Angry Jesus

Mark 2:23-3:6

          I really do love to read a passage that reads He looked around at them with anger. We believe that Jesus was fully God and fully human. As a common belief, that was settled at the Council of Nicea in the year 325. It is comforting to know that Jesus lived life just like one of us. I can envision a poster or a posting on Face Book that shows Jesus holding a young leather clad youth in his arms giving comfort and support. It's a nice image and accurate for sure. We often think of Jesus' humanity in nothing but glowing and saintly terms. How nice it is when I read something about Jesus' visceral reaction to something. Real anguish at Lazarus' death or here when Jesus is really angry. 

            Do you ever get angry?

            Undoubtedly the Pharisees and the Herodians were a bit angry at Jesus as well, they are going to conspire against Jesus. What did Jesus do? Jesus' love moves him to turn anger into action as well but it isn't something bad. He cures the man with the withered hand. What actions would we take when we are angered over something? The first thing might be to use the Lord's name in vain. That's just wrong. 

             I was taught that emotions that we often consider bad are not really bad at all. What is bad is what we do with those emotions. How do we channel them? Destructive or constructive? We have the option. The Pharisees chose destructive actions. Jesus chooses constructive actions and so should we.

When faced with the seeming onslaught of inequities of this world, what are we to do? Get angry and lash out? I think not. Perhaps this is the origin of the concept and question, WWJD? ( what would Jesus do? )

              While it might seem almost blasphemous to place our thoughts on a par with Jesus, let us try to think what would Jesus do in a given situation? If we call ourselves Christians this really is what we are called to do. We are to emulate Him. If we are not Christians, Jesus is still a beautiful role model for action. Lets just make our actions positive and productive,  loving and lavished.

One sabbath he was going through the cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’

Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored. The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.