What Angers God?

Jesus was still angry as he arrived at the tomb, a cave with a stone rolled across its entrance. [John 11.38]

So, what did Jesus have to be angry about?

The only thing that angered Jesus would be one and the same as that which angers God: the absence of faith.

There were a lot of legitimate circumstances surrounding Lazarus' death. But only one thing mattered to Jesus: faith. But He did not find it in the situation.

It is important to point out that Mary and Martha both seemed to have no lack of "hope" about the resurrection of the dead in the end. And, even though they were quite vocal about their confidence in the resurrection and even Jesus' power to raise Jesus presently, Jesus was still angry. Why? Because Jesus had spent much of three years teaching about the Kingdom of God and encouraging people to "walk in it" themselves (with faith above any and every circumstance, sickness, disease, weather, hunger, danger, and even death) but they still did not "get it."

There is only one thing that pleases God: faith. Unlike us, God is not satisfied with faithless existence. Unlike us, God is not emotionless when faith is missing.

To simply confess, "God knows my heart, but I just struggle with faith..." is the exact same as saying, "I don't care if God is not pleased, I am content to be faithless."

It is that serious, and Jesus' response in today's passage in John proves it!

Father, forgive me for faithlessness in my life. I know that no circumstance negates the power of faith. I know Your Kingdom power resides in me because Jesus died for me and You have given me Your Holy Spirit. I know You are not satisfied (or even patient) with faithlessness - I know that faithlessness angers You. I don't want to anger You, Father. I want to please You with mountain-moving, sickness-healing, food-multiplying, dead-raising, water-walking, storm-calming faith.