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An Emotional Man (2)
Of all the pictorial images man has made of Jesus, the best images are His emotions pictured in the Bible. His sorrow and joy show us the truth of what Hebrews 4:15 says: “For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with feelings of our infirmities...” Christ’s many signs of emotions are displayed throughout scripture. Each one has a lesson with it, teaching the Christian how best to use the emotions he expresses each day.
His Anger
Jesus was angered with his disciples for turning the children away from coming to him (Mark 10:13-15). The same anger is expressed in Matthew 23:13, when Jesus said, “But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to enter.”
The most well-known case showing Jesus’ anger is John 2:13-17 and Matthew 21:12-14. Jesus goes into the temple where holiness should abound, but there is cheating of the poor, shutting out the Gentiles, and defrauding God honor in the temple by turning the worship and service to God into a business, a “den of robbers.” Jesus did not take his whip to a man but to the things they used to make merchandise of the temple of God. Jesus stirred up the anger in the hearts of the chief priests and scribes who “sought how they might destroy him.” Their anger, unlike that of Jesus, was a selfish revenge for what Jesus did to their dishonesty and mockery of the temple.
The reason for Jesus’ anger is obvious: It was a matter of truth vs. error, right vs. wrong, righteousness vs. unrighteousness. Such an emotion is due to the holiness of God (1 Peter 1:17), who does not lie (Titus 1:2), cannot be tempted (James 1:13), and is of “purer eyes than to behold evil” (Habakkuk 1:13).
God is deeply dissatisfied with sin and is pained by our disbelief. As a result, His anger is witnessed. The anger of Christ was evident in Matthew 23 as he examined the heart of hypocrisy in the lives of the scribes and Pharisees. After pronouncing “woe” upon their works of evil, Jesus asked in v. 33 how they would escape the judgment of hell. This judgment Jesus proclaimed would come is the ultimate demonstration of anger. When reading Romans 2:2-10, a person sees the basis of godly anger as “according to truth” when man “despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering.”
When we become angry, does it look like this? Is it initiated by personal hurt or caused by love and concern for others and for righteousness’ sake rather than the frustration of our own desires?
His Love (and Compassion)
Man speaks of this emotion possibly more than all the rest of the emotions manifested by Christ. Jesus’ love and compassion are summarized in Acts 10:38: “...who went about doing good...” His love is extolled as a form of compassion. It is a compassion for the unfortunate and unworthy. How was the Lord’s love and compassion witnessed?
Jesus saw the distress of the widow of Nain and had compassion on her by bringing her son back to life (Luke 7:11-13). He had compassion on two blind men and gave them sight (Matthew 20:34). He healed a leper (Mark 1:41) and fed the hungry (Matthew 15:32). At the time Jesus hung from the cross, he showed compassion to his mother and John, “whom he loved” (John 19:25-27).
Jesus’ compassion was not only toward physical illness, disease, or wants. It was the spiritual want where his compassion was most often extended. The emotions of love and compassion were heightened by his sight of those distressed as sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36-37). They needed spiritual healing and recovery and probably did not know it.
One case where His compassion toward spiritual want was evident is found in Mark 8:11-13. Jesus “sighed deeply in his spirit,” an emotion of compassion for unbelievers wanting more than Jesus’ presence. It is when sin hardens one to unbelief that Jesus’ heart of love sighs deeply. He has compassion upon those doomed to judgment and wants to rescue them, wishing they would obey his truth to set them free (John 8:32). It is when someone lacks faith to obey that we should love them with the truth like Jesus would do.
Jesus’ love and compassion are witnessed and remembered most in John 15:13-14. It was when he laid down his life for man. Before he was done with declaring his love, he exhorts the same from the disciples in v. 17. This same act and emotion is what you and I need to display to others. Our Lord committed himself to continue this love by saying to the apostles, “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20). That is emotion. That is love and compassion. See, believe, and let your become how God wants them to be like his Son, an emotional man. It is a glorious pursuit. Walk by the Spirit. Go and do thou likewise.
