Re: Verse reading–Mark 9:14-29 (day three)
“How long shall I put up with you?” When Jesus made a whip of cords and overturned the money-changers tables, when he glared at the Pharisees in the presence of the man with the shriveled hand, when he called out the hypocrites who ignored the plight of the crippled woman, he was angry. It was no less the case here. Jesus understood the power of anger—power to intoxicate or to animate. He channeled anger in the latter direction, leveraging it to move toward revelation, healing, recognition of dignity, and, in this instance, the vanquishing of an unclean spirit and patience with unbelief. Anger did not rule Jesus; it was his servant. Part of our work in learning his kind of life is learning how he used anger.
