Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault

between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.  Matthew 18:15

 

        Seems like anytime He had a chance Jesus was teaching His disciples. And here He teaches them a lesson still relevant for us all. He was basically saying, ‘Look guys don’t air your dirty tunics in public.’ I like to wonder what it would be like if Jesus were here today, in these modern times of social networking.

    Sometime between the time His parents found Him at the temple and the beginning of His ministry I could see Him making the transition from Myspace to Facebook. So, He’s an adult now with His profile page. His picture is in sepia tones showing Him knocking on a door. His photo albums are full of pictures of Him and guys hanging out.

      What would He say? Would He tell them not to trash their brothers, both physical and spiritual, on their walls? Would He warn them about the trend for people to secretly videotape others?  Would He worry their arguments would go viral? Arguments are best settled without the added embarrassment and interference of witnesses, according to scripture.

      While we’re on the subject, I think He’d also tell His disciples to treat each other with great respect and to think before they post. As Christians, it would serve us to think that way. Christ goes on to tell how a dispute should be handled if the brother does not listen and it involves witnesses and the church but not public forums. He knows brother will be against brother but that doesn’t mean He encourages it.

        So, before you post, be led by the Holy Ghost. Keep it between the parties involved.