Conquer the Green-Eyed Monster

William Penn said, “The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves.” And Shakespeare called jealousy “the green-eyed monster, which doth mock.”

What a wicked thing jealousy and envy and are. They’re among the most deadly sins in the satanic arsenal. Left unchecked, envy and jealousy can lead to far worse. James 3:16 says, “For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind” (NLT).

Envy is what motivated Cain to kill his brother, Abel. He was envious that God accepted Abel’s offering but not his.

Envy is what caused the religious leaders, the Pharisees, to crucify Jesus. The Roman governor Pilate accurately diagnosed it, according to Matthew 27:18: “(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy)” (NLT). They envied Jesus because He was bad for business.

Jesus cared about people. They preyed on the people. Jesus wanted to open up access to the Father. These religious leaders wanted to drive the people away. It was envy that motivated them.

I heard about a crab fisherman who was walking along with a pail full of crabs that was almost full. Someone suggested to him that without a lid on the pail, the crabs could get out.

“Oh no,” the fisherman replied, “they won’t get out. Every time one of them tries to climb out, the others reach out and pull him back down.”

That is the way jealousy works. When you are jealous of someone, it hurts you more than it hurts them. Whatever mockery you use makes you feel better, but envy and jealousy are actually why you’re saying it. It has been said that envy shoots at another and wounds itself.

Never let envy and jealousy get a foothold in your life.