“But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” For the third time he demanded, “Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.” But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.” (Luke 23:21–24, NLT)
As Mimi’s marriage crumbled, she grew increasingly bitter and resentful. When her husband Carlos spoke, she would often give him one-word responses, stares, and angry words. Mimi blamed her husband for all their problems. He didn’t make enough money, so she had to work part time. He had two jobs to help make ends meet, so he wasn’t available enough to help take care of their two young children. Mimi was sick of struggling just to make ends meet.
Mimi’s best friend was divorced. She told Mimi that the divorce was the best thing she ever did. Mimi wondered if divorce would be better than the constant struggle of her present situation. That way, she could get alimony and child support from Carlos and find someone more well-off to marry. Mimi and her best friend would go out once a week on “girls’ night” and dream about vacationing to the Caribbean, backpacking in Europe, or what the perfect date would be like. While out, Carlos’ mother or Carlos would watch the children so Mimi could get a break. Still, Mimi resented the fact that she had to ask for help just to go out with her bestie.
Mimi also spent a lot of time online while watching her children. There, she watched videos of women who complained about their husbands. She also read up on ways to make marriage better. She researched the pros and cons of divorce. As the months passed, Mimi was convinced that divorce was her only way out of a life of “drudgery” as she called it.
On the day Mimi served her husband divorce papers, she went online to complain about their marriage on a popular women’s forum. Many abused and divorced women the world over gave her words of encouragement and support. Mimi felt so good about the positive response that she videotaped a scathing explanation for her divorce, calling her husband a “dead beat dad” who had no time for his kids or her. She commented on how her kids missed their dad, making her viewers feel sorry for the children and angry at their father. When the video was discovered online by a fellow worker close to Carlos, Carlos was livid. He told Mimi that she was being cruel by airing their life and troubles public for everyone to see. It was making it worse for him at work and with family. She gloated, telling him he deserved it for being a poor example of a husband. For months, Mimi bashed her husband on social media. In the end, her videos ended up causing Carlos to lose one of his two jobs and made Carlos’ family appear to be responsible for his “deadbeat” ways.
I knew Carlos. He was nothing close to a deadbeat dad. He loved his kids and spent many hours playing with them, taking care of their home, and working hard to give the family stability. Mimi’s rants on social media were her attempts to garner sympathy from other women. It added fuel to the fire of the divorce. It caused friends, family, and even neighbors to take sides. It destroyed the family. At school, Mimi and Carlos’ children were teased because of what the other families had seen from Mimi’s rants online. It got so bad that the children would fake illnesses not to have to go to school, just to escape ridicule. Mimi’s rants online were biased and unfair. They were misguided and selfish. In the end, all they did was cause a good man to look bad, children to suffer in the public eye, and families to be torn apart. All this was done to garner support for Mimi’s poor choices.
Many people use the public arena to manipulate public opinion. Without realizing it, most do not realize that their actions are sinful. If you twist the facts to support your biased position, it’s lying. If you use peer pressure to exert power or to boost your self-image, isn’t this just a form of bearing false witness (thus breaking a commandment)? Lots of sins are caused by people who gather support from others to push a worldly agenda, cover up lies, or feed selfish ambition. One has only to look at the scripture today to see a biblical example of this very thing.
In our scripture from Luke 23, Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who was given power over Judea. Jesus was on trial. The Jewish authorities wanted Jesus dead. They manipulated public opinion to the point that the people shouted, “Crucify Him!”, for Pilate to put Jesus to death. The crowds were motivated by the lying Jewish authorities. Pressure was put on Pilate to listen to the crowds and “play it safe”. At Jesus’ trial, Pilate told those gathered, “I have found no reason to sentence him [Jesus] to death” (Luke 23:22). Pilate wanted to release Jesus, knowing HE was innocent. However, the crowds, manipulated by evil intent and Jewish authorities, demand Jesus’ death. In the end, Pilate caved to the mobs. The scripture says that the voices of the mobs “prevailed” (Luke 23:23). Pilate sentenced Jesus to death (Luke 23:24) based on public pressure, not guilt. Sin was the result. Death was the outcome. The cross was where the wrongful execution took place.
I often see on social media, online news, and other publications where people manipulate the process in order to achieve sinful ends. They lie online to promote a selfish agenda. They twist the facts in order to affect public opinion. They do not realize that the same methods were used to murder Jesus. They do not want to know that they are promoting worldly ways using evil propaganda.
It is all too easy to overlook when you twist the facts, cover up the wrongs, or manipulate the opinions of others to justify something not quite right. All too soon, you risk performing evil, promoting lies, and damaging souls. If you look for validation from others, fear public opinion, or are willing to set aside what is right to attain a better public image, sin is probably at work. If you let the wrongs continue, lives will be damaged, and evil will come home to roost.
Just because something is widely accepted in social media doesn’t make it right. Just because you are a baptized Christian doesn’t mean you won’t stoop down to manipulating others to take your side. Even if you start out wanting something good, that doesn’t mean you won’t make sinful choices to shore up your public image.
Be careful when you want to control or manipulate public opinion of yourself or your “side”. The mob did the same thing to Jesus.
