Inspired by Genesis 37:23-38, Romans 10:6-10, Matthew 14:25-32
Words are powerful…they have the ability to heal or to hurt, to destroy or to build, to unify or to divide, to bless or to curse, to set free or to bind. Each of us uses a lot of words every day in written and spoken forms and we should be constantly asking ourselves how our words are being received by others. Each of us also consume an enormous volume of words and visuals every day – more than any other generation of humans. We must also be mindful of how the words we take into our minds affect our ability to communicate in healthy and constructive ways.
Recently our older son was reflecting on how he had fallen victim to “click bait”. Those are the social media feeds that generate a sense of anger, fear or outrage. He realized that he was participating in and manipulated by the “outrage economy”. James Coleman, writing in the online platform “Medium”, explains this economic model: “…Every day, billions of us participate, often unknowingly, in a digital economy powered not by goods or services, but by emotion. Fear. Anger. Outrage. These are the raw materials of a system that transforms human disconnection into corporate profit…It didn’t begin this way. Once, the internet promised connection, a digital commons where ideas could be shared, cultures could meet, and communities could flourish. But over time, a quieter, more insidious transformation took place: platforms discovered that conflict drives clicks more reliably than consensus, that provocation keeps users engaged longer than peace ever could.
Social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, are not neutral tools. They are carefully engineered systems designed to maximize ‘time on site,’ ‘engagement,’ and ‘virality.’ Their algorithms prioritize content that triggers emotional reactions because these reactions produce more shares, comments, and, crucially, ad revenue. Anger is sticky. Outrage is viral. And in a business model where human attention is the commodity, outrage is the gold standard….” In our world, anger has become a commodity, and its spread has become instantaneous to the detriment of our lives and communities.
The Bible offers us a different set of words – words that continue to stick with us and inform us that healthy anger has a role, but loving words are what save us. Our scripture readings for today offer us examples of how words can save. Jacob’s youngest son, Joseph, is in a bind with his brothers. Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, had shared a dream with his family where his older brothers were all bowing down to him. This caused strife in the family and the brothers looked for an opportunity to get rid of Joseph. That opportunity came while the older brothers were out with the flocks. The brothers wanted to kill Joseph, but the eldest, Reuben, talked them out of that. His words saved Joseph’s life.
Paul, in his letter to believers in Rome writes about the saving words that we have available to speak. Paul reflects on how the Israelites continued to deny that the Christ had come in Jesus. Paul teaches his flock that, “…The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: if you declare with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you are saved….”
Immediately following the feeding of the 5000, Jesus sends the disciples ahead of him on a boat, while he takes time with God to restore himself. A storm came up on the Sea and the disciples struggled to make way against the wind. All night they struggled and just before dawn Jesus came to them – walking on the water. The disciples cried out in fear at what they thought was a ghost, but Jesus spoke to them. Peter wanted to come to Jesus on the water, and Jesus invited him out of the boat. Peter lost faith in the power of Jesus and began to sink. He cried out to Jesus, “Lord, save me!” and Jesus did.
John Wesley believed and taught that the Bible contains everything we need for our salvation and for the salvation of the world. Our job as disciples is to recognize that, allow those saving words to transform us, and then to speak those same words of salvation out into the world. Throughout the Bible we find God’s saving words available and at work in all different situations. We see God save Joseph through the words of his brother Reuben. Reuben’s words of salvation allow Joseph to be sold into slavery in Egypt in order to ultimately save his family and continue God’s plan in the world. Jesus saves Peter and all his disciples and teaches them his saving words, which they then spread far and wide across the Mediterranean basin.
Paul teaches that we all have saving words already in our mouths and the ability to ask like Peter for God to save us. Spiritual teachers over the last 2000 years have amplified this teaching so that no matter what assails us, we can trust in the saving words of God. Case-in-point, the Desert Father Macarius who lived in the 4th century is remembered as a very wise spiritual guide. His reflection on how to pray to God using saving words is an example. He taught, “There is no need at all to make long discourses. It is enough to stretch out one’s hands and to say: ‘Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy.’ And if the conflict grows fiercer, just say: ‘Lord, help!’ God [He] knows very well what we need, and God [He] shows us [His] mercy.”
In our world, how can our knowledge and use of God’s saving words help us to find our way out of this wilderness? The outrage economy seems too strong and ubiquitous to be overcome, and we are drowning from the destruction of our social structures. Coleman adds this to our reflection, “…The real tragedy is that the outrage economy leaves us all poorer, not just financially, but spiritually. It fractures our communities, weakens our democracies, and leaves us exhausted. Every scroll, every click, every angry share feels like participation, but in truth it is complicity, a silent assent to a system that thrives on division. We are left feeling disconnected, not just from each other, but from ourselves. Our attention, once a precious resource, is now the primary target of a relentless economic machine….”
Peter’s interaction with Jesus on the Sea of Galilee offers us a way to refocus our attention on that which is always available to save us – God’s saving words. Peter is walking on the water just fine, getting ever closer to Jesus, when his attention shifts to the wind and the waves. His faith in Jesus has kept him above the waters, but when his attention shifts from Jesus to the “reality” of his situation, he begins to sink. He hollers out “Lord, save me!” just before his head goes under water – and Jesus does just that.
The world of Joseph, Jesus and Paul was defined by empire. In Joseph’s time it was the Egyptians, in Jesus and Paul’s time it was the empire of Rome. These were the defining forces that shaped society and each of these empires prayed to a large number of gods. Into this social mix came a small group of people who claimed to follow the One True and only God – a God who had chosen them and who saved them over and over again from powerful and malevolent worldly forces.
Our world and our society are also defined by empire – by the empire of those who control our media. This empire is every bit as influential and dominating as Egypt or Rome. It monopolizes our economy and our daily lives – and many are in thrall to its teachings. Yet, there are a minority of us who claim allegiance to a different kingdom and emperor. A kingdom that has no end and one that seeks human flourishing and creation instead of the destruction of our lives and communities. Egypt and Rome saw most people as commodities to be used in ways that brought flourishing to the minority and kept the empire functioning. Our current media empire treats us similarly – like all idols, it steals from us and gives us nothing useful in return.
Our release from captivity requires that we turn off the social media feeds and talking heads and return to the Bible. This change in behavior will deprive the media empire of the lifeblood of our attention and it will wither and die. Replacing outrage with God’s saving words will refocus us on the only thing that can save us – pronouncing with our mouths and lives that Jesus is Lord. Amen and amen!