Jealous???

“ Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” (Matthew 10:37 ESV)

This verse presents a challenge that many find difficult to reconcile. It can sound like a self-centered proclamation, a stumbling block for C. S. Lewis, and numerous others who find these words in Matthew, the Psalms, and other verses off-putting. Even figures like Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey have turned away from Christianity for similar reasons. Their testimonies can be found on YouTube or in Parade magazine. The struggle with God’s self-exultation is a common one.

In Exodus 34:12-14, God warns, “Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a snare in your midst. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God).” When we encounter scripture that challenges us, it's important to seek clarification from those more knowledgeable. Your pastor, minister, or anyone well-versed in the Bible can help you understand the meaning behind the verses in question.

Here, God is not saying He is jealous of His creation; God is saying, You shall have no other God. I am your God and will not share you with any other. Not only that, but God will not share what is His, His glory, His magnificence, and His holiness. In the same way, Jesus is saying the same thing. You must have faith in me. I am the one who is going to die so that you will live eternally, free from the bondage of sin and death. I must be the center of your life so that you can remain in me. Jesus is God and cannot tolerate sin; He was sinless. To live in Christ, we must be sinless; to do so, we must live according to the life of Christ inhabited by His Spirit.

This is not a marginal conflict for most people on their way to or living a Christian life. How is it resolved? I believe scripture resolves that for us. First, in Genesis, in creation, humans are identified as a creation of God. Humans are a creation in a living relationship with their Creator, who is the head of that relationship and deserving of all the glory because, without our Creator, we would not exist. Secondly, and most profoundly, in 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul writes that we are to do all things to the glory of God. God deserves the glory because he provides everything that makes us and keeps us. It is all about God.

We must also understand what is most celebrated in Jonathan Edwards's writings, “The End for Which God Created the World.” This idea, which I speak of, is that God lives for God's glory. Every bit of scripture Edwards uses amplifies that everything God does is for His own glory. Read the Bible with this idea in mind; it will change your reading. We always say that we must be Christ-centered, but yet we think Christ should not be Christ-centered, or God should not be God-Centered.

Understanding and demonstrating our worship and glorification of God for all the things He does for His glory is the essence of a Christ-centered life. Jesus allowed Lazarus to die so that God would be glorified in Lazarus’s resurrection and that Jesus would be glorified for raising Lazarus from the tomb. This was God glorifying Himself, and it is right that He does so.

If we do not feel this way, then we fail the test. If we think that God should not exist and be self-glorifying for everything He does for His Glory, then our Christ-centeredness is really self-centeredness. It is simply a mask we wear to glorify ourselves. We live to say we are followers of Christ and diminish the glory that is Christ because we are making it about us, not God. We are in direct conflict with 1 Corinthians 10:31.

God lives for His glorification, a glorification of everything God does for us: every breath, every meal, every sunrise. It is fitting that God is jealous of His glory; it is correct because no other God is alive and provides everything for His creation, like the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

If you do not know Christ, ask Him to be your Savior. Place your faith in His finished work. God made you for His glory. Become an adopted child of God and feel his mercy and grace; nothing can replace it.

Grace and Peace!