2022_03_21 Insight Post- Kim Feld

I was struck once again in reading Acts 17 – 18 about the power of jealousy. Acts chapter 17 opens with Paul and his companions entering Thessalonica. The city had a synagogue, so Paul went in on three successive Sabbaths and spoke to the people about Jesus. Some Jews and many Greek men and women believed in Jesus as Messiah. Then we get to verse 5:

“But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.”

If you look in a thesaurus, these are a few synonyms for jealous you will find: envious, resentful, intolerant, and possessive. The word jealous is sometimes used in scripture to describe God, which can be confusing. But there’s a big difference. “God is jealous for us, not of us” (Martin, 2018). He is our Creator, and He longs for us to recognize Him for who He is and be in a relationship with Him. This jealousy is born out of our unfaithfulness to God and His desire to reclaim us. However, good does not come from jealousy between humans that has envy and selfishness at its core.

We just finished reading the book of Galatians. In chapter 5 of Galatians, Paul contrasts the acts of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:19-23). One of the “acts of the flesh” mentioned is jealousy, along with selfish ambition and fits of rage. In Acts 17, we see all those at play.

Paul feels so strongly about the impact of jealousy that he writes about it in Romans and 2 Corinthians in addition to Galatians (see Romans 13:13, 2 Corinthians 12:20). Spend a little time in your Bible’s concordance. You can see that stories rooted in jealousy are woven throughout scripture. Take a look at what James has to say about jealousy:

^13 “If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your heart, don’t cover up the truth with boasting and lying. ¹⁵ For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and demonic. ¹⁶ For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” (James 3:13-16, NLT)

As humans, we seem hard-wired to compare ourselves to others, and social media has added fuel to what can already be a consuming fire. So, take some time to examine yourself today. Does jealousy have a hold on you?

Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach