"That's not fair!"This is the mantra of children who are quick
to perceive injustices against themselves even when there are none.If another child gets a better toy, a bigger
piece of cake, or an extra piece of candy, then the cries of unfairness ring
out.Likewise, if another child is
allowed to do less work while receiving the same reward, then the offended
child quickly demands fairness and equality.While making these demands, the child does not pause to notice the bounty
of blessings he has been given.Instead,
his only concern is about whether another child has somehow received
favor.Of course, if bias ever works in
his own favor, then the child says nothing about unfairness, but rather he
happily receives the benefit.
We might expect such behavior from
immature children, but it is almost as common among adults.This behavior is called envy, and it has no
rightful place among the children of God.Envy is one of the strangest passions of man, for it is completely irrational.Envy can be defined as a bad feeling that is
aroused by someone else's good fortune.It is a purely selfish and evil motivation that cannot bring blessings
to its owner.It leads to foolish and
sinful behaviors, such as when Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery (Gen.
37:11, 18-36; Acts 7:9) or when the Jews delivered Jesus to Pilate (Matt.
27:18; Mark 15:10).These examples
demonstrate the worst effects of envy, for envy provokes men to hatred and sometimes
causes them to do harm to others.Obviously, envy has no place in the life of a Christian, for it belongs
among those sins that have been put away by all disciples of Jesus (Rom. 1:29;
Gal. 5:19-21; Tit. 3:3).
Envy was present even among the apostles
of Jesus while He was still in the world.They were often arguing with one another about which of them was the
greatest (Mark 9:34; Luke 9:46; 22:24), and they were angered when one of them
sought an advantage over the others (Matt. 20:24).Even after the Lord's crucifixion and
resurrection, the apostle Peter expressed that childish sense of injustice
concerning the apostle John.When Jesus
had told Peter of his coming hardships, Peter looked to John and asked Jesus,
"Lord, and what about this man?" (John 21:21).Jesus replied, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to
you?You follow Me!" (John 21:22).Peter's focus on John was misdirected, for the
Lord's intentions for John had no bearing on Peter's responsibility to Jesus.
The Lord's words turn our attention away
from undue focus on others and toward our own responsibilities and
rewards.Concerning the blessings He
bestows on others, Christ's words to Peter address us as well: "What is that to
you?You follow Me!"The Lord's teachings show us the pettiness
and selfishness of envy.Consider His
parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) in which the older son became
envious of his brother's happy reception from their father.The older son said to his father, "For so
many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of
yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate
with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth
with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him."The father answered, "Son, you have always
been with me, and all that is mine is yours."The older son's blessings were not diminished by his brother's good
fortune, but he could think only of the perceived unfairness because of his
envy.Similarly, in the parable of the laborers
(Matt. 20:1-16), the men who worked all day complained that the landowner gave
the same wages to men who worked only an hour.In reply, the landowner said to one of them, "'Friend, I am doing you no
wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius?Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give
to this last man the same as to you.Is
it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?"These men should have been satisfied with the
just wages they had been paid, but envy made them unhappy.
It is no wonder that the Scriptures
describe envy as "rottenness to the bones" (Prov. 14:30 KJV, NKJV, ASV), for it
is corruption that reaches down to the deepest part of a person like a
destructive cancer.It manifests itself
when we receive blessings, promises, or responsibilities from the Lord, and all
we can say is, "Lord, and what about this man?"Rather than saying, "Thank you, Lord," or "Your will be done," we act like
children as we rush to check the fortunes of others.Remember Jesus words: "What is that to
you?You follow Me!"Jesus will never be unjust, but rather He is
abundantly gracious and merciful to those who follow Him.Indeed, if we follow Him, then we will
receive far more than we could ever deserve.
