Fake news had been a household name in this social media saturated culture. In the past you can get fake ID’s, fake flowers, fake eyelashes etc., But never would we imagine a day there are fake news. This kind of news has only one agenda, that is to deceive people.
In the Bible, there are somewhat instances that are similar to fake news in our times. They are aim to blur Christ, His identity and works. Isn’t that what fake news are for? Here are five of them that talks about Jesus:
Jesus’ resurrection is a hoax. Disproving the bodily resurrection of Christ is not just a product of modern times. Before the Passover Plot or The Da Vinci Code made such claims, the people who conspire in crucifying the Lord concocted another conspiracy.
“While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.” – Matthew 28: 11-15
The fake news spread of the alleged resurrection hoax. However, the Christian message caught fire and out spread the lies that the opponents of Christ are trying to assimilate. The resurrection of Christ is where the Christian faith hinges. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15: 14:
“…and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without foundation, and so is your faith.”
Jesus is just another Old Testament prophet. As Jesus ministry gain prominence, people started speculating who He really is.
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”—Matthew 16: 13-19
As the passage indicates, knowing Christ is not dependent on popular opinion but it’s how God disclose it to someone. God has the last say on the identity of Christ.
False Christ in the end times. Before His second coming, we will hear fake news of a fake Christ and lots of them.
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” – Matthew 24:23- 28
As you can see, many will claim as Christ and deceive many even the true Christians. As we all know, there are couple of these fakes all throughout history and will continue till the true Christ comes. And that’s no fake news!
Jesus is a drunkard and a glutton. Accusations to deter Christ character abound in those time. Because He meet people in need of the spiritual physician, He often invited to parties that the religious crowd calls sinners.
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”—Matthew 11: 18-19
While the religious group look at the peripherals, Jesus points them to the fruit of their actions which shows the wisdom. The ministry approach of Jesus and John doesn’t fit the box these religious crowd had set up but in truth what they did wise.
Jesus didn’t came in the flesh. If in our modern times some people had a hard time believing in the deity of Jesus, in apostle John time, they had it the opposite. They don’t want to believe that God the Son came to the world as a human being. So before Arius made headlines centuries later, these people are causing quite a stir over the church of God with their fake news.
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.” – 2 John 1: 7
The last apostle, John the Beloved, wants to set the record straight that those who teach these are false teachers. These teachers are into Gnosticism and they are polar opposite with the Christian message.
