Envy kills (Part 1)
For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy. Matthew 27:18
Envy and jealousy are not the same, although they are often used interchangeably. Jealousy is a reaction or suspicion that something we already have will be lost or taken away, such as a jealous husband fears losing his wife. On the other hand, envy occurs when we feel distressed or resentful when others possess something that we don’t have, for example, envy says “She is inferior to me, but she is married while I am not.”
Envy is a feeling of deep dissatisfaction and discontent when you see another person have what you desire. A genuine friend feels "I am happy for your success" while an envious person feels "I feel sad because of your success", or vice versa, the envious person may have a creepy joy over one’s failures and misery.
Envy comes from pride. CS Lewis says, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man.” Pride always leads to comparisons, which are tied to self-worth and identity, and when pride feels superior, pride feeds pride, but when pride feels inferior, it wounds and results in envy.
Envy is a deadly sin that kills. A number of murders occur as a result of envy in the bible. The first murder in human history occurred when Cain killed Abel because God accepted Abel's offering while rejecting Cain's. Envy breeds hatred and hatred breeds murder. In today’s key verse, Pilate crucified Jesus due to the Pharisees' envy of Jesus' influence and power. Envious people may not murder physically, but they are still capable of killing people by their words, such as by gossiping, backbiting, and slandering.
It is envy that drives a Satan to steal, kill, and destroy. As he is envious of human beings who are made in the image of God, so he has carried out evil assignments towards mankind to drag us to hell.
As envy kills joy and life, part 2 will discuss how to kill envy. As envy exposes our deepest desires and idols, so let the Holy Spirit bring to light what is hidden in darkness.
Blessing prayer: Lord, remove every envious desire from my heart and replace them with your love. I reject the temptation to be envious, and I pray that you protect me from all plots of envious people. In Jesus’ name, Amen
