Anger I - DevotionaL

Mark 11:12-19

The picture is one we have probably all imagined.

Jesus got angry; the most raw of all human emotions. We have come to call it righteous indignation, but the emotion is the same. Being fully human, his pulse quickened and his blood pressure rose as he took hold of a table and flipped it end over end. A carpenter by trade, his strong hands are accustomed to handling wood, and wood is accustomed to yielding to his will.

Merchants, coins, and doves were all sent fluttering.

He stood there amid the clamor of the temple court until he could no longer stand what he was seeing. All eyes were on him. He was focused, determined, and red-faced. But why?

Was it because he had just had enough? Was he burned out?

Did the frustration of ministry finally get the best of him? Or was it something else? Was he driven by something deeper, a righteous cause?

Jesus got angry that morning because of his love for the lost. Remember the scene; he was in the temple court, but not a soul was worshiping. No one was glorifying God, and to Jesus nothing in Heaven or on earth was more important. All around him people were going about the business of church while paying no attention to the Father, and it frustrated the Son. Compassion for the lost is what compelled Jesus to leave the glory of Heaven and confine himself to the body of a man in the first place. There he was, in the temple surrounded by people who were a mere stone's throw from the Most Holy Place and yet an eternity away from their Creator.

The very same thing can happen today, if we aren't careful we can miss God while going through the motions of church. Pray that the Lord would grant you the grace to never miss him, regardless of your schedule or activities.