Sarah Mitchell
Jesus of Nazareth, the central figure of the Christian faith, is recorded as having experienced anger on several occasions during his life. One of the most well-known instances of Jesus's anger is the episode known as the Cleansing of the Temple or Jesus and the Money Changers, in which he drove merchants and money changers out of the temple in Jerusalem. This event is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and has been a subject of discussion and interpretation among Christians, including Catholics. The anger displayed by Jesus in this incident, and whether it was sinful, is a topic that has been explored by Catholic theologians and commentators.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason for anger | Jesus was angry because the money changers were overcharging devotees and making the temple a "den of robbers" |
| Target of anger | Religious establishment, primary teachers of the law, and his disciples |
| Anger control | Jesus was angry but did not lose control |
| Anger motivation | Jesus' anger was motivated by love for others and was directed at sinful behavior and true injustice |
| Anger expression | Jesus expressed his anger by flipping tables, shouting, and driving people away |
| Anger and sin | Jesus' anger was not considered sinful because it was in service of a righteous purpose |
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What You'll Learn
Jesus' anger was not considered a sin
Jesus's anger was not considered a sin because his anger was considered righteous anger. His anger had the proper motivation, focus, supplement, and control. Jesus was angry because the merchants were treating God's House with contempt, cheating, and treating people unjustly. He was not angry at God or at the "weaknesses" of others. His anger targeted sinful behaviour and true injustice.
Jesus's anger was not selfish, and he was never out of control, even in his wrath. His anger stemmed from love and concern for the spiritual condition of the Pharisees. Jesus's anger was also considered a miracle, as it would have been impossible to drive out such a large assemblage of men and animals and furniture without miraculous power.
Anger is a natural emotion, and it is not a sin. However, it can lead to sin if not controlled. Jesus's anger was far different from human anger. Humans get angry when someone offends them or keeps them from doing something they want to do. Human anger is centred around oneself and one's desires.
Jesus's anger was considered righteous because it was used to serve God's plan and righteousness. It is important to note that Jesus felt the full range of human emotions during his time on Earth. While he never sinned, he experienced anger and other emotions that can be used for good or bad purposes.
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Jesus' anger was rooted in love
Jesus's anger was always rooted in love. He was angry with the religious establishment, the primary teachers of the law, and his disciples because they were preventing vulnerable people from experiencing God's love. Jesus was also angered by the injustice of the religious and cultural outsiders being denied a place to worship. He was motivated by love to take action and restore the temple to its original purpose, welcoming in those who had been excluded.
Jesus's anger was not sinful because it was controlled and rational. He did not hurt anyone, and his anger was directed at sinful behaviour and true injustice, not at individuals. Jesus's anger was also attended by grief over the lack of faith and hard-heartedness of the Pharisees. He wanted them to experience God's love and felt angry when things got in the way.
Jesus's anger was also rooted in his love for his parents. Joseph, for example, was cheated in the exchange of coins when he purchased two turtledoves for the birth of the Lord. Jesus honoured his parents above all and was angry on their behalf.
Jesus's anger was also directed at sickness and death. He cared for people more than anything else and was angered by the suffering and loss that these brought.
Jesus's anger was a gift, and he used it wisely to enforce what is right and undo what is wrong. His anger was a force for good, and it never controlled him.
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Jesus was angry with the money changers
Jesus's anger was not considered sinful because it was controlled and rational. His anger was also rooted in love and was directed at sinful behaviour and true injustice. He was angered by the desecration of his Father's house, and by the fact that the money changers were overcharging devotees, thereby preventing people from experiencing God.
Jesus's anger towards the money changers was not an isolated incident. He also felt anger towards the religious establishment, the primary teachers of the law, and his own disciples—all because they were keeping vulnerable people away from God. Jesus's anger towards these groups was also motivated by love and a desire to help others.
In addition, Jesus felt anger when a religious leader objected to him healing people on a traditional day of rest. His anger in this situation led him to heal a man's hand, demonstrating again that his anger was rooted in love and a desire to help others.
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Jesus was angry with the religious establishment
Jesus was angry with the money changers at the Temple because they were overcharging devotees and thereby making the Temple "a den of robbers". The money changers were accepting Roman coins and giving Greek coins in return, after deducting a commission. This meant that worshippers had to use the Greek coins as offerings in the Temple. Jesus drove the money changers out of the Temple area and overturned their tables.
Jesus was also angry with the Sadducees and the Pharisees. He outwitted the Pharisees by asking them whose image was on the coin used for paying tax. They replied that it was Caesar's, so he said, "So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s". On another occasion, the Pharisees were waiting to catch Jesus in the act of breaking the Sabbath. A man with a shrivelled hand approached Jesus, and Jesus asked the Pharisees whether it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or evil, to save a life or to kill.
Jesus also felt anger towards his disciples when they prevented children from approaching him to receive his blessing. He took the children in his arms and blessed them, saying, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these".
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Jesus' anger was properly controlled
Jesus's anger was indeed properly controlled. One of the main points of teaching in the Bible is that emotion is only good if it's properly controlled. Even love must be disciplined, or it's not love at all. Anger is a gift, just like the rest of our passions. It can be disordered, but properly ordered, it is energy to enforce what is right and undo what is wrong.
Jesus's anger had the proper motivation. In other words, He was angry for the right reasons. His anger did not arise from petty arguments or personal slights against Him. There was no selfishness involved. His anger had the proper focus. He was not angry at God or at the “weaknesses” of others. His anger targeted sinful behaviour and true injustice. His anger had the proper supplement. Mark 3:5 says that His anger was attended by grief over the Pharisees’ lack of faith. Jesus’s anger stemmed from love for the Pharisees and concern for their spiritual condition. It had nothing to do with hatred or ill will.
Jesus was angry with the religious establishment (Sadducees), the primary teachers of the law (Pharisees), and his own disciples—and all for the same reason: they were keeping vulnerable people away from God. Jesus was also angry with money changers in the temple. The Bible doesn’t actually say he was angry, but it’s a pretty good assumption given that he fashioned some cords into a whip and started lashing the vendors and flipping over their tables. Jesus was angry because merchants were desecrating the temple by doing business inside it. He evicted them, but at no point did he hurt a single person. His anger was never an uncontrolled rage or irrational outburst but rather a rational action in service to righting the wrong being done in the temple.
Jesus was never in extremes. So, like little me with my parents, his appearance and that of his whip was more than enough to set them all running. They certainly did not wait to find out what might follow. So it was a miracle perhaps, but a very understandable one.
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Frequently asked questions
Jesus was angry because merchants and money changers were desecrating the temple by doing business inside it, overcharging devotees and driving away worshippers.
Anger is not a sin. Jesus's anger was never uncontrolled or irrational, but a rational action in service to righting the wrong being done in the temple.
Jesus's anger led to healing. He restored the temple to its original purpose, welcoming religious and social outsiders back into the temple.
Jesus was angry with the religious establishment (Sadducees), the primary teachers of the law (Pharisees), and his own disciples—all for keeping vulnerable people away from God.
