Acts 13:44-52; Psalm 98; John 14:7-14.
In the first reading of today, we see two different reactions to the messages of Paul and Barnabas at Antioch in Pisidia.
The Worshippers
The worshippers heard their message, their hearts burned within them, they recognised this as a profound, divine, powerful message, it set them on fire, and they hungered for more.
The Religious Leaders
The religious leaders were jealous because of this, they felt threatened by the popularity of the apostles and the fire they brought, they were also jealous and uncomfortable that the apostles preached a gospel that extended the hope of salvation to their enemies (the Gentiles). Consequently, they opposed Paul and Barnabas and connived with other people of influence to reject and expel them.
What was the reaction of the disciples to this rejection?
Opposition and rejection did not discourage them; they continued to preach to those who would listen, though opposed and attacked, they were filled with joy in the Holy Spirit. A joy that contradicted their circumstances.
Message for today
Let us pay attention to how jealousy, fuelled by pride and self-centeredness, could distort our judgments, turn us to haters, make us blind to what God is doing in our own lives, position us where we begin to oppose God, how it can make us unjustifiably angry, propel us to fight a wrong battle and rob us of peace and joy.
When we feel challenged by the goodness in others or their success, it is inspiration, when it stirs hatred and anger in us, it is self-destructive jealousy.
In the Gospel, Jesus promises His disciples that whoever believes in Him will perform even greater works than He did. This shows that in Jesus, there is no iota of jealousy, rivalry or competition with His disciples; He wants them to do even more than He did.
Today, let us surrender our inclination to be jealous to the Lord and pray that the Holy Spirit may uproot this propensity from our lives, may we be filled more with the same Spirit, which is at work in Jesus.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on May 1, 2021