This morning I listened to a news story about a man who posted brutal threats against his estranged wife on Facebook. Now the Supreme Court has to decide if a threat written in social media is as real as a threat made in person.
The story made me think of something Jesus said about words:
“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:43-45)
Words come from hearts, whether spoken or typed. By this logic, threatening social media posts come from hearts of malice and should therefore be taken just as seriously as in-person threats. And by that same logic, thankful posts come from thankful hearts, worshipful posts from worshipful hearts, selfish posts from selfish hearts and so on.
But it’s not really that simple because we all use social media differently. Some are more authentic on social media than in person, others are less authentic. I’ve seen “nice” people barf their honest hatred, timid people unveil their sense of humor and desperate people reach out for real help on social media. I’ve also seen troubled people glaze themselves with posts of delicious meals, sunny vacations and sexy selfies. Either way, posts come from hearts; but only God can accurately connect the dots between the two.
I don’t know what the Supreme Court will decide about the threatening husband. I hope they know Jesus and what he teaches about words, because that will help them think clearly about it. For us, it’s a reminder to look at our words, both spoken and posted, because they gauge our hearts.
