Mark Wenz, Unity Church of Sun Lakes
The word zeal derives from the Greek word zelos and the Latin zelus and is a concept of importance in both ancient and modern civilizations, particularly in regards to political and religious matters. What does zeal mean, and in today’s world, does it have mostly positive or negative connotations?
What distinguishes zeal from similar words (enthusiasm, fervor, passion, dedication) is that zeal denotes more than commitment and emotional attachment and “combines enthusiasm and fervor with an emphasis on a spirited and determined pursuit” (egrammarbook.com). For many modern thinkers, zeal often has a negative connotation that implies a wild-eyed, irrational, inflexible, and even dangerous single-mindedness as in “A small but destructive minority of religious believers have turned to crime due to their religious zeal or to insurrection against their own government” or “In their zeal to catch ‘criminals,’ police have sometimes ignored citizens’ basic civil rights” (egrammarbook.com).
Yet not all scholars and writers have a negative view of the concept of zeal. When writing about zeal in his book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, published in 2013, scholar Reza Aslan examines Jesus through “the tumultuous era in which He lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor.” According to Aslan, at this time, “scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God.” Aslan argues that “the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a spiritual teacher rather than a political revolutionary.” Yet, at his core, Aslan argues, Jesus, whom Aslan unconditionally admires even though he isn’t a Christian, was a true religious zealot “who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy” (Goodreads). When Aslan calls Jesus a zealot, he’s complimenting Him.
Shouldn’t our religious beliefs also inspire us to act in ways that positively impact society? The Unity Church certainly thinks so. As recently declared in a recent example of Unity’s Daily Word, “Zeal is a divine gift, a part of me, always mine to call upon …. I express joy and excitement as I live, love, and share of myself through service …. I live authentically and make a bold impression on the world. I share my talents and gifts with a spirit of generosity and service … [and] begin each day with eagerness and end it with gratitude.” Psalm 100:2 invites us to “Worship the Lord with gladness; come into His presence with singing,” which, to me, is a scriptural invitation to joyfully express our zeal.
Shouldn’t our zeal motivate us to live life in such a marvelous way and to strive to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be?
We at Unity Church of Sun Lakes invite you to express your zeal at our weekly Sunday services at 10 a.m. in the Arts & Crafts Room at Sun Lakes Country Club. All are welcome!