ReaD Jeremiah 30:23-24 & Mark 3:1-5
This Lent we have been exploring the tears of Jesus. It’s beautiful to me that Jesus cried (and hopefully this gives us permission to live into our humanity through emotional expression) and we also get to discover what made Jesus cry, what made Him angry.
God’s anger in Scripture often makes us uncomfortable. Maybe this is because an angry Jesus doesn’t fit with the image we’ve built up, or we are quick to assume anger is a negative, undesirable emotion, one that is not okay to express.
God’s anger in Jeremiah 30 is described with intense imagery. And in Mark 3, Jesus was angry and distressed with the stubborn-hearted Pharisees. These religious leaders, who should have been caring for God’s people and celebrating this witnessed miracle of restoration and healing, were instead focused on plotting Jesus’s death (Mark 3:6).
How easily are we led astray by wrong emotions? (the Pharisees were angry at the wrong thing: Jesus healing on the Sabbath). When we express anger at the wrong things, or when our anger harms others, or even when we stay silent in the face of questions of good and evil, we can, like the Pharisees, become a barrier to those whom God is seeking.
I’ve long struggled with expressing my anger in verbally hurtful ways. Being a new mom makes this fault all the more apparent and I desperately want to be a good model of healthy emotional expression for my daughter, including anger. Thank God we can look to the times Jesus expressed anger to see what should make us angry and to help us align our hearts with the God who chooses restoration, healing, and life.
We can become barriers when we stay silent, too. We may stay silent out of prideful stubborn hearts (like the Pharisees), or because of a fear of rejection and judgment. But when we stay silent about the Good News of Jesus or stay silent in the face of injustice, what are we truly rejecting? The God who came to fully restore.
I’ve lashed out in anger. I’ve stayed silent when I should have spoken up for the Gospel or out against evil. Lord forgive my stubborn heart; teach me healthy emotional expression. Align my emotions with Your heart.
For Reflection:
- When have you experienced someone else’s anger or silence that hurt you or felt like a barrier to church or God?
By Megan Littel
