Pharisees Are Motivated by Jealousy and Hatred
The Pharisees' actions against Jesus were motivated by jealousy, a sin that can lead to murder and ultimately to Babylon.
Zac Poonen preaches on the dangers of jealousy and how it can lead to destructive behaviors, using the Pharisees' jealousy of Jesus as a prime example. He highlights how jealousy can progress to hatred and even murder, drawing parallels to the story of Cain and Abel. Poonen emphasizes that jealousy often stems from a desire for popularity, recognition, or abilities that others possess, leading to criticism and a longing to see them fall.
Text
"The Pharisees went out and conspired against Jesus, as to how they might destroy Him" (Matthew 12:14).
Your jealousy of someone may not reach the point where you kill him. But you must remember that jealousy and hatred are the first steps to murder. This was how Cain progressed: Jealousy....atred....urder.
The Pharisees were jealous of Jesus because He could do many things they could not do and therefore was more popular with the people than they were. Even Pilate (who knew very little about Jesus) could see that the Pharisees wanted Jesus crucified only because they were jealous of Him (Matthew 27:18). When you are jealous of someone, it will be very obvious in your speech and your conduct.
You can be jealous of someone who can preach better than you, or who has wealth or spiritual gifts that you don't have. Then you will find it very easy to look for some small fault in him in order to criticise him. And you will long to see him fall in some way. The religion of the Pharisees is the religion of Cain.
The history of the human race begins with two streams - one spiritual (Abel) and the other religious (Cain). Cain's primary sin was jealousy of Abel. These two streams finally end in Jerusalem (the true church) and the false church (Babylon). If we follow the religious and jealousy-filled stream of Cain, we will ultimately end up as a part of Babylon - even if all our doctrines are evangelical.
Sermon Outline
- The Pharisees' Motivation
- The Consequences of Jealousy
- The Two Streams of Humanity
- The spiritual stream of Abel
- The religious stream of Cain
- The ultimate destination of these streams
Key Quotes
“Jealousy and hatred are the first steps to murder.” — Zac Poonen
“The history of the human race begins with two streams - one spiritual (Abel) and the other religious (Cain).” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We must be aware of jealousy in our hearts and how it can lead to criticism and a desire to see others fall.
- A jealousy-filled and critical approach to spirituality is not of God, but rather leads to Babylon.
- We must follow the spiritual stream of Abel and not the religious stream of Cain.