“But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.” (Acts 17:5)
"But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people." (Acts 17:13)
Envy will always stir up a mess wherever it is present. It was for envy that righteous Joseph was thrown into the pit—"And the patriarchs, moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt" (Acts 7:9). It was for envy that Jesus was betrayed into the hands of sinners—"For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him for envy." (Mark 15:10). And it was for envy that Paul was assaulted for his preaching, followed into the next town, and troubled there also.
Envy is a powerful thing. Look at what it has instigated—it has moved family members to sell their own brother into slavery, it has led men to assault and trouble the very one who came with their best interests in mind, and it has been the motivation behind delivering the Son of God into the hands of the Roman government to be crucified. This alone should tell us that envy is not to be entertained or trifled with. If we have even an ounce of envy in our hearts toward a brother, we ought to extinguish it now before it grows into the flames of betrayal or even murder. Truly, "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?" (Proverbs 27:4).
We have seen the dangers of envy and the destruction it can bring, but what is it at its root? It is covetousness—it is wanting what another has and hating them for having it. However, notice that in each of the cases we have mentioned, it was not material possessions that made others envious but the favor they had from their Father.
Sure, Joseph had a coat of many colors, but remember it was for his dreams that he was despised—"Behold, this dreamer cometh." (Genesis 37:19). Jesus had no earthly possessions to be envious of—no house, no land, no beast to ride on, no wealth—yet the rulers envied Him because of the power and authority with which He spoke. The obvious hand of God was upon Him, and it was this favor that drove them to murder. Paul was in a similar situation—he had no wealth, no position of power that others might desire, except for the power of God upon his ministry. And for this, he faced trouble everywhere he went.
Here is a lesson for those on the receiving end of envy—it is a bitter lot to be the object of such treatment, but take heart. If it is the favor of God for which you are envied, then like Joseph, despite the envy, God is with you. Let envious men do their worst, but their disfavor of you will never, in a thousand years, be enough to undo God’s favor upon you. Let them scheme and lie, but by and by, the throne is coming, resurrection is coming, crowns are coming.
How Should We Respond to Envy?
I asked myself, what do you do in the face of envy? Paul's responses will serve as a lesson for today. On two different occasions, the Bible specifies that it was envy that motivated the Jews to persecute him:
"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming." (Acts 13:45)
"But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people." (Acts 17:5)
In Acts 13, when the Jews stirred up the people against him, he left the city. In Acts 17, when the same thing happened, he left again. In Joseph’s case, there was nowhere to run. And in Jesus’ case, He submitted to the sovereignty of God, knowing that His greater purpose was at work. That was also Joseph’s testimony of his ill-treatment: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good." (Genesis 50:20).
The last example comes from Paul’s prison letter to the Philippians:
"Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." (Philippians 1:15-18)
Paul’s imprisonment was a delight to those preachers who were envious of him. They rejoiced in his suffering, perhaps thinking, "Finally, God’s little pet is getting a taste of his own medicine." But how does the apostle teach us to respond to such treatment? "What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."
He thanked God that Christ was being preached, whether the motives were pure or not.
Joseph, Paul, and chiefly, our Lord Jesus, teach us how to respond to envy—don’t. If you can run from it, do. If you can’t, then endure it. Turn the other cheek. Take it. But whatever you do, don’t let their envy create a fire of bitterness in your own heart. Saturate your wounds with the balm of Gilead, quench the fires of retaliation with prayer, and rejoice that God’s favor is no match for their disfavor of you.
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