The Gospel today presents us with a tragedy, one we know too well. Rather than being able to recognize the good Jesus brings, the Pharisees plot against him. Now, it is easy to distance ourselves from Jesus’ opponents. After all, it’s likely that quite few of the people reading this have ever fallen to the level of plotting someone’s death. At the same time, I suspect all have experienced that strange and embarrassing sin of envy, where the success of another person, often the ones closest to us, fills us with resentment: “Why does she always get what she wants?” Or self-loathing: “I will never be as good as him.” Or sometimes pride: “Compared to them, I am a saint.” Envy often comes when our sense of self is distorted, out of line, or focused on the wrong thing.
This is the sin of the Pharisees. They have placed their worth in their status and the respect they receive from the people. So, they envy Jesus to the point of desiring his death. For his part, the Lord, free from all envy, roots his identity in his Father. The passage from Isaiah is telling: “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight.” Jesus understands himself as the beloved servant and son—his Father told him as much at his baptism—so he doesn’t need to compare himself with those around him. No, he simply fulfills his mission, come what may. Let us pray to be like the Lord, free from envy and all comparison.