Did Jesus ever get angry?
Jesus clearly displayed anger during His earthly life. The primary example is His response to those who were exchanging money and selling animals at the temple (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; John 2:13-22).On another occasion, Jesus asked the religious leaders if it was okay to heal a person on the Sabbath day. When they would not answer, we are told, "he looked around at them with anger" (Mark 3:5) before healing a man. His anger centered on the attitudes of religious teachers who claimed to know the Law yet cared more about themselves than whether a person was healed.
So yes, Jesus was angry at times, yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). Likewise, believers in Christ are taught, "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). While anger is often viewed as a completely negative emotion, there are times a person can be angry for appropriate reasons. In the case of Jesus, His anger was the result of ungodly attitudes and actions by those around Him. In addition, God the Father often displayed anger in the Old Testament when people sinned against Him and when injustices took place in the world. Still today, when Christians see sinful actions taking place, especially by those who claim to be religious leaders, it should cause anger. Why? Because such anger reflects the attitude of Christ in these situations (Philippians 2:5).
Anger that reflects the anger of Christ requires two aspects. First, it must be properly motivated. In other words, anger because you do not get your way in a situation does not count. Religious hypocrisy or injustices of poverty or oppression are proper, godly reasons to become angry.
The second aspect required for our anger to reflect Christ's anger is to act appropriately when we are angry. Jesus healed a man even when He was angry, revealing that we are called to do good even when we are upset. In addition, the passages referring to Jesus turning over tables in the temple showed His anger properly expressed to remove people who were breaking God's Law by taking advantage of the system of animal offerings rather than focusing on worship of the Lord.
Further, the anger of Jesus did not result in a long-term grudge. Instead, His anger was an emotion that resulted in proper actions. Today's believers must seek the same response. Anger left unchecked or wrongly motivated can result in long-term unforgiveness that causes problems in a believer's own life.
In summary, Jesus did become angry on some occasions, yet He was not known as an angry person. Further, His anger was not an excuse for sinful actions, but rather for positive actions that helped others and honored God.
Was Jesus sinless?
What was the historical Jesus like? Who was Jesus as a person?
Was Jesus a pacifist?
What were the key events in the life of Jesus?
How do I get the image of God as being angry out of my mind?
Truth about Jesus Christ
