When a fellow Christian used his podcast to describe me and those who share my perspective regarding church life as so lukewarm that Jesus would vomit us out of his mouth, I felt tempted to respond with mutual insults and contempt. But then I heard Jesus calling me to rejoice!
In the conclusion to the Beatitudes, Jesus states, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matt. 5:11-12). Jesus proclaims that message as the Savior who overcame false witness by persevering in true witness—even to the point of being lifted up on the cross to reveal the glory of his saving love. In the gospel of John, Jesus says, “For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37, ESV). And in our world of false witnessing—which includes our own false witnessing—Jesus shares that purpose with us. Thus one way we can follow our Lord in the way of overcoming evil with goodness is by seeking to obey the ninth commandment in Christlike ways.
When I heard the insult against me on the podcast, not only was I tempted in the direction of contempt, but I also fell into an anger that could have led me into false witnessing. We all live with similar temptations, and we “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). Many of us respond to insults with insults, but to help us live out our Lord’s teachings regarding the ninth commandment, we can turn to Jesus’ teaching about the sixth commandment—a teaching I relied on previously to navigate a difficult relationship.
During my student days, I worked part time for a church as a youth leader, and that work included ongoing conflict with a volunteer youth leader. For various reasons, this other youth leader and I did not get along, and one evening he shocked me with a phone call in which he expressed his anger through insult after insult. After some dismayed silence, I started to burn with anger and made plans to call that other leader back to tell him off. But, thank God, I was led to first check in with a therapist friend.
After I ranted and raved for several minutes and described my plan to call the other leader back, my friend opened my mind and heart to biblical truth by asking, “What do you hope will happen?” And as I pondered that question, I realized my subconscious hope was to hurt that other leader at least as much as he had hurt me. I was tempted to say “You fool!” as I burned in anger with fire from hell (Matt. 5:22). Thank God, our Lord revealed a healthier path for me to follow, and while the other leader and I did not become best friends, we did find ways to speak and work together honestly and in peace.
Here and Now
Social media has only intensified false witnessing and insults. Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, though he does not identify as a God-believer, uses the biblical story of Babel (Gen. 11) to offer insights into the destruction that can happen through social media. He compares social media to the tower at Babel, which led to the division of the human family. In Haidt’s article “Why the Past 10 Years of American Life Have Been Uniquely Stupid” (The Atlantic, May 2022), he makes a strong case for seeing how social media can contribute to the shattering of communities. Haidt points out that as people seek engagement with their posts, they can fall into dishonesty, which leads to what Haidt calls a “continual chipping away of trust.” He concludes by urging readers to reform social media: “We must change ourselves and our communities.”
The community of the Christian Reformed Church in North America has its own needs for reform. Rev. Susan LaClear, Candidacy Committee director, recently shared on The Network a message she gave to synod. She spoke of how church members can “participate in factions, spread misinformation, and bear false witness against each other on social media,” which can lead emerging leaders to feel anxious and wonder whether they can or should serve the church. LaClear also shared a quotation from a Latino pastor who wondered why CRC people can feel led to publicly disparage each other. “In our culture,” the pastor said, “if you’re family; you’re family. We don’t talk bad about each other.”
A story from the Old Testament can speak to this struggle, too. In his book The Nine Commandments, David Noel Freedman explores King Ahab and Queen Jezebel deliberately bearing false witness against a farmer named Naboth in order to steal his vineyard (1 Kings 21). In this story, Jezebel arranges for false witnesses to accuse Naboth in a way that leads to his death. When the prophet Elijah confronts the powerful king with a true witness regarding that sin, Ahab says to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” (1 Kings 21:20). That response was simply one further expression of the enmity and persecution that Ahab already had been practicing against Elijah, and it illustrates what Jesus notes is the persecution of prophets who testify truly to God (Matt. 23). It further reveals that false witness can bring numerous bad consequences: Ahab and Jezebel continue to lead Israel down a path of destruction.
So how do we overcome false witnessing, which continues to work destruction even in our day?
When a false witness led Jesus into the shadow of the cross, our Lord testified before Pontius Pilate that the Messiah’s kingdom differs from other kingdoms. Jesus has not called his followers to engage in military revolt against the Roman Empire. As Jesus brings God’s heavenly kingdom to earth, he does so not by trashing his enemies, but by testifying to the truth. Jesus emphasizes that witnessing to the truth was the purpose for which he was born into the world, and he adds, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37). We can listen to Jesus’ voice about seeking his kingdom by offering a true witness.
When Jesus reveals himself as the only begotten Son of our Father, he reveals further a glory that is “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). With that glorious combination, Jesus shows how much we need a Savior, and he proclaims that he has come not “to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:17). Jesus then warns against hiding from his saving light of truth by practicing the darkness of deceit (John 3:18-20). He reveals further that the truth will set us free to abide with him because truth liberates us from the devil, who “is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). And, astonishingly, on the night before his arrest on the way to the cross, Jesus not only proclaims himself to be “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6), but promises to send “the Spirit of truth,” who will lead us “into all the truth” (John 16:13).
Seeing Jesus in prayer illustrates this.
One gospel scene reveals how Jesus had been praying for Simon Peter. At the Last Supper, knowing how weak his followers are when they trust primarily in themselves, Jesus says, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).
Simon Peter does seem to fail in faith when he later denies Jesus three times. That false testimony leads Peter to weep in shame, but it also leads Jesus to pray and to save with grace and truth. Instead of condemning Peter for false witness and a failure of faith, Jesus continues to pray for his disciple and restores him into an apostleship in which he is able to strengthen countless brothers and sisters by offering true witness.
Another passage in which Jesus prays is in John’s portrait of the Last Supper. Jesus concludes his table talk by lifting his eyes to heaven and praying passionately. In his prayer for his people, which continues to this day (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25), Jesus prays that his followers can be one so that people can come to believe in the one God, who is love. Our Savior’s prayer culminates with his testifying, “I made known to them your name [character], and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26, ESV).
The Heidelberg Catechism interprets the ninth commandment to instruct us on how to bear true witness. In Lord’s Day 43, the catechism emphasizes not only that our Lord calls us to “never give false testimony against anyone,” but also to love the truth in a way that leads us to “do what I can to guard and advance my neighbor’s good name” (Q&A 112). Can you imagine what church life would be like if we repent from trashing one another with false witness and seek to treasure one another with true witness? We can join Jesus in praying for such unity and love, and we can experience the joy of the gospel by following Jesus out of falsehood and into the truth that will fascinate us.
In an essay he wrote in response to people slandering the Christian faith by claiming religion to be a source of fanaticism that can lead to terrorism, German New Testament scholar Gerhard Lohfink testified that Jesus does not make disciples of all nations by leading his followers to fight against people we don’t like. Instead, Jesus fascinates us into the saving truths of his kingdom so that we can follow him in the way of truth that leads to freedom and the positive peace we call shalom (Lohfink, No Irrelevant Jesus, pp. 75-85; John 8:32)
In seeking shalom, we can all edify one another by bearing true witness to Christ, who saves us with his glorious grace and truth.
Discussion Questions:
- Have you ever been a victim of someone bearing false witness against you? How did you feel, and how did you respond?
- How do you view social media’s role in proliferating false witness and insults? How should Christians navigate and use social media?
- What are some consequences to the church if Christians continue in the path of bearing false witness and insults at each other?
- How do we focus more on bearing true witness, both individually and collectively?
About the Author
Joel Kok earned degrees from Calvin College (now University), Calvin Seminary, and Duke University. He is grateful to have served congregations in the United States and Canada. He now serves at Covenant Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Center, Iowa.
