Have you ever experienced that horrifying moment when you heard of some great news about your friend, colleague, brother/sister in the Lord and you realized you were not happy for them? They may have received a promotion, got engaged, experienced some breakthrough, or simply got a “lucky” break - and we found ourselves unable to celebrate, unwilling to congratulate, unbearably disappointed.
This horror
and the surprise
is due to the fact
that we simply did not think
we could ever possibly be…
envious.
Like termites, I see envy as feeding on the very infrastructure of our lives. Termites compromise the stability of a home by eating away at its core; the wood beams, its pillars, all that hold up the house. Like the termites, envy eats at the very core of our lives; our faith. It eats up our joy, hope, and ultimately it eats up our view of God, hence my mention of “faith”. Therefore, it is imperative we clear up the infestation or face dire consequences.
As clearly noted in James 3, envy can lead to all sorts of compromises and eventually the destruction of a “house”, our lives.
“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” - James 3: 14-18
Envy makes life stingy and narrow but life in Christ was supposed to be ever expanding in generosity and grace. In envy everything is measured and calculated. Envy convinces us that our calculations, our measurements, our “scale” is the most accurate thus making us the most obvious choice for the position of “judge”. The problem with this, among many, is that in an envious world, every person is judge and every judge’s scale is true. No one receives, everyone pays. Also, in this economy, there will never be a fair transaction. The mantra of the envious is and will always be, “it’s not fair.” And the only currency it recognizes is "justice".
In Matthew 20, we find Jesus telling a story about a landowner... who he uses to teach about what God is like.
- He says, "the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard."
- They agree to a denarius for a day's wages {that'll feed one family per day}.
- Midday he finds others unemployed, which means more families who cannot feed their family that day. So he hires them as well.
- He does this three more times. Hiring and agreeing to pay them.
- When it was time to pay his workers at the end of the day, each group of hired men were paid the exact same amount that the first group of men got, the earliest and most worked. They all got a denarius.
"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’” - Matthew 20
The landowner asks, “are you envious because I am generous?” The deep seated issue in envy is not simply our inability to be happy for others but that we are not happy in and about God! We are surprised to find that God uses a different currency. We use justice, he likes to use grace and mercy.
You see envy’s great poison is not its blinding effect on what others may need or deserve but in its ability to distort the image of God and inflate the satisfaction of justice. These workers in the vineyard should have celebrated at that very moment. Rather than get disgusted and disgruntled they should have experienced profound hope.
Here's why.
If this landowner gives a days worth of pay
for those who don’t deserve it today,
then that means he’s the kind of person
that might do the same tomorrow…
tomorrow when I may be picked later or last in the day,
like these folks today.
Which means he is the kind of person
that might be gracious
to me
when I too am late
and
undeserving.
This is not about justice, this is not about fairness, this is about grace and mercy. This landowner gives to those that don’t deserve it. In actuality, if they had woken from their envious stupor, they would have realized their initial hire was an act of grace and mercy as well. They didn’t have a job, it is by the sheer generosity of this landowner that they got the job anyways. And tomorrow, there’s no telling what will happen, they may be picked last. But thanks be to God that there’s a Landowner that would treat the last as if the first.
"Envious people are furious and jealous at the generosity of the landowner. Grateful folks celebrate others in light of the kindness of the landowner which gives them hope."
You see, every time we see someone undeserving receive a blessing, attention, break-throughs it’s an opportunity for us to thank God. It is in these moments we are reminded of the fact that we too are undeserving of many things in life, and if God rewards the undeserving, will he not do the same for me… one who is also undeserving? The answer is yes, he will and he has.
“The LORD is merciful and gracious; he is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does he deal with us as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. The LORD is like a father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear him. For he understands how weak we are; he knows we are only dust.” - Psalm 103: 8-14
The envious refused to see others as equally deserving, or should I say, equally in need of the grace and mercy shown to them.
That's why envy
overflows with entitlement
and is empty of empathy.
So how do we recognize if we are envious? You find yourself complaining and grumbling.
“When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.” - v11
When we envy, we ask constantly, “What about me? I followed you but look what they got. It’s not fair.” The best way to combat the grumbling heart is to embrace the life you’re living with a deep sense of gratitude. And the best way to do that is to tend to the garden (life, job, position, relationships) you’re placed in. I have this saying, "the grass is greener on the other side because you are not watering the lawn God gave you.” So, here’s the deal, just water your lawn daily, with joy, with thanksgiving in your heart and you'll find plenty to be thankful about as well as rejoice at the bounty of your neighbor's lawn.
And don’t compare. Comparison is envy’s native tongue.
“These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.” - v12
The moment you compare is precisely the moment you’ve pulled out your own scale of “fairness”. God promises that the scale you use will be the very scale that will be used against you. (see, Matthew 7: 1-2) But I for one want God to use his scale. His seems broken and often gives to me more than I deserve… at least according to my calculations.
Therefore, instead of complaining and comparing, start celebrating.
Celebrate others and worship God. It's that simple. Sing to him a new song and send someone a congratulatory card, click on "like", post an awesome note on their wall.
So, let's celebrate the Landowner, by celebrating those you know that received a "denarius" in life whether they earned it or not.
May we find Jesus asking us,
"are you gracious, merciful, and hopeful because I am generous?"
And may he find us saying,
"yes, Lord, yes..."
“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” - Romans 12: 15