Q2. Jesus' Anger

[Pastor Ralph]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?

[Jen]

I love this!  Apparently Jesus was angry.  Was His anger justified?

I wonder if some were saying to themselves What is this guy's problem.  We have to live.  What's wrong with selling in the temple.  We are doing the little people a favor.  So we make a little profit.  However this guy looks serious. We better not argue.  As I write this I am feeling the callousness which lies in the recesses of my heart and I feel very sad because I know some of what God has done for me. Will I ever know or realize it all?  Am I like the money changers down there in the deep recesses? There is a song by Ray Boltz which says "the only thing I'm praying for is Your mercy".  I pray for Your mercy Lord.

Yes Jesus was angry and justifiably so.  They were making the temple and true worship of repentance and gratitude nothing but a business transaction.  It was like they were saying There God we have given you your due, and it had everything to do with what was in their hearts, the bottom line, profit and power.

We should be angry with injustice to others and the lack of respect and honor given to a just and holy God who could squash us but instead has extended mercy after mercy to us.  I wonder how out of touch with reality I am sometimes.

Anger can be good or bad.  It depends on why we are angry and how we handle it.  

 

God Bless!

Jen

Numbers 6:24-26

[blezed]

Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why?

1.  Yes.  Jesus anger was appropriate because it was about injustice.  The merchants were cheating the people and all they were trying to do was give their sacrifice and worship God. 

 

Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?       

2.  Anger could be both, good or bad.  It depends on how we use our anger.  Anger gets us in trouble when it is not controlled or used for the wrong reason.   

[JanMary]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why?

 

Yes, it was. The men were desecrating His Father's house and cheating the pilgrims who had to purchase sacrificial animals and birds.

 

Is anger good or bad?

 

Anger is neither good nor bad. It's an emotion God gave us. It's how it's used or expressed which makes it good or bad. Anger is meant to motivate us to make a change, or to intervene, or to stop injustice or abuse, to set boundaries. It's a powerful energy source which needs to be dealt with in a healthy way.

 

What about anger gets us into trouble?

 

Anger gets us into trouble when we attack, abuse, misuse it, or "stuff it" internally, which can make us sick. I learned from Dr. H. Norm Wright, Christian counselor, a godly way to deal with anger. He suggested: First, journal the anger...when writing about how angry we are, the anger literally comes through our fingers, and through the pen onto the paper. He suggests, just get it out....don't worry about punctuation, spelling, etc.( It's a force of energy which swirls around in the body and creates disease if not released.) After journaling, give the anger to God, and forgive the perpetrator(s).

 

Then we're free to decide what action, if any, needs to be taken. We're also free to confront without "Nuking" the other person and causing further injury. Because we are more rational and calm and the Lord has been given a chance to be involved in the process, any discussion will have a better outcome since forgiveness has already been given, and we're open to listening.

 

Growing up in a violent home with death threats and beatings, I learned to stuff anger, pretend I didn't feel angry. I so appreciate Norm's advice. I follow his steps whenever I'm angry or hurt, since hurt can mask anger. Men are more prone to express anger, while women are more prone to express hurt, as angry women are not thought of as feminine. I suffered frequent bladder infections, headaches, sore throats, stomach issues, and other "ills" until I learned to get the anger outside of my body.  "Anger is like a strong tornado swirling around inside" until it's let out, preferably in a healthy way. Anger gives us a sense of power, so for some it's difficult to learn to let it go.

[RebeccaMallinson]

Yes, his anger was justified.  It was a desecration of a holy place.  Anger is good when it is ‘righteous’.  This means for the 'right' reasons, not for selfish reasons.  If you are angry at a great injustice against vulnerable people, this is correct.  To become angry during a personal disagreement is wrong.  Anger gets us into trouble because we often start to behave irrationally (as I know to my own cost).  It also creates enmity instead of peace.

[haar]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?
 

Jesus' anger was justified because it was righteous anger against a wrong that was not directed to him as a person but against someone- his father and indeed God

 

Anger can be good or bad depending on the motive of the anger as stated above.

 

Righteous anger can get people into trouble as it did to Jesus just as unrighteous anger can do.

[Scotty10]

Was Jesus angry?   well yes! It is very apparent that he was angry with what was taking place in the temple and he sent a clear message to the merchants that were inside the temple gate that it was wrong as to what the were doing and decided to correct it.  

 

anger can be either good or bad depending on the what and how it is used.  Unless we(being myself included) can control our anger and and the way it is applied then possible it could be used for good when an injustice is done.  But for most part in my situation, anger results in poor judgement and could lead to worse situations - verbal confrontation, violence ect

[Clarence]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?

 

J.B Phillips translates verse 17 "zeal for your house has eaten me up", anger is an understatement to describe how Jesus reacted to the trading in the temple, he was outraged, he was consumed! Therefore he reacted accordingly.

I like Janmary's comment, "anger is an emotion that God gave us". The anger that Jesus expressed was appropriate for the circumstances, as he stated, it was his father's house, after all.

It would be interesting to know if this incident was deliberate and thought through by Jesus first, or wether his anger and outrage was impulsive. I tend to think it was the former. He probably knew too that his actions would put him at odds with the Jewish authorities. So we need to consider the consequences of our actions.

[Donzella Maupin]

We can not go wrong with the word of God.  The word teaches us in Ephesians 4:26 "Go ahead and be angry.  You do well to be angry but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge.  And don't stay angry.  Don't go to bed angry.  Don't give the devil that kind of foot hold in your life (Message translation).  So truly indeed Jesus was justifiable.  If believers work the word in their life their anger should not get them in trouble

[Guitar Jim]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? 

 

In this case Jesus' anger was wholly justified. Whether the people understood why He was angry or not, He probabaly didn't care. His righteous anger at what had become of His temple (and it was His temple) spurred him to action.

 

 

 

Why?

 

Well, consider this: What was happening had been going on for a long time. God had not raised up a prophet to do what Jesus had done up to that time. In Old Testament times this sort of thing was what a prophet of God would do. Many of them were told by God to behave in some strange and bizzare ways to draw attention to whatever message God had for them. Some prophets actually took a leadership role, like Elijah and Elishah.

So in this instance Jesus was doing the work of a traditional prophet.

Also: Jesus was far more than a mere prophet, He was the Son of God. It was what we might call a personal in-store appearance by the head guy, the owner of the store. He had every right to be angry at the state of affairs. All the Gospels recorded Jesus' cleansing of the temple and it probably left a lasting impression in the minds of everyone there at the time as well. Mission accomplished!

 

 

 

Is anger good or bad?

 

Anger is usually bad. When we get angry we often cross the line and use our anger to justify taking revenge and getting even. There are a few types of anger. The only one that can be not regarded as sinful is righteous anger, outrage at an unjust action or a deplorable set of circumstances. It's OK to be angry when we hear of some paedophile, or murderer, or suicide bomber, or terrorist, or a con man who's ripped off innocents, etc. But even then, we must not let our anger lead us into sin. Righteous anger MUST be tempered with reason and be directed into a positive response, rather than merely used to justify punishing a guilty party.

 

 

 

What about anger gets us into trouble?

 

We can get into trouble, maybe not in the eyes of man, but in the eyes of God, when we let our anger have full sway and take revenge on whoever is in the wrong. We're told by Jesus Himself to forgive those who sin against us. Now that's what we should always try to do. Sometimes . . . and I'll use bullying as an example . . . the person sinning against us keeps on doing it. Should we retalliate? Should we just forgive 70 times 7 times and let ourselved continue to be bullied?

 

As a third party should we stand by and think: It's OK, what's-his-name is a Christian and he's forgiving that dude for humiliating him or whatever the bully is doing. I'll do nothing and let that keep happening? I don't believe it is OK. If we see a wrong being done and do nothing to stop it, we're committing the sin of omission. I've seen bullying victims' lives irrevocably ruined because they wouldn't or couldn't defend themselves and no one else took up their cause and made it stop. The more a bully gets away with it the more he'll keep doing it. The time will come when someone will have to teach the bully a hard lesson, and that will most likely be in the form of a severe beating. That's the easy solution and not what God wants. I don't have the answers here.

 

In our world today there is terrorism on a world-wide scale. We are rightly outraged by the beheadings and other acts of brutality. Our countries' leaders have the power and authority to mete out punishment to the ones committing the brutal acts. Unfortunately the terrorists are so far gone because of a lifetime of brainwashing that the only practical solution is to kill them. At least that's the world's perception. As Christians what should our attitude be? We're approaching a holy war situation here. Their god, Allah . . . and I will never believe that Allah is the same god as Jehovah . . . encourages them to kill anyone who is not a follower. That's gotta stop.

