When Paul and his companions had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. 2 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, 3 explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said. 4 Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.
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. 6 But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other believers before the city officials, shouting: “These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, 7 and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar’s decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus.” 8 When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. 9 Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.
-Acts 17:1-9
Jealousy is the ungodly desire to want something other than God, that you don’t possess. In the case of the Jews living in Thessaloniki, they wanted to keep the power and the comfort that they enjoyed before the Apostle Paul introduced them to the Gospel. Judaism enjoyed some element of popularity but now the Gospel is threatening its social position.
The fallen nature of humanity still exists today and jealousy is still unfortunately alive and well. Today, we can still struggle with jealousy. We can be jealous of others for their athleticism, their beauty, their social ranking in school, their material possessions, etc. At the root of jealousy is the idea that God isn’t enough and that He is denying us of what we really need.
This is why it’s so important for us to draw near to God through the reading of Scripture and through prayer. Only when we draw near to Him are we reminded that He alone satisfies above all us. Our relationship with Jesus makes us invincible in a certain sense. No matter our external circumstance, our internal disposition is satisfied and fulfilled. Spending time with God helps us to fight against jealousy.
Have you been desiring things or attributes that others have? Is it plunging you into bitterness? Take some time to repent and ask God to help you.
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