The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Anger

Patrick Sherrill
Opening: People have many different ways of dealing with anger in their lives.
Some people show anger immediately when someone wrongs them or things don’t
go their way, while others let their anger build until they finally explode. No matter
which type of person you are, things almost never turn out well when sinful anger
takes control of your life. Let’s take a look at Max and his inability to control his
anger.
Watch The Amazing Spider-Man 2* Scene 7 (Start time-50:53-End Time-59:49) (8:56
min.)
*(Clip not available with lesson. Watch The Amazing Spider-Man 2 to take advantage
of this lesson.)

Discussion Questions
1. Who showed anger in this clip? (Max.) Max said, “I’ve got so much anger.” Why was he
angry? (Initially, he was angry because of the way he had been treated, then became
angrier because the police shot at him. He also said Spider-Man lied to him.) How did
Max express his anger? (Through his words and actions.) Did Max’s anger lead to sin?
(Yes.) What was the result of Max’s anger? (Max’s anger led to much destruction and
pain for those who were in his path.)

2. Read Ephesians 4:26. Does all anger lead to sin? (No. We are encouraged in this verse
to not let our anger lead to sin.) According to Ephesians, how should we deal with our
anger? (We should resolve our anger issues before the day ends.) Read Genesis 4:1-8.
Why was Cain angry in these verses? (Because God looked in favor upon Abel’s sacrifice
and didn’t upon his own.) Did Cain’s anger lead to sin? (Yes.) What was the result of
Cain’s anger? (He ended up killing Abel.) Read Ephesians 4:26-27. What happens when
you “let the sun go down on your anger”? (The devil gains traction or a foothold in your
life.)

3. Read John 2:13-16. Why was Jesus angry in these verses? (The people had turned His
Father’s house into a marketplace.) Did Jesus’ anger lead to sin? (No.) What was the
result of Jesus’ anger? (He cleared the temple and in the process showed others the
proper use for God’s temple.) One difference in the anger Cain displayed and the anger
Jesus displayed was that Jesus’ anger didn’t lead to sin. What was another difference
between the anger shown by Cain and the anger shown by Jesus? (Jesus used his anger
to accomplish something good.)

4. Read Exodus 32:19-24. Who became angry in these verses? (Moses.) Why was Moses
angry in these verses? (He came back to find his people worshiping an idol.) Did Moses’
anger lead to sin? (No. In later verses many were punished by God for their idol
worship.) Did anything good come out of the anger Moses displayed? (The idol was
destroyed, and the people saw the seriousness of worshiping things other than God.)

5. The type of anger Moses and Jesus displayed is known as righteous anger. Righteous
anger is an anger that is based on love for God and love for other people that leads to a
change for good in people or a situation. Have you ever shown righteous anger in your
life? (Answers will vary.) Explain. (Answers will vary.) Can you give any examples of
righteous anger in our world today? (A person may see someone who has no food and
become angry. That anger could lead to helping feed that person and others. Another
example could be when people see God’s creation being abused. They become angry and
are stirred into action to help save it.)

6. The type of anger Cain displayed is known as unrighteous anger. If righteous anger is
based on love for God and others, on what is unrighteous or sinful anger based?
(Unrighteous anger is an anger based on love for self, so you could say unrighteous
anger is based on selfishness. Unrighteous anger always leads to sin.) Can you give some
examples of unrighteous or sinful anger in your life or in the world today? (Answers will
vary.)

7. Read Colossians 3:8. What advice do we find in these verses about anger in our lives?
(We should do whatever we can to rid our lives of anger.) Read Colossians 3:12-13.
What should we replace anger with in our lives? (We should show compassion,
kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience instead of anger in our lives.) Do we find
any advice about how we should treat those who have shown sinful anger toward us?
(By forgiving them.) Read 1 John 1:9. What do you need to do if your anger leads you to
sin? (Ask those we have wronged and God for forgiveness of our sins of anger.)

8. Do you have any unresolved anger in your life? (Answers will vary.) Is it anger you
displayed toward others, or is it anger others have had toward you or both? (Answers
will vary.) How can you resolve the anger you have shown to others? (By talking with
them and asking them to forgive you.) How can you help resolve the anger others have
shown to you? (By forgiving them.) Will you commit to clearing up these situations of
anger in your life? (Answers will vary.)

Closing Thought
Are you following in the footsteps of Jesus by using your anger to help people or are you
following in the footsteps of Cain by using your anger to sin against and hurt others?
Anger should be used to help improve situations and the lives of others not to make
situations worse or destroy the lives of others. As you live your life, let Jesus be your
perfect example of how to control your anger and use it in ways that improve the world
and are beneficial to others.

Closing Verses
“Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil” (Ps. 37:8).

“In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do
not give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:26-27).

“Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She
said, ‘With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.’ Later she gave birth to his
brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. In the course of time Cain
brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an
offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with
favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So
Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are
you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?
But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you,
but you must rule over it.’ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’
While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him” (Gen. 4:1-8).

“When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the
temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at
tables exchanging money. So He made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the
temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and
overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, ‘Get these out of here! Stop
turning My Father’s house into a market!” (John 2:13-16, Jesus Clears the Temple
Courts).

“When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned
and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the
mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he
ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. He said
to Aaron, ‘What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?’ ‘Do
not be angry, my lord,’ Aaron answered. ‘You know how prone these people are to evil.
They said to me, “Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who
brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” So I told them,
“Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.” Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it
into the fire, and out came this calf'” (Ex. 32:19-24).

“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage,
malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips” (Col. 3:8).
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with
compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and
forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord
forgave you” (Col. 3:12-13).

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify
us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).