 

 

 

 

[hanks]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) 

Apparently, Jesus was angry. 

Was his anger justified? 

Why? 

Is anger good or bad? 

What about anger gets us into trouble?

Yes, His anger was justified. In a place of sacred worship, people were carrying on as if they were in a common market place! The selling of animals for sacrifice was a needed service for the great crowds who came to worship, but it was the way the priests commercialised it; making great profits that angered Jesus. The same with the moneychangers. Here the priests would not take the Greek and Roman coins that were used by everyone, but made the people exchange their money for official Jewish coins, at inflated prices, of course, thereby insuring great profits to them. We read in 1 Timothy 6:5, that it is a sin to use religion as a money making scheme. I’m afraid this seems to be a very popular and profitable way of making money today! I apologise if I’m being too sceptical, but when I see the lifestyle of some of the so called ministers/ pastors of today, and read about their wealth, who can blame me. What amazes me is that their followers don’t see them for who they are – false teachers! False teachers have a simple motivation: money. Jesus is driven by a burning zeal for the honour of His Father. Anger can sometimes be justified, especially when a great injustice has been done. However, anger can get out of hand and then it is then an attitude of the flesh (Gal 5:20), and can get us into serious trouble. We should be slow to anger. A man who is quick-tempered does not produce the kind of righteousness which God expects of us. 

 

[Delivered]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry, was his anger justified?

Jesus actions displayed his zeal and love for his Father, his actions rightfully displayed his strong and emotional response to the laws of God, his actions were justified, for his anger was utilized effectively, to set boundaries instead of retaliation.

 

We must not ever forget, God’s judgment, his wrath is coming, and I believe it is not far away from a people who do not “Fear the LORD God”.

 

Q. Is anger good or bad?

Anger is a normal response to any situation that may be interpreted as being a threat, or crossing ones basic boundaries, it is an emotion felt by virtually all humans at some time or other, it is how we react to that anger that determines if it is good or bad, anger must be dealt with, or it could become spontaneous, and lead to uncontrolled fits of anger, anger without a cause, utilized to display ones zeal for God appropriately, can be used for corrective action.

 

Q. What about anger gets us into trouble?

We are to be careful that we not be angry with a brother without a cause, for one will be in danger of judgment.

 

[lighthouse2014]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?

Jesus anger was justified because they had turned His Fathers House in to a house of profit for the merchants and money changers. Being angry is not a sin if it is used or directed correctly to justify a situation.

The original intention of the temple was solely to pray and worship the Lord and offer sacrifices, thus the temple was never intended for such wicked activities that were being conducted in the temple during Christ time of visitation.

Anger will most likely get us into trouble because we use it to express our intentions which are usually destructive or hateful toward others. Jesus used the anger to to show that what they were doing was not God's purpose of the temple.    

[SoiKosum]

(John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble? 

 

Yes, Jesus was justified as the people had turned the Temple, a peaceful place where people can seek God, into a marketplace. God's house had become perverted from its main function as a house of prayer, and turned into something resembling a market, at which everyone brought their produce, set up stalls, and crowds came to do their shopping. "... Zeal for your house consumes me,..." (Psalm 69:9) 

Jesus has so identified with his Father, that he sees the merchandising as an insult to his Father,

and thus to him. He takes it personally! I would suppose that there is such a thing as righteous anger - anger at injustice and sin. However, the important issue is whether we can control that anger or do we let that anger control us. If we let anger control us, it will dictate our actions, which could result in dire consequences. 

[Commissioned]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?

Jesus' anger was indeed justified as His Father's House was being used for purposes other that what God had intended it to be used for.  Anger can be good and bad, but in this case it was good.  If Jesus had not gotten angry and allowed the blasphemy to continue He would have sinned and He cannot sin.  Sinning in this case is seeing wrong or injust being done and turning a blind eye.  Anger that gets us into trouble is anger that is unjustified; such as, anger that causes physical or mental harn to someone.

[AHKriska]

Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Yes, His anger was justified.

Why? It appeared to Him that people had forgotten the purpose of the temple. Instead they were concerned for their own gain.

Is anger good or bad? Anger is good.  It's okay to get angry.

What about anger gets us into trouble?  Displaying anger inappropriately is not good. The outcome of our anger should lead people to God, not discourage them. Anger control is the key to engaging people in a discussion that is a blessing rather than a hindrance to prayer or belief in God.

