DEVOTION / The James and John approach to social media
When the days were approaching for him to be taken up, Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem. 52 He sent messengers ahead of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him. But the people did not welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. When his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” But he turned and rebuked them. “You don’t know what kind of spirit is influencing you. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s souls, but to save them” (Luke 9:52-56).
Every time I scroll through Facebook posts that I discover at least one of my 700 "friends" has posted something I disagree with.
The temptation for me is to respond by lovelessly pointing out the error in their logic. The easiest -- and least effective -- way to do that is by posting a meme that sarcastically destroys their argument and silences any rebuttal.
Ah, yes. That temptation claims there's nothing like a snide retort to a post to bring an online friend to their knees in repentance.
Of course, that's a lie.
When I fall to that temptation, I find that my response transformed the discussion into a quarrel. It produced colossal calories of heat but brought nary a lumen of light to the topic. And, as far as building Facebook friendship, it accomplished the opposite.
That was James' and John's approach to a Samaritan village that did not show proper respect to Jesus. They were ready to post the most inflammatory gifs available. Those ungrateful Samaritans earned the wrath of God, the pair reasoned. That warrants the nuclear option. “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”
Jesus insisted on a much different approach. He "turned and rebuked them. 'You don’t know what kind of spirit is influencing you. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy people’s souls, but to save them.'”
How could the Savior of Jews, Samaritans, and the world -- on his way to die in Jerusalem -- consider destroying this village? "You think you are being influenced by holy anger over this apparent slight," Jesus told his two disciples. "You are wrong. Demons are influencing you."
Never forget, Jesus told his disciples, "I came to earth to save souls from hell's terrors, not send them there."
John obviously learned the lesson Jesus taught that day. He writes, "This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, if God loved us so much, we also should love one another" (1 John 4:10,11).
We demonstrate God's love for us as we love one another. Even Facebook friends with different values than ours.