A Sunday School Lesson On Jealousy

Here is a Sunday school lesson or Bible study on the subject of jealousy.

Filled with Jealousy

Acts 5:17-18 “But the high priest rose up, and all who were with him (that is, the party of the Sadducees), and filled with jealousy they arrested the apostles and put them in the public prison.”

The Jews were jealous of anyone who drew a crowd because it meant less influence (and income?) for them. On one “Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him” (Acts 13:44-45). When Jesus was falsely accused and arrest, Pilate “perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up” (Mark 15:10). Apparently, the Jewish religious leaders couldn’t stand competition so all they could do is arrest them but that didn’t stop them in the long run (Acts 5:29).

What was the main reason they were jealous of the apostles and of Jesus?

Why did Pontius Pilate know the Jews brought Jesus before him out of envy or jealousy?

What does it mean, they were “filled with jealousy?”

Strife and Jealousy

First Corinthians 3:3 “for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?”

Apparently, jealousy is a fruit of the flesh (Gal 5:20) and Paul had lost of fleshly problems with the church at Corinth. Part of the problem was that they were jealous for whoever they followed and so the Apostle Paul wrote that some “follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings” (1st Cor 3:44)? Paul tells them that they’re “Only servants, through whom you came to believe as the Lord has assigned to each his task” (1st Cor 3:5) so the strife was over who they were following. Some followed Apollos; others followed Paul; so Paul’s final statement on this subject was to have “no more boasting about human leaders! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God” (1st Cor 13:21-23). Isn’t that enough!

Why were they jealous over their teacher?

Have you ever highly favored someone’s preaching to the exclusion of others?

Who is your favorite preacher?

Jealous Ambition

James 3:16 “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”

This verse was lived out by Joseph whose brothers wanted to murder him but instead threw him into a pit to die but then sold him to a caravan for twenty pieces of silver. Their jealousy (Gen 37) led to Joseph’s becoming a slave and later, imprisoned, but even that evil God used for good (Gen 50:20). The point is jealousy can hurt others and not just the person who’s jealous. Yes, it does hurt them but it can also hurt those around them. Joseph’s brothers had the selfish ambition to get rid of Jacob’s highly favored son, Joseph. Much later they reaped the reward of their jealousy (Gen 50).

Why type of disorder does jealous bring to the workplace?

Do you find yourself jealous of someone or something they have?

Is it driven by “selfish ambition?”

The Danger of Jealousy

Proverbs 6:34 “For jealousy makes a man furious, and he will not spare when he takes revenge.”

Surely you’ve read where a man or woman comes home only to find that their spouse is committing adultery with someone. That type of jealousy can lead to a lot of harm; for some it’s led them to prison. This type of situation is one that is about as dangerous as it gets. Not only can an angry spouse lose control, the adulterer can also face the final judgment of God someday (Rev 21:8) unless they repent. That’s why “Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy” (Prov 27:4). The point is you don’t want to get in between such a potentially explosive situation.

Why does jealousy make people lose self-control?

Is some jealousy okay?

Would you feel jealous if someone went after your spouse or boyfriend?

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of this lesson on jealousy so that we can avoid being placed between a rock and a hard place. Jealousy is typically not a good thing and can lead to disorder, confusion, angry, fits of rage, and for some imprisonment. For Jesus, it led to the cross, but I would remind you again that God uses the evil of man according to His purposes (John 3:16).

What are you most jealous of?

How can we avoid being jealous of others?

What have you learned about jealousy in this lesson?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.