"What makes Jesus angry?"

Mark's Gospel tells this story about Jesus.
"Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, "Come and stand in front of everyone."
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. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!
At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus." (Mark 3:1-6, NLT)

The Pharisees were so in love with their traditional ways of observing the Sabbath laws that they could not appreciate that it would be right to heal a man during the holy observance! Their rigidity, their lack of compassion, their failure to grasp the heart of God as they claimed to speak in His Name deeply angered Jesus Christ. "He (was) angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion." (Mark 3:5, The Message) This is a classic case of missing the point. Sadly, it still happens - and commonly too - when well-meaning people confuse their preferences with God's commands. On some things, the Scripture is very clear. Murder is wrong, so is stealing. Lying is a sin and those who are dishonest are acting like the Devil! Jesus said that. Adultery is always to be condemned, as are greed and worshipping things or persons other than the Lord God. Love is always right; truth is universally good! Making peace is a trait of those who are true children of God.

Beware a 'hard-nosed religion' that gets in the way of the Spirit's purposes. When you are ready to criticize or condemn, check your facts and your motive. Are you really concerned about the 'sins' of the other or are you more interested in protecting your preferences or making yourself look or feel better? Are you willing to allow the Spirit to help you separate between essential Truth and choices that ought to be matters of personal conscience? The Scripture guides us to love and tolerance about such matters. "Each of us will give an account of himself to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way. . . . For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." (Romans 14:17-19, NIV)

Can you imagine making Jesus angry? It's possible, but not in the way most of think. He loved those who were truly in the grips of their sin, those who were rejected by the respectable citizens. By His very love, He challenged them to change, invited them into the Kingdom of God. He grew furious with those who allowed their self-righteousness to hinder the work of God. That's a trap that we can easily fall into, and especially the longer we hang around religion!

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Jesus on the radio, Jesus on a late night show.
Jesus in a dream, looking all serene,
Jesus on a steeple, Jesus in the Gallup poll.
Jesus has His very own brand of rock and roll!

Watched Him on the silver screen,
Bought the action figurine,
But Jesus is the only name that makes you flinch.
Oh, can anybody show me the real Jesus?

Oh, let Your love unveil the mystery of the real Jesus.

Jesus started something new,
Jesus coined a phrase or two.
Jesus split the line at the turning point of time.
Jesus sparked a controversy,
Jesus, known for His mercy, gave a man his sight.
Jesus isn't white!

Jesus loves the children, holds the lambs,
Jesus prays a lot,
Jesus has distinguishing marks on His hands.
If anybody walks behind the Good Shepherd,
If anybody holds the hands that heal lepers,
And if you recognize the eyes that see forever, please...
Jesus, Jesus;
Oh, can anybody show me Jesus?
Oh, let Your love unveil the glory, the real Jesus.
Oh, can anybody show me the real Jesus?
Oh, let Your love unveil the glory of the real Jesus, the real Jesus!

The Real Jesus
Downhere copyright 2006