Don’t Try This At Home.

If you were to ask someone if Jesus ever got angry, they would probably say yes and refer to the story where he overturns the tables of the money changers. But that’s not accurate. All four of the gospels include a passage about Jesus overturning tables but in none of them does it say anything about his being angry. The noun ὀργῆς (orgēs),

anger, appears in Mark 3:5, and it’s a unique example of this word being applied to Jesus. When we are accustomed to understanding anger as sin, then this is a problem. In the gospels Jesus is presented like Isaiah’s suffering servant, one  who does the will of his God and father without arguing, complaining or trying to figure it out. Moreover, in the gospels, as in Isaiah, it is the will of the Lord that his servant is bruised, is smitten. For no reason. In other words, he didn’t do anything to incur being struck. He is faultless, blameless  - without sin. How then do we reconcile that with this passage from the Gospel of Mark?
 
Join me in a discussion of Mark 3:1-6.

Notes:
Matthew 5:21-22
ὀργῆς (orgēs) - anger

Abba Poemen of Egypt.

“Voodoo Who” and “Run Amok” performed by the Flesh.