The jealousy of God that we read about in the first reading is God's passionate desire to protect each one of us. God's interest in each one of us springs from the very desire that we be successful and happy. This being so, He will make every effort to see that there is hope and joy in each one of us. It is very ungodly to see ourselves as reduced to nothing. Though God can create us from nothing, He never creates us for a destructive end. That is why He draws us to Him with a bond of union and not be a mere contract. This reveals the quality of God's heart, a divine jealousy that we are cared for with all our needs attended to. We often see this displayed in our caring mothers!

This was seen in the casting out of the evil spirit in a man by an unknown person who was moved by God's divine jealousy. But, caught in a moment of seeking pretigious positions, self-glory and pride, John failed to see God's interest in the deliverance of man from bondage. We too tend to fail to see God at work when our self-interest becomes more important to us.