PODCAST
Heaven’s Memo
January 25th, 2022
Matthew 15:1-11
Did I miss a heavenly memo that stated all Bible verses concerning gossiping, grumbling, and spreading rumors are null and void? Was there a new proclamation from on high giving the green light to murmuring and slanderous talk? What about vulgar or coarse language? Is letting out a four-letter expletive suddenly okay? From a casual perusal of social media, to a few conversations, and even some flat out lies spoken by followers of Jesus (or at least people who claimed to be following Jesus), the growing frequency of “sins of the tongue” (or “sins of the keyboard”) seem to indicate that such behaviors are no longer all that sinful. (Truth alert:) They are still wrong.
If we were to receive a memo from on high, it would require us to remember Jesus’ words: “what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them” (v. 11). Paul got the memo and echoed Jesus in Ephesians 4:29: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.” If Paul were writing today, he might have penned, “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths or be posted on your social media feed.”
Author: Rob Prince
