When I think of Jesus, anger is the last word that comes to my mind. I’m much more comfortable talking about him in terms of love, humility, mercy, and forgiveness — but rage?

That’s why I find today’s Gospel, in which John recalls the moment in the temple when Jesus becomes enraged, so unsettling. This isn’t just the anger that might cause you to yell, or storm out of a room. No, this anger causes Jesus to flip tables; it leads him to make a whip out of cords to drive people and animals out of the temple.

Why then, does John include this account? To understand the full meaning of the story, we must look beyond this dramatic moment.