The sacred bond of blood is undone because one man wanted the approval another received.

Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik

God creates the world. God knows best. That is the foundation of Christian mythology. But humans do not trust God’s mysterious ways. And this gives rise to a competitive spirit, to jealousy. Jealousy moves quietly through the Bible, slipping into homes, upsetting marriages, splitting kingdoms, and turning love into rivalry. Each tale becomes a mirror for our own anxieties about attention, approval, and belonging.

The first tale is stark and primal. Cain and Abel stand at the dawn of agriculture, making offerings to God. When Abel’s offering is favoured, Cain feels invisible before the divine gaze. That sting becomes rage. In the world’s first recorded act of violence, a brother kills a brother. Jealousy here is not just an emotion; it is a force that breaks the very idea........

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