Most people's image of Jesus is a quiet man who never got excited and would never have been angry. If that's your view then read today's passage - Jesus is angry big style!
Anger in itself is not wrong. You should be angry in certain circumstances but we need to be careful as we do not always know how to control our anger. The Lord Jesus was different; he never was out of control, his anger was justified and for a proper reason. If you check out the bible references where is Jesus is angry you will see that what I am saying is true.
While we are on the topic - did you know that God is angry with us? Sin, wrong, evil, injustice, the manipulation of the poor, and so much more, makes God angry. Like Jesus his anger is justified and controlled.
In the incident in our passage today Jesus is angry because people are mis-using the temple. It was meant to be a house of prayer and it had been turned into a centre of commerce and business.
There are things that God says are sacred - your body for example. God expects sexual purity, it's for your good and is how you were designed to be. God expects us to pray - we have the capacity to call upon him and most don't. When we do wrong God expects us to own up and admit our wrong. When we do this he is willing to forgive us, 1 John 1. 9,10.
God's desire is not for our damnation but for our salvation. One of the verses in the Bible that explains this in the book of 2nd Peter. It says 'The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but he is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance'.
The fact is that God would be within his rights to be angry with us but he is patiently waiting for us to trust him for salvation.
Christ died for our sins... he was buried... and he rose again the third day, 1 Cor 15.
Would you 'believe on the Lord Jesus Christ'. If you turn from your sin and trust Christ He will save you.
Mark 11:11-26
11 And Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve.
12 And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry:
13 And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet.
14 And Jesus answered and said unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And his disciples heard it.
15 And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
16 And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple.
17 And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.
18 And the scribes and chief priests heard it, and sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people was astonished at his doctrine.
19 And when even was come, he went out of the city.
20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.
21 And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
23 For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
25 And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.
26 But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.
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