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Jealousy Destroys Genesis 21:8 – 21; Matthew 10:24 – 39 Two families were bitter rivals. Feuding about important and historically significant issues, these families were chronicled in Sir Walter Scott’s novel, The Bride of Lammermoor. Although many who read the novel knew it was based on historical fact, the greater public attention was drawn to the opera, written later, which spun out a tragic love story outside the facts of the true political espionage. The truth and universal theme, however, that spans both the novel (The Bride of Lammermoor) and the opera (Lucia di Lammermoor) are one in the same: jealous rivalry destroys lives. The Lammermoor and the Ravenswood families are determined to destroy each other. Of course, neither believed they would be destroyed in the process. Caught up in the evil of jealousy we watch a young woman, whose brother sells her out, and that starts her descent into literal madness and death and the death of her true love. Tragedy when it can be traced to human volition is especially heart wrenching. It serves the purpose of helping us understand how low we can live; how deep is our sin; and how broad are the ramifications of selfish determinations. Jealousy: the feeling or showing of resentment toward a person whom one thinks of as a rival. Many scriptural passages make reference to God as a “jealous God.” In the Ten Commandments we are admonished not to bow down to other gods, because “I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.” For the most part the anger of God is incited when we cross that line. When we put other idols (however we name those) in our lives and allow them to rival the important and centrality of God within our life. In her book, Amazing Grace (New York: Riverhead Books, 1998. P. 124-126.), Kathleen Norris distinguishes between the purity of God’s anger and jealousy and our anger and jealousy. According to Norris, God’s anger speaks the truth. It is the appropriate response to human injustice; to the wrongs we do to each other — especially those who are unable to defend themselves. God’s anger is based on those of us who take more than our share, believe we deserve more from life than is just, and who want to usurp the power that only belongs to God. God’s jealousy and anger is justified. Ours is only justified when it takes that same trail. Our jealousy and anger is never justified when we clamor for more than others, when we are reaching for gain in our personal lives, when we are stretching to reach a pinnacle that sets us above our peers, or attempts to demand a greater portion of love than any other of God’s creatures. Our Hebrew scripture today is a classic one about jealousy. It speaks to how that human emotion activates destruction, but how God’s redemptive power often intervenes. Abraham was caught in-between his wife and the mother of his first child. Remember that it was Sarah (when she could not wait for God to make good on the promise of giving Abraham an heir) who decided to tell Abraham to sire a child through Sarah’s maid, which, in fact, happened. As soon as that happened, Sarah was mad — based on jealousy — and would have nothing to do with Hagar, the maid. God, of course, then came through on the promise to Sarah, and now there were two sons of Abraham — Ishmael and Isaac. It was natural that these boys would grow up together and play together. Once again, Sarah’s jealousy got the best of her. Abraham was in the middle — a difficult place to be and to sort through the issues. Even though it’s Father’s Day my sermon emphasis is not really on Abraham’s difficulties. Nor is it on the tragic situation with Hagar or her son. Sarah’s jealousy is what struck me the most in this story — this is where I have lived — and Sarah is the character with whom I most identify.
Jealousy needs to be checked…stopped…interrupted…thwarted…halted…discontinued every day. It not only eats away one’s soul — because it puts us in jeopardy with God — but blossoms into life threatening illnesses and endangers all the lives we touch with it. Our Biblical stories are not history per se. They were not recorded so that we would remember the details of these ordinary and extraordinary lives. The stories were written so the people of faith would remember God’s role in their history. Just as Sir Walter Scott took historical data and created a story for his readers to remember the impact of rivalry, jealousy, and power hungry humans, and just as Donizetti scored an opera with similar themes, our forebears in the faith wanted us to remember these same destructive faults of ours. But they also wanted to remind us that we will not rule the day; our abilities to foil the life that God has created will not succeed; we will not have the last word. Life is not ultimately a tragedy. The great news and last portion of this reading is that God followed Hagar. God took care of Ishmael. And God’s work often goes on in spite of us — rather than through us. God will have God’s way. In God’s time. How much better it would be if we were able to work with God rather than against God. How much better it would be if we were able to be in tune with the imagination God has for this life rather than believing our own is more creative. How much better it would be if we were able to to know assuredly that all God’s creatures have been created with purpose and, therefore, have privilege of love, honor and justice. The day we can give up all rivalry and jealousy is probably beyond this lifetime. However, we can know signs when it begins its cancerous hold on our heart and soul. And we can work to rid ourselves of it before it consumes us. Sarah lost her faith that God had prepared a special life for her; that God had a particular claim on her life. And we are all so susceptible to losing faith as well. May we learn from this great mother of faith how difficult life is; how destructive our jealousies can become; but how God will have God’s way in the end. May we work WITH God for God’s dream for our lives and the life of the world! SW |
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