I had a massage scheduled for early Monday morning. The door wasn’t open when I arrived, so I stood outside to wait. Looking at my phone, I realized I had a message from the massage therapist telling me she would be a little late. Before I could open the door, someone else came around the corner. She asked if I was waiting, and I said yes. She opened the door and we both walked in. There the receptionist sat. When I mentioned that I had received a text letting me know the therapist would be late, the other lady proceeded to say that she had an appointment at the same time as mine. There is only one massage therapist at this location.

Seeing that my name was on the schedule and not the other lady’s, the receptionist asked if she could come back later in the week. She couldn’t. So we waited until the massage therapist arrived, so she could help solve the problem. And when she walked through the door, she was very shocked to see two clients waiting for her. She couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong with the scheduling.

After some serious review of the schedule, they found a time slot at the end of the following week that would work with this woman’s schedule. Whew. My time was safe. This woman has a standing weekly appointment and expects to be seen every Monday. A couple of months ago, she had to reschedule each one through the end of the year due to changes in her work schedule. The massage therapist was the one who had approved and adjusted the appointments. But somehow, this particular appointment was missed.

As I sat quietly waiting for the issue to be resolved, I hoped that I wouldn’t be asked to give up my spot that day and come in at a later time. I knew I wouldn’t be happy being asked that question. And I didn’t feel generous enough to offer. After all, I don’t get weekly massages like the other lady. And I wondered how she would respond to being bumped from the schedule. Would she show obvious anger, or would she quietly accept the situation and move along? Fortunately, she accepted the news and left to resume her day. I breathed a sigh of relief.

The massage therapist later told me that I shouldn’t have been able to schedule the appointment online. Monday appointments weren’t available for online scheduling. I had nothing to say.

The situation got me thinking about anger. It usually takes a lot for me to get angry. It just doesn’t happen very often. And I’m glad about that. But when is anger acceptable and when isn’t it? I know it’s not cut and dried, and every situation is different. But there are times when anger is appropriate and other times when it is entirely unnecessary. I’m not sure I can produce a list of events for either scenario. It just doesn’t work that way.

I think of someone who has been expecting a furniture delivery for weeks now. They ordered the couch months ago and have been given the run around multiple times as to when the delivery will occur. They’ve scheduled dates and times for the delivery, just to find that it never arrives. Sure. They’ve had their shipping charges refunded, but that doesn’t make up for the product they ordered. If this were me, I would be very angry and rightfully so. Poor customer service is excuseless.

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Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. James 1:19-20

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During the last days before he was crucified, Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem. He found many people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. Inside the temple. And he was angry. He threw them outside where they belonged, and he even turned over the tables and chairs they had set up. The temple wasn’t a marketplace. It was a holy place to offer sacrifices and worship God.

Since we know that Jesus lived a sinless life, we also know that his anger was justified. People were treating the temple as a place of business, not as a place of worship. He had to immediately right the wrong, or it would have continued. I wonder if the people knew exactly who had just thrown them out of the temple. Did they realize that in just five short days, this man would be nailed to a cross and die for their sins?

Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” Matthew 21:12-13

The Bible actually tells us how to deal with anger. We just need to know what it says and then put it into practice. Does that make you angry? Or, does it make you curious about how to deal with anger in a godly manner? God shows anger in the Bible, and he even shares the punishment he will hand out to those who anger him. This isn’t to say that we have the obligation to retaliate when we are angered. But God’s anger doesn’t lash out immediately. His wrath is delayed while he waits for the sinner to repent. But he won’t withhold his punishment forever. It will occur at the appointed time unless we have repented.

God is an honest judge. He is angry with the wicked every day. If a person does not repent, God will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow. Psalms 7:11-12

We read in the book of Mark about another time Jesus became angry. His enemies were watching him closely to see if he would heal a man with a deformed hand. You see, it was the Sabbath. They believed no work should be done on that day. But Jesus had a way of putting people’s needs before the laws these men tried to shove in his face. So, he healed the man in front of them. His enemies then left to discuss a plot to kill him. Jesus became angry at the men, not because they wanted to kill him. He was angry because these men had hardened their hearts to the truth. They were out for revenge when Jesus was helping someone regain their dignity and the ability to work.

Was Jesus’ anger justified? Yes. His anger wasn’t a self-defense mechanism. In one part, it was in defense of the man with the deformed hand. He was also provoked to anger because of the bitterness and lack of belief by those who had threatened him. Jesus wasn’t concerned for his own safety. He saw his accusers for what they actually were. He saw the stubbornness and hardness of their hearts on full display.

Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him. He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. Mark 3:1-6

Don’t sin by letting anger control you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil. Ephesians 4:26-27

The next time you find yourself angry at someone or at a situation beyond your control, stop and ask yourself if your anger is truly justified. And remember that even though you’re angry, you must not sin. There are appropriate times to hand out consequences for being wronged, but stop and consider your attitude and intentions. Do they honor God? And it isn’t always necessary to retaliate when you’re angry. Not every situation requires it. Walk away. Let it go. Ask God to fill you with a peace and calm that only he can give. Easier said than done. Yes, I know. But it is possible.

Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. Ecclesiastes 7:9

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. Proverbs 17:28

The couch arrived. All is well.