Around the year 67 A.D., Paul tagged Timothy to alert him to be on guard for Alexander the coppersmith because he did Paul a great deal of harm. (2 Timothy 4:14) Perhaps Alexander’s public shaming caused him to repent? Could Paul then have written a follow up letter stating he accepted Alexander’s apology but that letter got ‘lost in the mail?’ So here we are almost a couple thousand years later still reading what a bad guy Alexander was and letting our imaginations run wild filling in the details.
Who would dare to question Paul’s version of events to ask Alexander his? Today, some people don’t ask for someone’s side of the story because the negative side they heard first fits how they want to feel superior to that person.
Right now I’d like to set aside any speculations of what exactly Alexander did to Paul. Instead, I want to use this verse to point out how ‘social media posts’ [gossip] can take on an ‘eternal life’ of their own.
For what end, whether true or not, does someone post online something without any consideration of what it will do to another’s reputation?
Do they know God really hates a false witness who breathes out lies [even half-truths], and one who spreads discord (rumors) especially among family members? (Proverbs 6:19)
“Those people are on a dark spiral downward. But if you think that leaves you on the high ground where you can point your finger at others, think again. Every time you criticize someone, you condemn yourself. It takes one to know one. Judgmental criticism of others is a well-known way of escaping detection in your own crimes and misdemeanors. But God isn’t so easily diverted. He sees right through all such smoke screens and holds you to what you’ve done.” (Romans 2:1 MSG)
Wow, nothing like a scripture hitting me between the eyes when I’m writing about ‘them’. You know, the first ones to post their side of a story who seem right until someone else steps forward to scrutinize the private conduct or motives of those individuals. (Proverbs 18:17)
Paul even quoted Deuteronomy 19:15, that if only one person says that he has seen someone do something wrong, that is not enough. There must be at least two or three people who saw what actually happened. (2 Corinthians 13:1)
The rest of 2 Timothy 4:14 “the Lord will repay him according to his actions” should be an incentive, if we have publicly posted a self-serving narrative to boost viewership, to do the right thing by issuing an equally public apology even if it costs us readers. A quiet “I was wrong” to just that person doesn’t really cut it. That would be similar to newspapers going to press with a deliberately untrue headline only to follow up with a copy containing a small print correction on an interior page most readers never open thus leaving them still believing the false narrative.
Don’t let selfishness and prideful agendas take over. Embrace true humility, and lift your heads to extend love to others. (Philippians 2:3 VOICE)
Paul’s update
