Anger

The verses that I am going to share about Jesus, today, show a character trait that we are quite used to seeing in Him: Compassion - shown through healing a man and then something we don't generally associate with Jesus, and that is: Anger.

Lets look at Mark 3:1-5....

  "He interested again into a synagogue; and a man was there whose hand was withered. They were watching Him to see if He would heal him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse Him. He said to the man with the withered hand, "Get up and come forward!" And he said to them, "Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save a life or to kill?" But they kept silent. After looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, He said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored."

  I find it very interesting to think about this situation. Here was Jesus going about his normal business. Also in the cast of characters is the man with the withered hand. And then we have the Pharisees who seem to have nothing better to do than to stand around watching Jesus and hoping He will do something that they can get Him in trouble over.

  I can certainly imagine feeling a little hot under the collar by the Pharisees but I don't know that that was really Jesus' feeling. However is does say that He had anger and He was grieved at their hardness of heart. I think that is what really bothers Jesus- people who could care less about doing good - those that simply had a hard heart that was unwilling to change.

  It is a reminder to me that it is okay (and actually right) to get upset about evil and wrong I just need to be careful to always remember Eph. 4:26 & 27 which says:  “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold."