True or false prophets
Based on Ezekiel 12:22-13:16
I have lived through some strange times in my life, but few would compare
with the Covid-19 pandemic, the associated lockdowns, and the aftermath. In
February last year, I was driving to Ngāmotu New Plymouth, and when I had
just passed Sanson, I saw an
extraordinary sight: I saw a man on a motorcycle, with a small flagpole
somehow attached to the back of his bike. He was flying a large New Zealand
Ensign, and he was riding into a strong headwind. Despite knowing what he
was up to, I almost felt sorry for him for about two seconds.
As I continued on my
merry way, I passed more vehicles displaying various nationalistic and other
insignia, but I saw the bulk of them pass by in Hawera, where I stopped for
lunch. I saw several small groups of locals out in support, and a car
sporting a Confederate flag and white supremacist slogans doing circuits,
and I was disturbed to see local Māori cheering them on.
They were of course part of the Freedom Convoy that descended on Parliament,
ostensibly to protest against vaccine
mandates. You may well have opposed the mandates yourself. If so, please
rest assured it is not my intention today to discuss them or challenge your
views on them, so please indulge me a little longer.
I know people who were at the protest, at least in its early days, and while
I may not have agreed with them, I accept they were genuine, I accept their
right to hold a view, and I accept their right to proclaim it.
It goes without saying that not everyone who was at Parliament kept within
the boundaries of what constitutes legitimate protest; we all saw the
rioting and destruction that ensued, and I will never forget the sight of
the children’s playground on fire. But it has taken me more than a year and
a half to fully realise that our well-intentioned efforts to keep ourselves
safe from disinformation about health issues during a time of pandemic may
have crossed a line that I have seen crossed in other places a bit too often
for my comfort recently.
And I found myself thinking about this while I was reflecting on our Older
Testament reading from the Book of Ezekiel, one of the three
books of latter prophets in the Tanakh or Jewish Bible, along with the Books
of Isaiah and Jeremiah. And – of course – one of the four Major Prophets of
the Christian Older Testament.
Its central figure and narrator Ezekiel is recognised as prophet by Jews,
Christians, and Muslims. Not much is known about Ezekiel, other than that he
was one of the Jews who were exiled to Babylon, where he practised his
prophetic career. Along with others we know little about, he has been the
subject of some speculation and conjecture; some rabbinic literature even
claims that he was the son of fellow prophet Jeremiah, but there is no
evidence to back this. In Jewish tradition, Ezekiel did not write the book
that bears his name, but his prophecies were recorded and later collated.
The Book of Ezekiel has some vivid content and graphic imagery; arguably its
two most well known parts
are the vision of the chariot with four bizarre creatures and wheels within
wheels, and the vision of the valley of dry bones. But there is much more
than that. Ezekiel also contains the most sexually explicit imagery of the
entire Bible; even the raciest parts of the Song of Solomon are very tame in
comparison. But for some reason, these texts do not seem to crop up in our
Lectionary readings.
This evening’s text comprised two of Ezekiel’s consecutive prophecies. The
first one concerned God’s judgement on Israel, and the second one comprised
condemnation of false prophets, and it is the latter that has particularly
inspired me.
Ezekiel is commanded to prophesy against other prophets of Israel,
specifically those who are proclaiming what they imagine, as opposed to true
prophets, who speak the truth. Some harsh judgments are proclaimed against
them, enhanced by the hard hitting images that are the hallmark of this
book.
I was reflecting on what this might mean for us today, and it dawned on me
that Ezekiel’s prophecy is just as relevant for us now as it was in Babylon
around two thousand, six hundred. years ago. Because knowing what is real
and what is not real is just as much of a struggle as it was when Ezekiel
was prophesying against what we now refer to as disinformation, to bring
back that word I used earlier.
This was a term, I first heard being used in reference to people who denied
climate change and people who discouraged others from being vaccinated at
the height of the Covid-19 pandemic response restrictions. But more
recently, the word disinformation seems to have been used to shut down any
views that don’t fit the prevailing narrative. And with this in mind, I turn
my attention to the primary prophets of the modern age, the media.
I have something of a media background, so I don’t automatically approach
journalism from a standpoint of suspicion. When I was a young person first
becoming heavily interested in current affairs, the news at least seemed to
attempt to be balanced, presented different views and angles, and let us form our
own view. Now, it would seem, we are presented with one position, which is
proclaimed as the truth, and alternative viewpoints are dismissed as –
here’s that word again – disinformation. Either that or conspiracy fantasy.
This didn’t bother me when the issue was climate change or vaccination,
because I knew the science. But when I saw the
same strategy being used to diminish dissent on other issues, I became
concerned. And when I saw those who would proclaim themselves to be the
tellers of the truth telling blatant lies, I began to despair.
A pivotal moment for me occurred around March last year when I was watching
a 1 News bulletin about a
certain
war that
is currently being fought. A BBC news crew was by a
bombed-out apartment block, interviewing a local woman. The voiceover
translation proclaimed the military of one side to be the culprit. However, we could still hear the woman being
translated speaking in her own language, which we happened to be able to
understand, and she clearly said it was a militia from the other side that
was responsible.
Now let me be quite clear I am not trying to make any statement about the
war tonight. My only point here is that BBC – who up until then I had
considered to constitute the gold standard of broadcast journalism – had
blatantly lied. They were clearly following an agenda, and I felt sorely let
down by an institution I had trusted all my life.
I have subsequently learned those who claim to fight disinformation can
often turn out to be the worst offenders.
And I could be forgiven for thinking there is only permissible viewpoint on
contentious matters these days. I recently saw veteran politician Winston
Peters giving his party’s position on a topical issue on 1
News Tonight. But this was immediately followed by a brief monologue by
the presenter discrediting his views and presenting her own. Again, I am not
taking any sides here, and you can call me old fashioned if you like, but I
believe media should present both sides or at least be neutral on
controversial issues, not cultivate conformity. I believe we
should be free to make up our own minds, not have our minds made up for us.
And as one who tries to follow Jesus the Christ, I would view many in media
as being not very tolerant of Christianity, at best dismissive, and at worst
openly hostile. And whenever a religious person is found guilty of serious
criminal offending, the media has a field day.
At this point I should stress I am not criticising the
vast majority of media personnel; I have known many
journalists, photographers, camera operators, and other media professionals
in my life. They strive to tell the truth and they take great pride in their
work. But they don’t control the narrative.
And it would seem that higher up
the food chain, things can get more than a little murky; when it comes to
some subjects, we are only getting told what fits the narrative. Look at how
Radio NZ is undertaking a major investigation, because one of its
journalists edited some content,
almost certainly
to try to add some balance. Not
surprisingly, he is no longer working there. Yet 1 News can
broadcast the BBC blatantly lying without causing a ripple. It
would seem that, to borrow the words of an old saying,
whoever pays the piper calls the tune.
I wonder would Ezekiel have to say about this state
of affairs.
One verse of the text we heard this evening comes to mind:
My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying
divinations; they shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled
in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of
Israel; and you shall know that I am the Lord God.1
So, what can we take away from this, as followers of Jesus the Christ?
Firstly, we should strive to honest in our affairs and tell the truth, even
if those we rely on for information don’t always do so themselves.
Secondly, we should exercise our God-given reason and judgment, and simply
not automatically believe everything we are told by or read in the media.
Especially if it clearly reeks of someone’s agenda.
Thirdly, we should be mindful that we can expect to be lied about and
misrepresented at times, and this is when actions speak louder than words;
our actions can counter what is said about us. Jesus warned his friends many
times to expect persecution but reassured them that the truth would prevail.
Fourthly, despite all this, remember most people in the media are decent
folk who really do strive to tell the truth. But as I said earlier, they
don’t control the narrative. So let’s pray for them, let’s pray for the
Fourth Estate, that they may be empowered to act ethically and truthfully.
Finally, do not despair, because no matter what fact or fiction proclaims
itself to be the truth, we have the truth of the teachings of Jesus the
Christ as recorded in the gospels to live by.
We live in interesting times alright. But don’t believe everything you read.
Darryl Ward
10 September 2023
1 Ezekiel 13:19
All Bible references are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) unless stated otherwise.