The Cost of Being Petty

As a seminary student, I have been studying a lot about sin and how it effects people. One of the most interesting things for me has been learning how many different words there are for sin in the original languages the Bible was written in, Hebrew and Greek. For example, in the Old Testament there are at least 7 words that describe sin and in the New Testament there are at least 9 words that describe sin.

There is another interesting thing about sin that my studies have revealed. The first sin the Bible records is when Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. They went against the expressed command of God, so sin put a separation between humanity and God, but pay attention to this verse, "The man said, 'The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate' (Genesis 3:12).”  Now, look at the second sin the Bible records, "And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him (Gen 4:8)." Finally lets look at humanity's state just before the flood, "The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually (Gen 6:5)." Are you seeing any kind of pattern yet? Sin definitely creates separation between us and God, but these verses also highlight that sin separates us from each other. Adam blamed Eve, Cain killed his brother, and humanity committed all kinds of evil against itself by the time of Noah. Every word for sin has some sort of relational meaning to it, which underlines this point.

But what does acting petty have to do with all that? I'll try to explain. Being petty has been described as treating something minor as a great offense. What is strange though is that being or acting petty is something to be seen as an admirable trait. There are many social media accounts devoted to petty humor, the political world has elevated pettiness to a primary campaign strategy, and there is even clothing lines imprinted with the word "Petty" on their clothing. We seem to celebrate pettiness daily now. In some instances I understand it's appeal and have even participated it them. When we feel wronged by someone, the natural reaction is to want to gain some control back, or to make the other person feel just as badly as we do. Pettiness then, is the attitude and action that makes that happen.

What's wrong with that, you ask? According to the creation story in Genesis, humanity was meant to exist in community with God and with each other. Yet, since the Garden of Eden, community and relationships have been under attack by sin. Sin seeks to break down both community and relationships so that it can eventually leave us isolated. Pettiness isn't necessarily sinful, but it can lead to sin in a blink of any eye. It also does not do anything to restore a relationship and community, but instead maintains, or even worsens the gap between us. So, while some of us think acting petty might give us the upper hand, or is a way to earn our respect back, the real cost is our humanity. The cost is keeping our relationships and communities severed and because of this it ultimately hurts the one acting petty. That is why the saving work of Christ is so important. Because, "in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us (2 Corinthians 5:19)." Christ's mission was not just to restore our relationship with God, but to also restore the way we live with each other.

Our existence is meant to live in community with each other. So, I ask, the next time you feel the need to be petty towards someone, consider the question, "Is it worth the cost?"