The New Testament is full of examples of when Christ showed grace and compassion on mankind. What is less well known, especially by those secular Christians who limit their theology to verses such as Luke 10:27b, are the times when He got angry at those around Him. Studying the context of these events can provide the believer with a roadmap on when we should consider moving from grace to rebuke.

When did Jesus get angry?

There are at least four examples of Jesus rebuking or getting angry with those around Him.

When tradition was prioritized over love.

In Mark 3, Jesus was challenged by his enemies for healing on the Sabbath. Their traditions were very restrictive on how much “work” could be done on the holy day of the week. To do more was considered a sin, based on traditions rather than Old Testament law. Jesus ignored their view and healed a man in the synagogue who had a withered hand, and then rebuked those who considered this miracle as work:

Mark 3:4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.

Tradition means nothing if it is not supported by Scripture. That is true of the church (ex., Catholicism) and Christians as individuals (examples could include Santa Claus, decorations, and the Easter bunny).

When someone interrupts divine appointments.

Toward the end of the book of Mark, parents were bringing their children to Jesus so He could bless them. The disciples, thinking that Christ was overwhelmed with other ministry and more focused on adults, scolded the parents for bothering Him (Mark 10:13). But Jesus’ response was different.

Mark 10:14 When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.

The Lord calls each of us to share His Good News with a lost and dying world. Those who interfere in that effort or attempt to build walls that isolate others from true faith in Jesus will be called to account for their behavior at the end of this life.

When commercialism or commerce becomes part of the ministry of the church.

When Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers in the outer court of the temple, three of the gospels recorded the event, contributing to its significance. Though Christ never used the word “angry,” His actions were clear.

Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!”

The “Health and Wealth,” or prosperity gospel, is an example of contemporary profiting from Christianity. We are saved by God’s grace and our faith in Jesus Christ, turning from our sins and accepting Him as our Lord and Savior. Those who promote the false belief (and grow rich as a result) that church donations result in God’s blessings are neither supported by Scripture nor by God Himself. As Paul confirmed later in Scripture…

2 Corinthians 2:17 You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

It should also be noted that Jesus was angry at the commercialization of the outer court because it was the court of the Gentiles, the only place where non-Jews could enter, which blocked outsiders from an opportunity to learn about our Lord.

When directly confronting false teachers.

Jesus typically dealt harshly with the religious leaders (the Sadducees and the Pharisees) because they were the false teachers of their day. They represented those who placed traditions above Scripture, blocked those who desired to learn about Jesus, allowed commercialism to infest the synagogue’s outer court, supported the Roman taxation of the Jews, and preached a false gospel. Jesus’ response to them can be seen in …

Matthew 12:34 You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.

What’s the point?

The point is that there are times when Jesus got angry, and that can provide insight to His children (born-again Christians) when we have the freedom to get angry. Distilling the four examples above, Christ got angry with those who interfered with His desire to build a relationship with the lost. For us today, false teachers who distort God’s truth when it comes to salvation and eternal life need to be called out for their heresy. One can do so with love, but to ignore their evil rhetoric, whether intentional or unintentional, is unacceptable to a loving God, “who wishes all to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3b-4).