Good and bad anger - and Jesus

Next Sunday's set gospel reading is the story of Jesus getting angry and driving the money changers out of the temple. I started to think about anger... basically is it good or bad to be angry? And I came to the conclusion "it all depends". Here are some thoughts that will go into my presentation on Sunday based on the following bible passage -

"The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, "Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" His disciples remembered that it was written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."" John 2

There are four reasons people get angry

• Injustice - A rule, a person, a belief, or an objective is being threatened or abused.  Something or someone is unfair.
• Injury - You have been hurt, disrespected, rejected, or ignored. You have a sense of insult or humiliation. This can be physical or psychological.
• Invasion - Your freedom, privacy or personal space is being restricted or violated. Your identity is being attacked.
• Intention - You are fired up with energy and determination to do something about injustices, injuries, and invasions. You challenge the status-quo.

Looking at that list it seems to me that it quickly becomes clear which sort of anger Jesus was exhibiting in the bible passage.

When we get angry it can be good to do something about it.  What happens if you are very angry and you don't do anything?   Shake a bottle of cola then open it to get an idea!  If you don't let the pressure that builds up inside you out then it can have bad long term consequences. A friend of mine made some home brew wine and he corked the bottles too early while they were still fermenting. There was a terrible mess in his garage when they all exploded!

There are positive ways of letting your anger out and ways that are less helpful.

There are two possible responses to anger. We can react in a purposeful way, or a spontaneous way.  Purposeful anger shows self-control, and a degree of consideration for others. Spontaneous anger is unplanned with little or no self-control.

The result of the anger expressed by us can be either constructive or destructive. Constructive anger is where we respect other peoples’ feelings and boundaries, and don’t threaten either whereas destructive anger is where you protect your own identity and violate other peoples’ feelings and identity, deliberately or unconsciously.

Gospel reading is about when Jesus was angry. As we read this passage it helps to ask -
What was Jesus angry about?
Did he direct his anger at certain people, or at what they were doing?
Which of the characteristics or classifications of anger outlined above was Jesus displaying?
What does this reading tell us about getting angry if you are a Christian?