“When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples.”
If you take a close look at the Gospels, there are only a couple of places where Jesus’ anger is mentioned. Most of the time, however, He demonstrated His love, compassion, and mercy. Jesus was often criticized by the religious leaders because He liked to spend time with those who did not have their lives in perfect order, the “sinners.” I can’t find a single instance of Jesus being angry with people who did not know Him yet. There are several places in the Gospels, though, where Jesus expressed His anger against the religious people who, in many ways, were making it difficult for the common people to approach God.
Today, it seems that there are many who claim the name of Christ who are angry. They seem to enjoy telling people that they are going to hell, or even holding up signs that say, “God Hates You!” Little wonder that Christians don’t get a fair portrayal in the media. If the loudest voice of Christianity is a fringe element that is always telling non-Christians how bad they are, I understand why these non-Christians do not want to have anything to do with Jesus, the Church, or Christians.
In the verse mentioned above, Jesus was angry at His disciples because they were hindering people from coming to Him. Specifically, the disciples were shooing parents away who were bringing their children to Jesus for a blessing. On this side of eternity, Jesus’ anger seems to be reserved for those who hinder others from getting to Him. Over and over again, Jesus had harsh words for the religious leaders who did not keep the Law themselves, but still felt comfortable piling more requirements on their followers.
Christians are called to be Christ’s Ambassadors. An effective amabassador is known for their tact, courtesy, persuasiveness, and ability to communicate. As ambassadors, we are representatives of the Kingdom of God. As for those angry Christians, I’m not sure who they are representing but I don’t think it is the Prince of Peace. What makes God angry? It might just be those angry Christians.
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