tried to prevent children from approaching Him in public (Mark 10:14). Jesus was angry with the hard-heartedness of the religious elite who tried to trap Him as He healed a man in a synagogue on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5). And of course, Jesus repeatedly expressed His anger for the Pharisees and teachers of the Law who attacked Him because He was a threat to their power and position (Matthew 23:13-36). And perhaps the greatest expression of His anger was demonstrated in His violent attack on the temple grounds, which happened twice in His earthly ministry - once at the beginning and once at the end (John 2:13-25, Mark 11:15-19).

So, why was He angry, and what motivated Him to act out so violently in the worship center of His people? We can understand this scene when we understand that the anger of Jesus points to the priorities of God. This blowup takes place in the Court of the Gentiles on the Temple Mount, an area of approximately 35 acres with thousands of people present. This Court that surrounded the Temple proper was the only location where God-fearing non-Jews could come and worship the One True God. All other spaces were off limits to them. In this space, the corrupt religious establishment that ran the joint (Annas the high priest, a Sadducee appointed by Rome) operated like the mafia. Animals brought in for sacrifice from faithful Jews would be rejected by inspectors requiring the worshipper to purchase other animals on site at an exorbitant rate, and only after exchanging their money for temple currency. The whole thing was a scam, created to exploit those trying to enter God’s presence to obtain His grace, and all of this taking place in the only location where foreigners could worship. This is why Jesus quotes Isaiah 56:6-7 saying, “my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.”  Christ’s anger, not spontaneous but planned (Mark 11:11), was aimed at perverted purveyors of false religion who preyed on vulnerable people who just wanted to worship the Lord. Such evil made Jesus irate with righteous indignation (John 2:17). 

So what do we do with this, and how can this impact our perception of anger? Psalm 4:4 and Ephesians 4:26 tell us, “In your anger, do not sin.” This implies that we will become angry at times, but sin does not have to be part of it. In fact, the closer we get to Christ, the more we will be like Him, and what angers Him should anger us. We should love what God loves and hate what God hates, for even His hate is perfect because it comes from righteousness (Romans 1:18). The mission of Jesus is a mission of redemption, and there is an enemy out to disrupt it. In the Spirit of Christ, let us direct our anger towards Satan’s destruction as we overturn the tables of his exploitive corruption. In doing so, we will see the healing of the nations and the magnification of our King (Matthew 21:14-16). 

• What makes you angry, and does it model the anger of Jesus? 

• What would it look like if you loved what God loves and hate what God hates?

• What “tables” need to be “overturned” in your life or in the lives of those around you?

Merciful God, thank you for quenching Your anger with the blood of Your Son so that we might live at peace with You. Empower us as Your people to live like Jesus lived, love like Jesus loved, and hate what Jesus hated. Let us operate as His hands and feet in this world today so that we can lift others to glorify You. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen