Death to Envy

Matthew 27:18

 

18For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

 

Pilate knew the high priest and the Sanhedrin handed Jesus over out of envy. Just prior to Pilate asking the multitude whom they wanted pardon, Pilate's wife sent him a message. The message was to have nothing to do with Jesus' persecution. Her justification was a dream. She was tormented in a dream. And the message to her husband was another confirmation of what he suspected.  The NKJ Study Bible gives the translation of the verse as, "Pilate obviously thought Jesus was innocent, and he offered His accusers a way out, while not backing down himself. His offer for 'Passover amnesty' was rejected. He underestimated their hatred."

 

Envy breeds hatred. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary defines envy as a painful or resentful awareness of another's advantages.  Unfortunately, people sometimes attempt to quench that hatred with drastic measures, even to the point of murder. Envy is not a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Interestingly enough, when listing the works of the flesh in Galatians 5, envy appears right before murder. A coincidence? There are no coincidences in the Word of God. God does everything with a purpose. A person who has that much envy has little or no confidence in themselves. Envy is a result of thinking less of yourself and comparing yourself to someone else and trying to measure up to that person. Each person is unique and no one can be you. And you certainly cannot be anyone else. If you try to constantly compare yourself to someone, you will never measure up. But until you focus on your relationship with Christ and who God created you to be, it will be easy for you to focus on who someone else is and why they have what they have.  The Miami Mass Choir had a wonderful song, "What God Has For Me." What God has for you is for you and only you. What God has for me is for me and only me. As long as you are who God created you be, you will receive what He has for you. When you believe in your own wisdom that what God gives to another is better than what He will give or has given you, you reject not only the blessings God has dropped in your lap, but any future blessings He has coming for you. If you are suffering with envy, deliverance is necessary. In order for deliverance to occur, you must admit that you are struggling first. Confess it and repent. And God will go to work. Let there be death to envy so you can grow in Christ.