Today’s Picture: Jesus heals a man with a withered hand by James Tissot
The Emotional Jesus—Anger
No gentle Jesus, meek and mild here –
he was angry at the stubbornness of the people and their refusal to be compassionate.
We remember the story of Jesus making a whip and driving the sellers out of the Temple.
He could be angry.
What arouses your righteous anger?
Are there times you should get angry but you haven’t sufficient passion, you just settle for shrugging your shoulders and saying, “what can I do about things?”
Today’s Prayer
Preparation: Begin by stilling, then dedicating the time of prayer to God and asking God that all you think, feel and imagine are for the glory of God.
Gift: Ask for what you desire. Suggestion: To understand the anger of God.
Setting: You may imagine you are in the Synagogue with Jesus and are watching this confrontation. Where do your sympathies lie?
Mark 3:1-6 HCSB
Now Jesus entered the synagogue again,
and a man was there who had a paralysed hand.
In order to accuse Him, the Pharisees were watching Him closely
to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath.
He told the man with the paralysed hand,
“Stand before us.”Then He said to them,
“Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil,
to save life or to kill?”
But they were silent.
After looking around at them with anger and sorrow at the hardness of their hearts,
He told the man, “Stretch out your hand.”
So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the
Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
Conversation: Talk to Jesus in your own words as a friend; maybe you want to discuss the things that make you angry.
Final Prayer: End with a formal prayer such as the Lord’s Prayer/Our Father.
Today’s Music
Today’s Music: I Arise today, from the Pilgrim sung by Rita Connolly
Click for more music by Rita Connolly