Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Mark 3:1-8 July 20, 2025

Message: “What Jesus can teach us about Anger!”

By Pastor George Gnade

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Introduction:

1. As most of you know, we have begun a new series on the Gospel according to Mark. Today we are considering this passage in chapter three..

2. So far we learned how Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist and began to do many miracles which drew a lot of attention to Him. So much so that He had to keep moving from place to place just to stay ahead of the crowds.

a. But this was also the exact plan that Jesus Himself chose to do in order to minister in as many different cities and towns as He could.

b. In Mark 2:23, one Sabbath Day (our Saturday), Jesus gave His disciples permission to pick grain because they were very hungry. The Pharisees tried to stop them because that was considered to be work.

3. Jesus responded in Mark 2:27-28: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. The Son of Man is Lord, even of the Sabbath!”

a. He knew how hungry His disciples were. Picking the grain was justified under these circumstances. 

b. But by calling Himself the Lord of the Sabbath, He was also saying He had the right to make this decision!”

The Pharisees didn’t like that claim either.

4. This set the stage for the event we are studying today.

A. Consider this story about a man with a shriveled hand.

1. Again this happened on a Sabbath Day. As was His custom, Jesus and His disciples regularly worshiped in the nearest synagogue.

a. Apparently, some of Pharisees saw Him and His disciples coming. They were looking for a fight.

b. In this case, they wanted to see if Jesus would heal this man with the shriveled hand on the Sabbath. Again, they considered healing someone as Jesus’ job.

2. Jesus didn’t disappoint them. In fact, He asked the man to please stand up, drawing attention to what He planned to do.

a. Before healing the man, Jesus asked those who were present an important question. In Mark 3:4, He said: “Which is lawful on the Sabbath Day, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” 

b. Now they were the ones on the spot! They chose to remain silent. They all knew the correct answer was “to do good” and “to save life.” But they wouldn’t even answer His question.

3. In vs. 5, it says: “Jesus looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man: ‘Stretch out your hand.’ And he stretched it out and his hand was completely restored.”

a. Please notice this is one of the few times in the Bible that we are told Jesus got angry! 

b. He got angry because He knew how stubborn they were acting. Instead of rejoicing because God did a wonderful thing for this man, all they could do was criticize Jesus for being kind! In fact, they left the synagogue determined to kill Him!

4. So, first of all, Jesus affirmed once again that doing something kind on the Sabbath Day was allowed. But He also indirectly taught His disciples that it is okay to get angry when people stand in the way, trying to stop you from obeying the Lord and doing a loving deed.

a. Just because He got angry did not mean He hurt anyone. If fact, He helped the man, even though it got Him in trouble. While it made Him angry, He still chose to control His anger. 

b. But the point I am making and I believe Jesus was making is that anger is a natural feeling when you see others stubbornly getting in the way of what God is doing.

So getting angry is not always a sin. But what we do with our anger can become a sin.

B. In the light of this story, let us consider some other examples from the life of Christ. The most obvious example is when Jesus cleansed the temple.

1. In Mark 11:15-17, it says: “Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the table of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. He would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.” a. As He taught them, He said: “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.’ But you have made it a ‘den of robbers.’”

b. In plain words, they were charging people more than the animals and merchandise were worth. They were not helping the poor and needy; they were robbing them. 

2. In our day, God’s church is the temple of the Lord. We must also be careful to use our churches as a place for prayer and worship, not for inappropriate activities. .  

a. It seems obvious from Jesus’ actions that He was angry at the way God’s temple was being used. 

b. May we always remember that we are here to preach Christ and pray for the work of the Lord. In our day, more than ever before, the church is now in all nations and people from all nations are meant to be blessed by what we do. The misuse of the temple was another reason why Jesus got angry. 

C. Mark shares one more example. This has to do with the story of how Jesus blessed the children.

1. In Mark 10:13, it says: “People were bringing their children to Jesus to have Him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, He was indignant!”

a. Mark is known for his choice of words, words that express strong feelings. To be indignant implies strong negative feelings. It implies He raised His voice.

b. In vs. 14, He said: “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

2. Children come to God in simple faith. They are not bogged down by all our rationalistic feelings. That is why Jesus went on to say in Vs. 15: “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” May God give all of us that kind of simple faith. When we approach Him like that, you never know what God will do.

3. But it is not just what Jesus said that matters, it is what He did. In vs. 16 it says: “And Jesus took the children into His arms, put His hands on them and blessed them.”  You can bet your life the parents of those children were thrilled. And the kids full of joy.

In conclusion:

1. Today we studied three true stories about how Jesus wanted to be a blessing to others and how others attempted to stop Him. Each time it upset Him.

2. And Jesus was even more upset when people in the temple were taking advantage of folks who came to worship the Lord and were being used by others who were making money off of them.  So anger has its place. 

3. These stories about Jesus also remind me of Eph. 4:6 where Paul writes: “Be angry but sin not. Don’t let the sun go down upon your wrath, and don’t give the devil a foothold.” 

4. May God give us the grace to know how to handle our anger too. Amen!