January 7, 2026
By Bishop Lynn Thrush, Great Lakes Conference
Scripture meditation: Exodus 34:14 – “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”
Discipleship element: Wholehearted commitment and loyalty to Jesus Christ above all other allegiances.
I recently watched the film Soul on Fire. It’s the remarkable true story of John O’Leary who, at eight years old, was burned across 100% of his body. He was given a zero percent chance of surviving, but he did survive. As word spread about the accident, people learned he was an avid St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. Jack Buck, a Hall of Fame Cardinals baseball announcer, heard of John’s story and befriended the boy in the hospital. Though John lost his fingers, he learned to walk, overcoming many obstacles to achieve a good life, thanks to encouraging people like Jack Buck, who supported John all the way through high school.
In one of the film’s most emotionally gripping scenes, the Cardinals held a “John O’Leary Day” at the ballpark. On that day, Jack gave the crystal baseball that he had received upon entering the Hall of Fame to John, now a young man in high school. “Don’t drop it; it’s priceless,” Jack deadpanned to John.
Why did Jack Buck do this? He was ardent in his intense love for John. We could say that Jack Buck was jealous for John O’Leary, and that jealous love powerfully and wonderfully influenced John, all the way to John becoming a sought-after inspirational speaker.
God’s name is “Jealous”? Ah, but his name is not born of hurt and pain, as in the famous line from the movie The Princess Bride: “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoyo. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” Nor is the name born of petty envy. Richard Dawkins, famed atheist, was not accurate when he said that God is, “jealous and proud of it,” “a petty, unjust, unforgiving control freak….” (Referenced by N.T. Wright, Creation, Power and Truth: The Gospel in a World of Cultural Confusion).
Rather, Jesus, who is God, is ardent and protective in his zeal toward us, and he is serious in receiving proper honor as Creator. God is jealous. He is to receive our wholehearted commitment and loyalty above all other allegiances. It matters that God is the Creator, that he is powerful, that he is love.
“My name is Jealous,” says God. In response, our loyalty to Jesus is to be wholehearted, a proper response to God’s priceless love extended to us in Christ.
Prayer
Father, you whose name is Jealous, in this moment I am honoring you above all other loyalties. Help me in my desire to live this way always. Amen.