Transformation Begins When We Embrace Forgiving As A Way Of Living

Jesus said that anger is a sin, yet he himself got angry.

In Mark 3:1-6, Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone."

Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent.

He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus is indeed shown as displaying anger in the passage above. Jesus was angry with the Pharisees, who wanted to catch Jesus breaking one of their laws, yet were unwilling to consider the morality of the law or to believe in Jesus despite seeing the miracles he did. In both cases, Jesus was angry with people who were doing wrong and refused to listen to God.

There are different types of anger. Indignation stresses righteous anger at what one considers unfair, mean, or shameful. Indignation is what could be called righteous anger - anger at wrongdoing. This is Jesus' anger, for Jesus is angered by wrongdoing. Clearly some forms of anger are wrong, and this is the anger that Jesus spoke out against in Matthew 5:22 - anger that is destructive and unnecessarily demeaning.

Personally, I have been angry at a few people in my lifetime. It's tempting to just give in to anger. While clearly not all anger is bad, the Bible reminds us in James 1:19 to be slow to get angry. I have come to realize that God's plans for me are not altered by other people's choices. In spite of all the assaults upon my heart, whether it be by friends, co-workers, or relatives, I can be released and set free simply by forgiving.

Forgiveness changes you. It allows you to climb up and out of the past and live fully today. It shows you how to accept who and what you cannot change.

Forgiveness is key to God-sized healing.

Blessings,
Dalinda