He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” vs. 5
Mark 3:1-6
Standing with a crippled man in front of the Pharisees in the synagogue, Jesus asked them a straightforward question, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” And the Pharisees were silent. And Jesus became angry! He could not believe that they could be so callous. So he went ahead and healed the man, thereby sealing his fate. From that moment on, Mark tells us, the Pharisees were intent on destroying him. While we are familiar with the Sabbath controversy that marked Jesus’ interactions with the Pharisees, Mark’s reference to Jesus’ anger surprises. Not only did Jesus have boundless compassion on those who were suffering, he had total contempt for the hard-hearted and the uncaring. Those who are followers of Jesus in this world would do well to remember this incident. Not only are we called to reach out to the hurting and the poor with loving hearts and caring hands, it is entirely appropriate for us to be angry in the face of benign neglect and callous indifference to human needs. There’s no doubt where Jesus stood with regard to the issues of his day–and if we’re wondering where we should stand, all we need to do is look to him.
Thought for the Day: When do I feel the most anger?
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