Jesus expressed anger in the Bible most notably in the Gospel of Mark 11:15-17, when he cleansed the Temple by overturning the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. Additionally, his anger is evident in Mark 3:5, where he looked around at the Pharisees with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts.
Mark 11:15-17
On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, Is it not written: My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.
Mark 11:15-17
Mark 3:5
He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored.
Mark 3:5
Why was Jesus angry according to the Bible?
In the Bible, Jesus expressed anger on a few occasions, each time for reasons deeply rooted in his commitment to righteousness and his reverence for his Father, God. One of the most vivid incidents is when Jesus cleared the temple courts. This event is recorded in the Gospel of Mark, where Jesus enters the temple in Jerusalem and finds that the temple, which was supposed to be a place of worship, had been turned into a market. The people there were not focusing on prayer or on God but were instead buying and selling goods. Jesus was angered because the sacred space intended for prayer «for all nations» was being misused as a «den of robbers.» His actions—overturning tables and driving out the merchants—were a demonstration of his zeal for God’s house and its true purpose.
Another moment where Jesus displayed anger is found in Mark 3, during an encounter in a synagogue. Here, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand. Before performing the miracle, he looks around at the people present, and he is angered by their hardness of heart—their stubbornness and lack of compassion. In this instance, Jesus’ anger arises not from malice but from a deep sorrow and frustration over the people’s failure to understand and embrace the essence of God’s laws, which are centered on love and mercy. Jesus’ reaction underscores his frustration with those who were more concerned with adhering to the letter of the law rather than its spirit, which aims to uplift and heal.
These moments when Jesus showed anger are significant because they reveal his passionate commitment to what is right and just. They remind us that Jesus cared deeply about true worship and genuine faithfulness to God’s commands. His anger was always pointed toward actions and attitudes that harmed people, led them astray from God, or desecrated what was holy. This teaches us that anger itself is not inherently wrong but depends on the reasons behind it and how it is expressed. In Jesus’ case, his anger was always aligned with divine love and justice.