Wisdom 2:1a, 12-24; Psalm 34:15-22; John 7:1-2,10,25-30
“For God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of [God’s] own eternity, but through the devil’s envy death entered the world, and those who belong to [the devil’s] company experience it.” (Wisdom 2:23-4)
Death entered the world through envy. I think that’s profoundly true. I’ve read, and I believe, that envy is the worst of the “mortal sins,” in that it is the only one that does not aim at some good. Jealousy is rooted in a perceived good; gluttony, lust, avarice are excessive pursuit of a perceived good; even anger is often a reaction to a violation of what seems good and right. But envy has no relation to any good.
Envy seeks only to destroy and limit. If I can’t have it, no one can. If I can’t be it, no one can. The envious person actively wills that others be less than they are, and in that way s/he sides with death. In the Garden, I imagine the serpent envied Adam and Eve their status as stewards and wanted to take them down. Envy seeks the bad.
We miss the verses in John 7 that show Jesus’ brothers struggling with what to make of him. His brothers “did not believe” in him; but this unbelief sounds suspiciously like the envy of Joseph’s brothers (Genesis 37). But we might also hear the scorn of the unrighteous in the Wisdom passage, the anger at being held accountable for their deeds, the desire to destroy what is righteous and true.
Envy is the door to death. It’s so subtle. “Who do you think you are?” “You’ll get yours.” “Don’t tell me about joy, or hope.” “You’re a crazy dreamer.” Don’t make me see my limitations! Don’t make me see how small my world is, or how afraid I am, or how little I think of myself. Come, be broken with me.
God created us for incorruption, and made us in the image of God’s own eternity. As we head toward Jerusalem, we need to remember. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.
Let the envious dead bury their dead; but as for you, come, follow Jesus.
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