[quilter]

Yes Jesus was angry. He took the evil acts in the Temple as an insult against His Father. Jesus could not stand this flagrant act of disrespect toward God. Jesus was angry but He didn't sin He showed that He meant business. You can be angry but don't sin it is hard to do and I do this sometimes.

 

anger gets us in trouble when we try to handle on our own. We need to get over the anger and then ask God help us with what made us angry.

[Old Jerry]

Jesus was angry and it was justified. People were abusing the temple and that was His house. Anger can be good as long as it kept under control. Sometimes we get angry about something that does get us into trouble. Jesus anger got him into trouble, but this is something that we will have to live with.

[maddog]

His anger was justified.  The people were not worshiping God or respecting His house.  One's anger can be good or bad.  Depends on the process of the anger.  One can be angry about what's going on in the world and take appropriate steps to stop the "wrong" activities or situation.  Uncontrolled anger is dangerous and deadly.

[grace2free]

Q2 (John 2:11-17)

Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified?

Yes, it is justified.

 

Why?

that God's house had become perverted from its main function as a house of prayer, and turned into something resembling a market, at which everyone brought their produce, set up stalls, and crowds came to do their shopping.

 

For the Son of God to return his Father's House to its rightful state was entirely appropriate, if not "politically correct."

 

Is anger good or bad?

Yes, some anger is good. Those controlled anger that acts appropriately.

 

What about anger gets us into trouble?

Uncontrolled anger will cause troubles.

[royk]

Q2 (John 2:11-17) Apparently, Jesus was angry. Was his anger justified? Why? Is anger good or bad? What about anger gets us into trouble?

 

It was clearly all measured what HE did, dished out as one who would honor the Father in all situations, and defend His honor an glory in this important place of worship.

We could call this an at of tough love. Even our own tough love must be calculated and measured, not really done out of anger, but to educate any wrong doing; like a child being spanked carefully by the father [not much of this done today in 2014]

 

Any emotional anger will become excessive and is a danger to both the person who is angry and the person who angered him/her. Justice belongs to the Lord, we are not to judge nor be the jury. We put it in God's hands and in the courts and laws that rule our material world. 

 

Excesses of anger can lead us into jail or very damaged relationships with others, even loved ones

[parkerslope]

Apparently, Jesus was angry.  Was his anger justified?

Yes!

 

Why?

 

God is always right!  Jesus is God!  Therefore Jesus was justified in His anger because He knew what was best.

 

Is anger good or bad?

Anger can be good or bad, depending on what a person is angry about.  Good anger is when we become angry at some injustice that we witness.

 

What about anger gets us into trouble?

Bad anger occurs when we are angry for selfish reasons and the result will have consequences of "pain".

[linda bass]

Jesus' anger was justified because the priests was using God's temple as a place to do business transaction.

Anger can be either good or bad depending on the reason for the anger.

What about anger gets us in trouble is, it causes us to lose control of our emotions or temple. Often we say or do something in anger that we regret later.

[pickledilly]

Jesus was righteously angry, and justifiably so.  The commercial activity going on in the temple revealed that the heart of Israel was far from Yahweh and the disregard of His holy House of Prayer was inexcusable and intolerable.  Jesus, as God the Son, had the authority and right to be infuriated with their disrespect, dishonor, and disobedience.

 

Psalm 4:4-5, Be angry and do not sin…put your trust in the LORD.

Ephesians 4:26-27, Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and give opportunity to the devil.

 

Anger is sometimes an appropriate response to injustice and wrong.  But we’re warned in Scripture to beware.  The danger of anger is when we allow this intense feeling to take over our thoughts, words, and actions.  When we nurse anger and do not deal with it, we react out of this raging emotion rather than respond with a clear reasonable head.  And harboring anger leads to resentment, bitterness, and a hardness of heart.  The remedy is to face it, confess it, and trust God with it so that it does not become a tool of satan that will be used to steal, kill, and destroy.

[JoanG]

Jesus had every right to be angry when He entered the temple and saw the disgraceful way people were treating it. There is good anger and bad anger. The anger that causes people to stand up for what is right and to fight against evil is good. If we come together in a loving way and show support without causing damage or injury to the innocent, we can show our Christian hearts to all those involved.

 

However, when riots occur that do damage to innocent people or their property, we show that we are no better than animals. We are not showing we are like Christ. We are showing that we have no concept of right from wrong. We show that we are probably worse than those that caused us to riot in the first place. We show just how lawless we can be a humans.