Busy Body
Good Morning,
Peter makes an interesting statement in 1 Peter 4:15: “But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.”
Peter warns that, as the people of God, we may suffer for a multitude of reasons. In his generation, people were fed to lions and imprisoned. Peter said he wanted to make one thing very clear; Christians should never suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer. Those make sense to us. If we are going to be called the children of God or claim the name of Christ, certainly, we should not be accused of murder, theft, or evil deeds; but there is a fourth item mentioned in that passage -- “…a busybody in other men's matters.”
Our inability to put a busybody in the same category as a murderer, thief, or an evil person shows our poor perception of right and wrong. God puts a busybody in the category of grievous sins. A busybody is someone who gets involved in business that is not his own. Specifically, in the text, somebody who tries to take authority over a matter that belongs to someone else; such as me writing a speeding ticket for someone who is driving too fast. I have no authority or right to punish people who speed; only police have that job. It is not MY job.
Our granddaughter lives in our home, but she has a mother and a father; I am not her parent, and I have not been given the divine or earthly authority to rule in that little girl's life. If I were to meddle in the training of that little girl, I would be a busybody. I would be getting involved in something that is another man's matter.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, it says that we should study to be quiet and to do our own business.
Obviously, in our culture, everyone feels it is his business to get involved in everyone else’s lives. God does not feel that way. It is none of my business what you do, unless the thing you do harms another of whom I have been given charge.
The church in Thessalonica had its share of difficulties, and several times, Paul rebuked certain behaviors. This matter of minding our own business was brought up again in 2 Thessalonians 3:11 when he said some were walking disorderly and were busybodies. Again, we see the importance that God places on our staying out of other people's affairs.
When it comes to electing people, as we did recently, certainly, those we elect are going to influence all of our lives. As citizens and voters, we have some responsibility and privilege to get involved in elections, but that which my neighbor does or something a church friend does, in his own life, is none of my business.
Paul also reminded Timothy to teach and to preach on the subject of meddling in other men's affairs. In 1 Timothy 5:13, Paul talked about people being busybodies and speaking about subjects which they ought not. The amount of hurt done by thoughtless or uninformed words is almost endless. The scars and troubles that careless comments have caused are painful beyond description. Friends have been separated. Church members have lost their churches, their ministries, and their spiritual relationships. Relatives have parted company not to speak again, and that is only the beginning of the list that could be compiled when we consider how wrong it is to get involved in matters that are none of our business. Meddling in affairs that are not our own and talking about matters about which we are poorly informed hurts countless people.
On occasion, some people are decent enough Christians to go to the person they spoke of and confess their own wrong. The problem is, you can never undo the damage that was incurred to a name or reputation. Apologies can be offered, accepted, and forgiven, and everyone can go on their way; but the ill-spoken words of people meddling in things that are not their affair, will never be erased. Neither can someone find the path of all the repeated comments that have been made.
I would encourage every Christian to regularly go through Proverbs and mark the verses that have to do with the tongue. The book of James is another good place to focus attention. James tells us that the tongue is an unruly evil and is full of deadly poison set on fires of hell. Whether it be gossip, slander, or being a busybody in other men's affairs, this tongue of ours can surely hurt many people.
Let us be careful who we talk about and whose life we are meddling in. A busybody is a dangerous person.
Not only should we study the use of our tongues, but it would also be prudent to pray that God will help us to be careful with our tongues. Silence may not be the most enjoyable, but it is better than saying words that cannot ever be taken back or erased from the mind and heart of the listener.
Pastor