— Martin G. Collins
11/29/2017
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He looked them in the eye, one after another, angry now, furious at their hard-nosed religion. He said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” He held it out—it was as good as new! The Pharisees got out as fast as they could, sputtering about how they would join forces with Herod’s followers and ruin him. Mark 3:5-6
Mark records that Jesus, as
He enters the synagogue, angrily gazes at the Pharisees in their sin of
callousness toward human suffering. Having a full measure of the Holy Spirit, He
can discern their evil hearts. With severe and stern indignation, He reacts to
their hypocrisy and hardness of heart.
However, His is not a spiteful
or revengeful reaction but intense sorrow at their state of mind. Mark phrases
it as "being grieved for the hardness of their hearts." It is not hatred of
men but anger at the sin they exhibited combined with the passionate sadness
that not even His teaching, God's
law, or any other means could overcome their confirmed wickedness.
This type of anger is not sin because it is controlled, without hatred,
short-lived, and justified due to their defiance of God. Anger is
lawful only when it is tempered with sorrow for those who have offended. Paul
warns, "'Go ahead and be
angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for
revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the
Devil that kind of foothold in your life."
(Ephesians 4:26-27).
— Martin G. Collins
Related Topics:
Anger
Anger, Control of
Be Angry and Sin Not
God's Hatred
God's Wrath
Hardness of Hearts
Hatred toward Sin
Hypocrisy
Anger
Anger, Control of
Be Angry and Sin Not
God's Hatred
God's Wrath
Hardness of Hearts
Hatred toward Sin
Hypocrisy
Read more from The
Berean, here
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