When Jesus Was Angry
In Mark 3:1–6, Jesus was angry because the Pharisees were hard of heart. How could Jesus, the perfect man, experience anger?
In His humanity, Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:20–21), born of the virgin, Mary (Matt. 1:22–25). The Lord Jesus knew not sin (2 Cor. 5:21), committed no sin (1 Peter 2:22), and in Him there is no sin (1 John 3:5). Since Jesus is sinless, it is obvious that anger can be holy and pure and free from sin. The Lord’s anger in Mark 3 was neither a loss of self-control nor the rage of a powerless person, but the perfect demonstration of His holy nature and heart toward sin.
BY Dr. Winfred O. Neely
Dr. Winfred Neely is Vice President and Dean of Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School. An ordained minister, Winfred has served churches across the city of Chicago, the near west suburbs, and Senegal, West Africa. He is the author of How to Overcome Worry (Moody Publishers) and a contributor to the Moody Bible Commentary and Moody Handbook of Preaching. Winfred and his wife Stephne have been married for forty years and have four adult children and nine grandchildren.