The Power of the Word
Isaiah chapter 11 is one of the more well-known chapters in the Bible. It begins by describing how Jesus will rule in a unique way. “He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy; with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth” (Is. 11:3-4). This is a great contrast to imperfect rulers. Without our eyes and our ears, it is difficult to decipher between accounts and stories. Nearly every human judge listens and watches those testifying in order to provide an accurate judgement. Yet, Jesus will be the perfect King that discerns the intents of the heart. Both a terrifying and fantastic way to rule. Often deceivers can “get away with murder” because they contrive convincing arguments and tickle listeners ears. However, Jesus will not be susceptible to such tactics: only the truth will prevail.
Another trait of Jesus is his quality as “The Word.” Sometimes our imaginations are too little and we (including myself) don’t believe what the Bible actually says and misinterpret the Bible to fit our limited imaginations. In verse 4, it says that “He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked.” It is easy to impose on verse 4 the idea that “his word carries so much authority that everyone will obey his commands, even commands to strike the earth and slay the wicked.” But the Bible doesn’t say, “Everyone will obey the rod of His mouth to strike the earth” or “Soldiers will slay the wicked at the breath of His lips.” Those are different. The book of John spends a good deal of time describing Jesus as “the Word.” And in Revelation 19:21 says that “And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat upon the horse” in reference to Jesus at the Second Coming. And Revelation 1:16 says that “out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword.” Could it be that Jesus’ spoken word has the power of life and death? To some this might be the obvious conclusion: because of course; Jesus is God! Yet to others, this might sound like a high-fantasy novel birthed out of Tolkien’s imagination.
Might I suggest that already, here and now, we are able to experience and examine the power of the spoken word; not at the level Jesus commands, but in a hollow and faint version. Proverbs 12:18 says, “There is one who speaks rashly like the thrust of a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing;” and 8:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Over the past decade or so, there have been several cases of suicides because of MySpace, Facebook or other social media comments; known as “cyber-bullying.” My first inclination, like many reading this post, is to dismiss the idea of committing suicide over social media comments. However, that reaction indicates the depths of our own blindness. Suicide is the most tragic, horrific and desperate act an individual can conceive to escape torment (whether internally or externally afflicted). Words are powerful; to build up and to destroy. Perhaps “nothing was meant” by the comment or it was just a “playful banter;” but the reality might be that we are careless stewards of this powerful tool: the spoken and written word.
This discussion went in a different direction than I originally thought. My original intent was to discuss Jesus and his role as King, to remind us of His power and awe; but instead the Word pierced my heart in an unsuspecting manner. How often have I spoken rashly, on the cusp of bitterness and anger towards others? How often did I strike to inflict others with pain? How often does my heart desire to hurt others as I hurt? “For his mouth speaks from the abundance of his heart.” – Luke 6:45. What does the abundance of my heart tell those listening to me? Is the truth in grace and mercy drenched in loving compassion the heart others see? Or does the cruel mask of my own terrible sin sneer at those looking for healing? Do other see the radiant freedom of Christ on my face or the burdened condemnation of Satan?
In the instance of the young lady that committed suicide, this tragic event could have been prevented. While the words from the Myspace comment did not jump off the screen with a gun and shoot her or slit her throat with a knife; the words did something just as dangerous: convinced her of a lie. Recently I watched the movie Inception. While fictional, one of the plot points had an interesting truth to it. Leonardo DiCaprio’s character repeatedly states that “An idea is like a virus, resilient, highly contagious, and the smallest seed of an idea can grow to define or destroy you.” Ideas (whether true or a lie) infiltrate the mind and plants itself there and grow. What ideas are we planting in each other’s brains? Are they Biblical ideas that purify us, encourage us and cause positive change and good fruit? Or do we plant bitterness, hatred, spite, despair and fear in each other? Do we plant fruits of the Spirit or fruits of the flesh? “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings for what is evil; for his mouth speaks from the abundance of his heart.” – Luke 6:45
