Somebody you don’t like very much gets into trouble. It’s fine to gloat a little, right? Maybe they got what they deserved? There’s a word describing this attitude: schadenfreude. It means enjoyment of someone else’s problems. I used to think this feeling was OK, even natural.

Through my study of Christian Science, though, I’ve learned that God, Spirit, knows our identity to be wholly spiritual and that God loves all of us. As Christians, we are expected to zero in on the divine character and treasure its expression in ourselves and others. Christ Jesus emphasized this in his answer to the question “Which is the great commandment in the law?” He says, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ ” (Matthew 22:37–39, New King James Version). Being delighted when something bad happens to another person definitely doesn’t fit with these commandments.  

A sincere Christian recognizes that following Jesus precludes schadenfreude. We don’t know whether Saul the Pharisee indulged in it before he became Paul the Apostle. But when we first meet him, Saul is focused on arresting Jesus’ early followers and throwing them into prison, and is on his way to terrorize a community of believers in Damascus. Probably the last thing he expected en route was to experience a sudden and total conversion—to become an ardent follower of Jesus himself. But that’s exactly what happened. He experienced a 180-degree thought shift—from malice to a religion of love (see Acts 9:1–20).