05 Jul The First Smear Campaign Against Jesus
From college campuses to social media and news outlets, it seems like there is zero chance for any reasonable and respectable dialogue about current events. No matter what issue is raised, before thoughtful dialogue can commence, public mudslinging, personal attacking, and painful truth-twisting begins.
As Christians, we tend to feel this most acutely when the attack is on Christ or fellow Christians. Things get ugly fast, and seem to almost daily.
Sadly, this is nothing new. When Jesus walked the earth, there was an ongoing smear campaign against Him. Critics, led by religious leaders, actually accused Him openly and publicly of being a cult member whose power came from Satan. In John 8:48 they said, ““Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?””
The Samaritans were a cult complete with their own religion, separate Temple, heavily edited Bible, and were renowned for celebrating sexual sin and even participating in child sacrifice. To state it simply, this was a coordinated effort by highly respected public figures to use their communication platforms to destroy Jesus.
If that were not bad enough, they even attacked his Mother, Mary. They said to Him in John 8:41 “We were not born of sexual immorality.” They were not so subtly stating that Jesus’ mother was not a godly woman, but rather such a sexually promiscuous woman that His paternity was a mystery.
Wherever you might be on the social and/or political spectrum, admittedly the day in which we live can be disheartening and discouraging because of all the dishonesty. Somehow, Jesus trusted the Father to work it all out in eternity and kept seeking to say and do what was right in the eyes of God no matter the response from critics. In this, we can take heart knowing that the current cultural climate is nothing new for Jesus; it’s something He’s been dealing with for a very long time.
When you are talking with someone and something false is said about Christ or Christianity, how can you kindly bring the truth in its place?
