True or Fake VIII (RV)

Do not complain among yourselves.

 - From John 6

There's a point where the current hysteria about "fake" news and ultra-partisanship reminds me of how the Scribes and Pharisees, and doubters, must have acted.

Imagine Jesus going around from town to town, and every thing He does creates a scandal. Every word out of His mouth was studied carefully, picked apart, analyzed, in hopes of catching Him saying something that could get Him . . . well . . . crucified.

In the end, all they could find was a true statement: "I am the bread of life."

They thought He was a fake, and that everything He said was fake.

Isn't that interesting? If we start out by hating someone . . . we find ways to continue hating that person. We start looking for evidence to bolster our case against him or her.

Just his week, I was visiting with an old friend that experienced a total betrayal of life-long friends, over a little disagreement that had stirred up among them. Once the seam was loosened, that had held them together for a generation, it was ripped apart, as the former friends began to study everything he did, and said, in order to build a case against him. The result was a great separation between two groups of friends, that may never heal. The hate and anger rippled out, until some tragedies and other breakups among the friends followed. It doesn't just end, just because you got the first "offender."

I have had it out for teachers, pastors, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, roommates at various points and to varying degrees of severity. Yes, I admit it. And every time, I went straight to the analysis of all their words and deeds, building a case.

"See?! See?! Didn't I tell you he would do this?!"

It makes us feel good, to feel bad. It just does, and it's awful. There's a sort of high we get, from hate. And since we know hate is wrong, we must have a case. We go get some facts and evidence . . . to prove that the other person is really a bad person.

Here's a common phrase heard when friends separate: "That was a lie."

Oh brother.

Fake news. Fake news.

Jesus was a victim of brainless partisanship. Truly, they didn't know what they were doing.

They were too blinded by hate.