Thursday-Busybody

If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

1 Peter 4:15,16

I feel like I’m in one of those commercials for betting websites. You know what I’m talking about. Everybody is smiling and touching the screen on their phones to bet on just about anything that moves. They just can’t help themselves. They’ve got to make that bet because they know that they’re going to win.

Now, I’m not going to download an app and make any bets like that. But I’m ready to bet everything I own. Our house. Cars. Stocks. Bonds. Bank accounts. Insurance policies. And then I’m going to borrow as much money as I can from family, friends, and even strangers.

And why? What’s the bet? Why would I put everything at risk on a bet? Because I already know the answer. There’s not a shadow of a doubt about how everyone will answer this question. So, what’s the question? Here goes.

Have you ever met a busybody? There it is; I win. And why? Because everybody, and I mean everybody has met a busybody. They might be in their family. Or at work. They could be in their circle of friends that meet for lunch every week.

But it doesn’t stop there. We’ve also found ourselves near busybodies by just living. We go to the store and there’s a busybody telling everyone about what’s good and bad to buy. Or you’re in the doctor’s office and a busybody is unloading their mountain of medical information for everyone to take in and be healed.

When I look up the word busybody in my personal dictionary that lives inside my head, I clearly see the face and hear the voice of one person. And then as I start to relive all the ways they tried to tell us how to do everything, my skin starts to crawl. The hair on the back of my neck stands up. My head drops in a failed attempt to let their busybody advice miss me.

To say that they had an opinion on everything is not even close. Not only did they have an opinion, it was the absolutely correct and only opinion that anyone with half a brain would think. Anyone who disagreed with them was at least an idiot, if not someone that needed to be taken away and put in a mental institution. Here’s just a short list of some of the things where their opinion was right and everyone else was wrong.

• How to clean anything; floors, furniture, kitchen cabinets, rugs.

• How to fix and repair everything, no matter how badly it’s been damaged.

• How to get anywhere; the maps and GPS were wrong, they were right.

• What was right and wrong about everyone, whether or not they knew them.

• How to cure any and every disease, pain, bug bite, and hurt.

• What’s right and wrong with every leader in the world.

While their knowledge and insights are great, they don’t believe that anyone can match their smarts. No one’s even remotely close to being their equal. They are the smartest. They know it. And if anyone had a single brain cell, they’d follow their advice. They just don’t understand why everyone doesn’t just follow their instructions.

A busybody is someone that puts themselves at the top of any and every list. They believe that they’ve been blessed with unique insight and brainpower so that they alone can run the lives of everyone else on the planet.

When Peter talks about murders and criminals, it’s pretty simple to understand how they’re going to suffer. After all, they broke the law and there’s jail time and penalties to be paid. To be blunt, they’ve earned the penalties they’ve received.

But there’s no law against a busybody. You can search all the federal, state, county, and city laws, and you won’t find a single one that points out what a busybody is and the punishments for being one. And yet, Peter lists being a busybody’s crime to be on the same level of a murder or criminal.

When we think about it, a busybody forces themselves to be involved in the lives of others. They never wait for a question or invitation. Because they are sure that they know best, they barge ahead without any doubts. They push everyone out of the way and run over them.

Having been on the receiving side of a busybody, I’m here to tell you that there’s no way that they’re not disruptive. They don’t see it. They’re blinded by their pride and assume authority that they’ve never earned. And when we’re honest, they’re as unwelcomed as the day is long. Is it any wonder that such a person makes the things of God very unpopular with unbelievers.

When I compare a busybody with Jesus, I just can’t find anything in common. He’s fully God and yet he came to seek and save the lost[1]. And instead of being a busybody who told everyone how smart and great he was, he gave himself for sinners and enemies[2]. Jesus came as a servant[3]. Of all the things you could do to hurt the name and reputation of God and his people, being a busybody has got to be the worst.

Noodling Questions

• How do people react when they meet a busybody? Why?

• Why are we afraid to face a busybody? Explain.

• Describe how a busybody is the exact opposite of God himself.

[1] Luke 19:10

[2] Romans 5:8,10

[3] Mark 10:45