Acts 6:8-15: Click-Bait to Judgment

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.

Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”

So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”

All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel. - Acts 6:8-15

There is no defending yourself against people who really intended to defame you. Whether they just assassinate your character behind your back or assassinate you to your face by bringing false charges, if people are determined enough, they will find something that enough people will believe. That makes me sad. I guess I like to think that the truth about an honest and upright person will eventually come to light and justice will be done. 

The use of these methods and these words and these rumors is very revealing, both about the person being defamed and the defamers. The defamers have an agenda that is not the truth, but they take some element of the truth and twist it into something that their hearers care about. "blasphemous words against Moses and against God" seems to have been the trigger phrase for the people, elders and teachers. Just use this phrase and a few pieces of plausible evidence and voila-the ancient version of click-bait.

I also am inclined to believe the worst about someone when I hear a story or read a news article. Unfortunately, the worst is often true. But it is not always true. It is a form of stereotype. It pronounces someone guilty, often without any actual knowledge. We begin to treat that person and their reputation as tainted.

Stephen is an example to me, as Jesus was, that I should not deliver the sentence of punishment before judgement is concluded and I should not deliver judgement without taking the time to investigate the facts myself. Otherwise I would join the crowd that gathered stones and killed a man who is actually like an angel.