Anger

Throughout the New Testament, we see Jesus as a Man of grace. He was patient, kind, compassionate, and even-handed, even when dealing with hotheads, malcontents, and complainers. Yet many ask, “What about the time when Jesus rode into Jerusalem and started tearing up the temple? Didn’t His anger get out of control?” Without a doubt, Jesus was angry when He turned over the tables of the money changers during Passover. There isn’t a calm way to whip and chase merchants out of the temple.

However, if you look closely at this scene, Jesus wasn’t flying off the handle in an unguarded moment of rage. He didn’t ride into town itching for a fight. He knew full well that “the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God” (James 1:20). Here’s the context: Jesus and His disciples had traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, but they arrived late in the day. Mark wrote, “Jesus went into Jerusalem and into the temple. So when He had looked around at all things, as the hour was already late, He went out to Bethany with the twelve” (Mark 11:11, emphasis added).

Did you catch that? Jesus’ first stop was the temple where He “looked around” and saw “all things.” He had already seen the greedy money changers profiteering as they converted the Roman, Greek, and other foreign money into shekels, the standard Hebrew currency, to pay the temple tax. . . .

What did Jesus do next? Did He start turning over tables? Not yet.

Instead, Jesus went home with His disciples, slept on it, and returned the next day with a plan of action. Nothing impulsive there. From what we know about how Jesus operated, I think He prayed over His actions before lifting a finger. And I’ll tell you what: He wasn’t just angry. He was grieved in His spirit. He had to be. He saw how the religious leaders had the people under their thumb, controlling them with literally hundreds of rules and regulations as burdensome as the United States tax code.

Clearly, Jesus was angry that the Pharisees had turned the temple into a “den of thieves” (Mark 11:17). But what really upset Him was the fact that the Pharisees would “bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders” (Matthew 23:4). The Pharisees were all about legalism—not freedom. They loved the letter of the law, not the spirit of the law. They failed to see there’s no way anyone can legislate their way into heaven.

We needed a Savior and that’s why Jesus came. What’s more, He is all about freedom. Jesus proclaimed, “If the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). I don’t know about you, but I sure am glad our Savior is a man of strong conviction!

Taken from The Duck Commander Faith and Family Bible