Are you afraid of standing up to the social media mob? Do you crave more the approval of the crowds or the approval of God? Do you back off being faithful when facing pressure to do so? Obedience to God means you must be willing to do the right thing, even when its not acceptable in the eyes of another.
Mimi’s best friend was divorced. She told Mimi that the divorce was the best thing she ever did. Mimi wondered if divorce would be better than the constant struggle of her present situation. That way, she could get alimony and child support from Carlos and find someone more well-off to marry. Mimi and her best friend would go out once a week on “girls’ night” and dream about vacationing to the Caribbean, backpacking in Europe, or what the perfect date would be like. While out, Carlos’ mother or Carlos would watch the children so Mimi could get a break. Still, Mimi resented the fact that she had to ask for help just to go out with her bestie.
Mimi also spent a lot of time online while watching her children. There, she watched videos of women who complained about their husbands. She also read up on ways to make marriage better. She researched the pros and cons of divorce. As the months passed, Mimi was convinced that divorce was her only way out of a life of “drudgery” as she called it.
On the day Mimi served her husband divorce papers, she went online to complain about their marriage on a popular women’s forum. Many abused and divorced women the world over gave her words of encouragement and support. Mimi felt so good about the positive response that she videotaped a scathing explanation for her divorce, calling her husband a “dead beat dad” who had no time for his kids or her. She commented on how her kids missed their dad, making her viewers feel sorry for the children and angry at their father. When the video was discovered online by a fellow worker close to Carlos, Carlos was livid. He told Mimi that she was being cruel by airing their life and troubles public for everyone to see. It was making it worse for him at work and with family. She gloated, telling him he deserved it for being a poor example of a husband. For months, Mimi bashed her husband on social media. In the end, her videos ended up causing Carlos to lose one of his two jobs and made Carlos’ family appear to be responsible for his “deadbeat” ways.
I knew Carlos. He was nothing close to a deadbeat dad. He loved his kids and spent many hours playing with them, taking care of their home, and working hard to give the family stability. Mimi’s rants on social media were her attempts to garner sympathy from other women. It added fuel to the fire of the divorce. It caused friends, family, and even neighbors to take sides. It destroyed the family. At school, Mimi and Carlos’ children were teased because of what the other families had seen from Mimi’s rants online. It got so bad that the children would fake illnesses not to have to go to school, just to escape ridicule. Mimi’s rants online were biased and unfair. They were misguided and selfish. In the end, all they did was cause a good man to look bad, children to suffer in the public eye, and families to be torn apart. All this was done to garner support for Mimi’s poor choices.
Many people use the public arena to manipulate public opinion. Without realizing it, most do not realize that their actions are sinful. If you twist the facts to support your biased position, it’s lying. If you use peer pressure to exert power or to boost your self-image, isn’t this just a form of bearing false witness (thus breaking a commandment)? Lots of sins are caused by people who gather support from others to push a worldly agenda, cover up lies, or feed selfish ambition. One has only to look at the scripture today to see a biblical example of this very thing.
In our scripture from Luke 23, Jesus is brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who was given power over Judea. Jesus was on trial. The Jewish authorities wanted Jesus dead. They manipulated public opinion to the point that the people shouted, “Crucify Him!”, for Pilate to put Jesus to death. The crowds were motivated by the lying Jewish authorities. Pressure was put on Pilate to listen to the crowds and “play it safe”. At Jesus’ trial, Pilate told those gathered, “I have found no reason to sentence him [Jesus] to death” (Luke 23:22). Pilate wanted to release Jesus, knowing HE was innocent. However, the crowds, manipulated by evil intent and Jewish authorities, demand Jesus’ death. In the end, Pilate caved to the mobs. The scripture says that the voices of the mobs “prevailed” (Luke 23:23). Pilate sentenced Jesus to death (Luke 23:24) based on public pressure, not guilt. Sin was the result. Death was the outcome. The cross was where the wrongful execution took place.
I often see on social media, online news, and other publications where people manipulate the process in order to achieve sinful ends. They lie online to promote a selfish agenda. They twist the facts in order to affect public opinion. They do not realize that the same methods were used to murder Jesus. They do not want to know that they are promoting worldly ways using evil propaganda.
It is all too easy to overlook when you twist the facts, cover up the wrongs, or manipulate the opinions of others to justify something not quite right. All too soon, you risk performing evil, promoting lies, and damaging souls. If you look for validation from others, fear public opinion, or are willing to set aside what is right to attain a better public image, sin is probably at work. If you let the wrongs continue, lives will be damaged, and evil will come home to roost.
Just because something is widely accepted in social media doesn’t make it right. Just because you are a baptized Christian doesn’t mean you won’t stoop down to manipulating others to take your side. Even if you start out wanting something good, that doesn’t mean you won’t make sinful choices to shore up your public image.
Be careful when you want to control or manipulate public opinion of yourself or your “side”. The mob did the same thing to Jesus.
Are you afraid of standing up to the social media mob? Do you crave more the approval of the crowds or the approval of God? Do you back off being faithful when facing pressure to do so? Obedience to God means you must be willing to do the right thing, even when its not acceptable in the eyes of another.