Was Jesus ever angry?
Yes!
There were certain things near and dear to his heart that Jesus chose to have what some call "righteous anger" over. One of the few things recorded of where Jesus was angry had to do with a group distracting others from prayer.
In the Gospels there's a scene where Jesus was in a temple and has a whip. He's snapping it around. He's flipping tables over left and right and chewing out those in his presence.
Why? Because something sacred was being hijacked. Prayer was being crowded out by people making some shady cash.
There were people in the temple who were exploiting those who were coming and were looking to buy animals to offer as sacrifices. There's a whole ancient sacrificial system that we don't have time to get into. The punchline is that they were making sacrifices for forgiveness of their sin. Anyway, there were people who had set up shop inside the temple selling birds, etc. to be sacrificed and turned it into a market.
Jesus tells them, "It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers." (Matthew 21:13)
Here's my point about prayer. Jesus said his house (the temple) shall be called a house of prayer.
Once Jesus gave his life and sacrificed himself on the cross, he becomes the final and ultimate sacrifice needed to pay the penalty for our sin. Thank God we don't have to sacrifice animals anymore. Jesus paid it all. For you. For me. For everyone who would choose to put their faith him.
Beyond that, Paul says later in 1 Corinthians 6 that we, our bodies, are temples of the Holy Spirit.
I had to ask myself recently...if my body is a temple since I've trusted Jesus...and temples are to be a house of prayer...
Do I live a life that includes consistent prayer?
OR, Are there "robbers" or distractions in my heart and mind that take away from the incredible opportunity to talk with God on a personal level?
These are healthy questions to ask yourself, I encourage you to take inventory and lean into prayer.
Want to know more about what it means to say put your faith in Jesus?
Have a great day!
Nate Sallee