Back in July of 2022, I wrote an article called the ‘the court of public opinion’. The onset of the war in Ukraine had brought out an ugly side of human nature. Countless unqualified people made bold assertions about one side of the conflict or another, which in turn were copied, pasted and reposted, feeding the cycle of misinformation and fueling hatred and suspicion and division
Now we have a new war. This time, right on our doorstep. Military planes fly over Cyprus daily as a reminder of just how close it is to us.
Once again, people, in this case, Israeli’s and Palestinians, regardless of their position on the war, find themselves thrust into the court of public opinion.
What makes that such a frightening contemplation is the nature of ‘public opinion’ today.
Social Media has eliminated the previous assumption, that if you voice your opinion in a public forum, you better be prepared to back it up with facts and sound reasoning.
Nowadays it’s totally acceptable to copy, paste and repost pre-packaged opinions and conclusions without any concern about their origins, accuracy, or outcome. This global court passes sweeping sentences, formed by trends and algorithms, which the masses sadly propagate with extreme bias.
And so, we hear the stories of people who feel it’s their Google-given duty to pass sentence on all Israeli’s or Palestinians simply based on their nationality or background.
People are accepted and rejected, privately and publicly, pronounced guilty or innocent, by those whose prejudices have been formed by little more than their Facebook feed, without any regard to the details or history of those they judge.
Tragically, every time we mindlessly repost unverified information, we only pronounce ourselves guilty of perpetrating the same aggression we claim to be so against.
We have enlarged the circle of conflict to our own lives by regurgitating opinions that we haven’t really researched ourselves.
Jesus said, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
As a Christian, as a follower of Jesus, I believe there is a higher court of law. God’s court.
As a sinner, who has been saved solely by God’s grace, I have been called to love, not judge others.
I’ve been in war zones. I’ve felt the shudder of bombs falling and seen the trauma in people’s eyes. But that doesn’t give me the right to arbitrarily condemn ever person who share the nationality of those dropping the bombs into one group, nor can I memorialize every person who shares the nationality of those who are suffering from the bombings.
My responsibility, to the best of my ability, is to love the people around me, and leave the judgment to God. It doesn’t matter whether they are Russian or Ukrainian, Israeli or Palestinian. It doesn’t matter if they are black or white, gay or straight, rich or poor.
How can I pass verdict on others so casually and completely, when I expect God to forgiven me of so much?
Christians all over the world echo this sentiment when they pray the Lord’s prayer, “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Don’t misunderstand me, God will judge all sin. But you shouldn’t get too excited about that prospect, because that includes your sins and mine too.
Do you want Him to judge you by the same standard we accept from Social media?
Do you want God to copy, paste and post your sins on judgment day, without partiality or care for the outcome? Or do you want grace and compassion? Do you want mercy?
King David wrote, when confronted with his grievous sins, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.” He understood that his only hope was in the grace of God.
The Bible teaches that God’s grace is now available through His Son, Jesus Christ, who has borne our sins on the cross and offers us eternal life, as a free gift, through faith in Him. And having forgiven the mountain of sin of all who believe and repent, He calls us to show the same grace, patience and love to others that He has shown us. “We love, because He first loved us” the Bible says.
Choosing to walk in this truth may not end the wars or irradicate the pride, greed and hate that drives them.
But at least it will set us free in our hearts and the cycle of destruction will end with us.
By Pastor Tim Mattox
Paphos Calvary Chapel
www.calvarycyprus.com
