With the advancement of communications technology, we find ourselves sorting through a veritable avalanche of words and images. Before the invention of the moveable-type printing press, books were difficult to produce, and words had to be copied by hand. But with the printing press, now books and newspapers became easier to create and distribute. Typewriters made it easier for people to create something that was legible. Then phone lines allowed for words to travel across vast distances quickly. Now, with the ongoing evolution of computers, the internet, increased connectivity, and the prevalence of new media forms including social media, nearly anyone can send out their ideas for global consumption.
One significant side-effect of these advances is the ease with which falsehoods and misinformation are spread. These have always been around and used effectively at times by those who controlled the distribution of information (If you remember the old Soviet Union newspaper that they called Pravda, which means truth, you know what I mean). Now it has become easy to put out so much falsehood that the truth is hidden from sight, somewhere at the bottom of the aforementioned avalanche, making it very difficult to find. So, how do we know the truth?
When John the Baptist was in prison as a captive of King Herod, he found himself in questioning his life’s work. He had served as a prophetic voice, calling people to repentance and preparing them to embrace the ministry and mission of one who was to come. Of the many who he baptized, one stood out – his cousin Jesus of Nazareth. John heard the voice of God speak, affirming Jesus as His son, and he watched as Jesus began a ministry that included profound teachings, filled with words that sounded like Godly wisdom. Yet when he was jailed and languishing in prison, his personal suffering caused him to wonder if it all was really true. After all, so much of what Jesus was doing was conveying information. Was his word true?
John sent some of his followers to question Jesus, to see if he truly was the one who was promised, and Jesus’ response is instructive for all of us. Instead of giving a profound speech filled with more wisdom, Jesus pointed to his deeds. In effect, Jesus was telling John and his disciples that the truth could be seen clearly when his actions were aligned with his works, so that they should know him by what he had done and would do. Then Jesus would later say that it was by certain actions, particularly how they love one another, that his followers could be identified.
When the truth has been buried under five feet of communication, deeds are like a pole sticking up through the pile, telling people where to look. What you do speaks more clearly than anything that you may say (or, perhaps more importantly, what others are saying). So don’t be so quick to believe what you hear. Instead, look for the deeds that reveal what is really true.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron