Mark E. Larson

Who Was Responsible for the Death of ? Lesson Two: The Envious Leaders of Israel Introduction: Who was responsible for the death of Jesus? Many persons in history played a pivotal role and each of these teach us important lessons about ourselves and our connection to the cross of Christ. In the first lesson, we examined the covetousness and greed of , who ultimately sold his own soul for just thirty pieces of . In this lesson, we take a look at the envious leaders of Israel who wanted Jesus dead. I. What is Envy? A. Definition of envy. i. Envy (PHTHONOS): “the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others” (Vine's Expository) a) “Envy is pain at the good fortune of others.” - Aristotle, Rhetoric, Bk II ii. What's the difference between envy and jealousy? a) Jealousy is contentious rivalry toward someone who is trying and/or succeeding to take something/someone from you that you have. b) Envy is when you want what someone else has and you don't have it. iii. People are envious of persons they view to be their equals and especially those they once viewed as inferior (e.g. Jn 1:46; pride -> envy 1 Tim. 6:4). B. Social causes of envy. i. Success of one is seen as a loss to others, especially in cultures where goods are believed to be in a very limited supply (e.g. wealth, health, power, social status, honor, friendship, etc.) (Ps. 73:1-3). ii. Celebration of rivalry and combat: Siblings, schools, coworkers, etc. Constant, aggressive competition everywhere (business, politics, religion). a) Examples: The disciples (Mark 9:33-35); Diotrephes (3 John 9). b) Such rivalry or selfish ambition is condemned by God (Phil. 2:3). iii. The love of honor given by men: This is cherished above all by many. It determines your worth and reputation in society (e.g. John 12:42-43). a) Either you are given this honor (e.g. kinship, nobility) or you earn it by your own personal achievements in socially approved ways. II. The Envy of the Leaders of Israel Toward Jesus. A. The leaders of Israel (the Sanhedrin). i. This council had religious and political authority to govern all the Jewish people in Judea in times. ii. The council was comprised of priests, scribes, and teachers, the majority from the Sadducee sect and others being Pharisees, 71 members in all. iii. The high priest was the presiding elder over the council (member “71”). B. The leaders of Israel envied Jesus' success. i. Jesus' success was beyond anything they had witnessed before (teaching Mt 7:29; miracles Mt 11:5; exposed sin Jn 2:13-17; followers – Jn 12:19). Envy: “a certain kind of distress at apparent success of one's peers” - Aristotle Success is what the envious attack and the leaders of Israel were envious of the success of Jesus! ii. The Pharisees and chief priests were envious of the attention Jesus received by His miraculous signs (John 7:30-32).

1 Mark E. Larson

iii. After Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the leaders of Israel became even more angry and envious (Mat. 21:15). iv. The next day, Jesus cleansed the temple again to expose their corruptive practices and this took their envy to a dangerous level (Mark 11:17-18). C. The leaders of Israel felt their own power threatened by Jesus' success and therefore plotted to put Him to death (John 11:47-48, 53). III. The Envious Seek to Tear Down and Destroy Others. A. Ostracism (e.g. John 16:1-2) i. In (508-322 B.C.), when a person gained too much prominence he was banished from the city for a limited time to decrease his popularity. ii. The leaders of Israel were unable to ostracize Jesus, therefore they resorted to more aggressive ways to bring Him down... B. Gossip and slander i. The leaders of Israel continually accused Jesus of wrongdoing and worked to spread rumors about Him (Mat. 12:24; Luke 7:34; cf. Prov. 16:28). a) The Jewish leaders wanted to separate Jesus from His followers by spreading gossip about Him (reputations are often ruined by gossip!). ii. This is a common way for people today to tear down someone they envy (e.g. dirty politics, digging up dirt, news media, the gossip mill, religion). C. Persistent hostility i. The envious will make their feelings known by a constant state of enmity (e.g. hostile stare / “evil eye”; harsh criticism and condemnation, etc.). ii. The scribes and Pharisees made every effort to tear Jesus down in the eyes of the people (Luke 11:53-54). D. Violence and even murder i. Envy was evident in King Ahab who was very sad and angry that Naboth wouldn't sell to him his vineyard and condoned his murder (1 Kings 21). ii. Envy can lead to hatred (Tit 3:3) and hatred can lead to murder (1 Jn 3:15). iii. The envious leaders hated Jesus and soon they plotted to have Jesus killed (Mark 3:6; Mat. 20:17-19; 21:45-46; 26:3-5). a) They were so determined to put Jesus to death that they arranged for false witnesses to testify against Him (Mat. 26:59-61). iv. It was out of envy that the leaders of Israel handed Jesus over to be crucified! (Mat. 27:17-18). IV. Envy is a Sin That Every Christian Must Put Away. A. Envy is an ungodly behavior, a sin that can cost a person his/her salvation. i. Those who do not acknowledge God are “full of envy” (Rom. 1:28-29). ii. Envy is a “work of the flesh” that if not repented of will forfeit your eternal inheritance in God's heavenly kingdom (Gal. 5:19-21). B. In your life, resolve to put away all envy and seek the honor, success, and grace that is found only in the Lord God (1 Peter 2:1-3). What's your attitude toward Jesus? (Mk 15:9-11) Many people reject Jesus because they have the same attitude of the leaders of Israel. Many resent the intrusive teachings of Jesus, His glory and following, and His expectation of obedience to His gospel. He is viewed as a rival that disrupts their life of sin. Many today would like to get rid of Jesus!

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