Dealing with Jealousy













He came to his hometown and began to teach the people in their synagogue, so that they were astounded and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these deeds of power? Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?” And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.” And he did not do many deeds of power there, because of their unbelief.

Many years ago, there was a guy named Theogenes. He was one of the greatest athletes in Ancient Greece. He had two victories at the Olympic Games. One was in boxing and the other in a free-for-all fight known as pankration. The Greeks erected a statue in his honor and people were generally happy. However, one of his rivals became jealous. He tried to push the statue over, but it fell on him and crushed him to death. What is the moral of the story? That jealousy always leads to the desire to destroy, but in the process leads to self destruction. 

And why are we talking about jealousy today? Because this is what the people of Jesus’ hometown felt when he returned, speaking with great authority and backing his words with some of the most awesome displays of power they had ever witnessed. They would have first been incredulous (Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?), then resentful (who does he think he is, coming into our synagogues and teaching us stuff?), then murderous (in Luke’s gospel these good people try to throw Jesus off a cliff! (see Luke 4:29)). That’s what jealousy does.

Jealousy is an ugly emotion. It leads to depression, anxiety, anger, rage, frustration, fear, and even to murder. Scripture is replete with examples of what jealousy does to people. Cain killed his brother Abel because he was jealous of him. King Saul tried to kill David because he became jealous of him. Instead of looking after his subjects, Saul spent most of his time after that trying to kill the young man. Joseph’s brothers tried to kill him because they were jealous of him. It is what we will do too. 

We may not physically murder somebody, but we will try to ruin them in other ways. Gossip and slander are ideal weapons. It is so easy to defame somebody, especially if we are in a position of some power or authority. A few words spoken to a few people are all it takes. A lie becomes a truth, and very often, can never be proven otherwise. We can see this happening around us all the time. However, if Scripture teaches us anything it is this: if God’s hand of protection rests on a person, we may find that we are the ones taken down instead! 

But we don’t want anyone to be taken down. So what’s the cure? One: Don’t look at others. We often miss rejoicing in the blessings we have received when we look at what others have received. At the end of the gospel of John, we see that Jesus has just restored Peter. As they set off, Peter sees John following him. “What about him?”, he asks Jesus. And Jesus retorts sharply, “What is that to you? Look at the blessings I have given you!” Two: Don’t give in to the flesh. In his letter to the Romans, Paul tells them not to engage in quarreling and jealousy, but to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:13-14)

When we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, we put on his heart and mind. And jealousy goes flying out the window!

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/7qn3GeORAtE

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