Jesus did get angry on some occasions, yet He never sinned. Jesus’ anger was never an excuse for sinful actions but rather for positive actions that helped others and honored God.
Jesus did experience anger during His earthly ministry, but His anger was never sinful and was always directed toward righteous purposes (Mark 3:5). Notably, He displayed anger when people were exploiting the temple for profit and when religious leaders prioritized rules over compassion (Matthew 21:12-13, 23:23). His anger reflected a concern for justice, truth, and the well-being of others rather than personal offense (John 2:16-17). God’s anger is righteous, directed at sin, injustice, and rebellion (Psalm 7:11; Romans 1:18). Believers today are encouraged to “be angry and do not sin,” modeling their responses after Christ’s example (Ephesians 4:26; James 1:19-20). Properly motivated anger involves addressing wrongdoing or injustice, not personal frustration, and it should lead to constructive action (Romans 12:21). Jesus’ anger teaches us that our emotions, when aligned with God’s heart, can prompt positive action without resulting in sin or long-term resentment.
While Jesus was angry at times, He did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). Likewise, believers are taught, "Be angry and do not sin" (Ephesians 4:26). While anger is often viewed as a completely negative emotion, at times, it’s appropriate. Jesus’ anger was the result of ungodly attitudes and actions by those around Him. God the Father often displayed anger in the Old Testament when over injustice and when people sinned against Him. Still today, when Christians see sinful actions taking place, especially by those who claim to be religious leaders, it should cause anger. Why? Because such anger reflects the attitude of Christ in these situations (Philippians 2:5).
Christ-like anger must be properly motivated. Religious hypocrisy or injustices of poverty or oppression are proper, godly reasons to become angry. But anger over not getting your way does not count.
Also, when angry, our actions should still be appropriate. Jesus healed a man even when He was angry, revealing that we are called to do good even when we are upset. The passages referring to Jesus turning over tables in the temple showed His anger properly expressed to remove people who were breaking God's Law by taking advantage of the system of animal offerings rather than focusing on worship of the Lord.
Finally, the anger of Jesus did not result in a long-term grudge. Instead, His anger led to proper actions. Today's believers must seek the same response. Anger left unchecked or wrongly motivated can result in long-term unforgiveness that causes problems in a believer's own life.