His anger was reserved against those who should have known better. Those who should have loved their enemies. Those who should have taken the humble road. Those who should have turned the other cheek instead of putting themselves first.

Don’t Get Mad At The Victims

When Jesus was confronted with the sins of the culture around him, he challenged it, loved the people victimized by it, and offered an other-worldly alternative to it. But he never got angry at it.

He was sad about it, frustrated by it, heartbroken over it, and gave everything he had to redeem it. But he never got mad at the people entrapped by sin. Even if they were entrapped by their own sin.

Jesus expected sinners to act like sinners. He got mad when saints didn’t act like saints.

Finally, Jesus took his own teaching so seriously that when his enemies turned against him in the most violent and unfair way imaginable, when they tried to provoke an angry reaction from him, when anger surely would have been an appropriate and long overdue response . . . he said almost nothing. Instead, he asked for forgiveness on behalf of those who didn’t even see their need of it.

The Power Of Rare Anger

Anger has its place.

But it should be rare, measured and directed at self-correction first – especially in the lives of Jesus’ followers.

In a world in which anger is overused, being slow to anger may make a stronger statement than all our yelling ever could.

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