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Hey wait, didn't Jesus get angry? Since the beginning of mankind, anger, jealousy, bitterness, and strife have plagued our society. The Bible gives us clear direction on what kind of anger is acceptable, and what kind of anger to get rid of.
Jesus was God's only son, and he was without sin (Hebrews 4:14-15). But Jesus did get angry on at least two occasions as recorded in the Bible. Perhaps the most well know is when Jesus cleaned out the temple by throwing out the moneychangers (Matthew 20:12). And when the scribes accused him of "working on the Sabbath" because he healed a man's hand (Mark 3:5). How can this be that sinless Jesus was angry? Clearly some kinds of anger are not sinful. Ephesians 4:26-27 tells us to "be angry, and sin not", and to not let the sun go down while we are angry so that we don't give the devil an opportunity. Anger in and of itself is not sinful, but often sin can result from anger. Unresolved anger grieves the Holy Spirit and gives ground to bitterness, rage, brawling, slander, and other forms of malice. (Ephesians 4:30-32)
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Can you remember a time when you had a disagreement with someone, and after you discussed it with them and forgave each other you felt better? That is God's way to resolve anger, if you feel someone has wronged you, go to them and discuss it with them in humility. (Matthew 18:15).
So if unresolved or unjustified anger is wrong, what kind of anger is O.K.? In both of the situations where Jesus displayed anger, he was indignant because someone else was being wronged. He was angry because someone else was being mis-treated, not himself. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek when we are wronged (Matthew 5:38). But Jesus demonstrated to us to stand up for others in a spirit of truth and righteousness. Think of things that make you angry. How many of them are you angry because of how you were treated? How many of them are you angry because of how someone else was treated? That is the difference between Godly anger and our sin. If you find it difficult to control your anger and bitterness, you are not alone.
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Unresolved anger festers like an open wound and grieves our relationship with God and man.
In summary, the picture that Jesus has painted for us of Christianity is one where we care less about ourselves than we do about others. People may treat us bad, and we by the grace of God turn the other cheek and speak kindly to them in return. But when we see someone else treated badly we come to their defense if it is a just and righteous cause. And in all cases, when we become angry, either in our sin, or in defense of others we resolve that anger quickly with those who have angered us. This is a beautiful picture, but difficult to obtain. Difficult for those who are new creations in Jesus, but impossible for those who do not serve Jesus. Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and we are made right by the grace of Jesus through believing in him (Romans 3:23-24).
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