Evangelicia

Alicia's Bible Blog

 

 

Titus 1:12 "One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said 'Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.'"

 

Paul is advising Titus on how to work in Crete, where Titus remains. Paul says "there are many insubordinate men, empty talkers and deceivers" there who "must be silenced since they are upsetting whole families"(Titus 1:10-11) by promulgating questionable teachings for base gain. He follows this with a reference to the fact that even one of their own "prophets" admits that "Cretans are always liars", etc. and says "This testimony is true, therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith" (Titus 1:13).

 

Well! Paul clearly has had some trouble with the Cretans! He must be speaking hyperbolically, however, since he clearly has faith in the common people of Crete to convert, and in the troublemakers to respond to Titus' rebuke. Titus is in Crete to "amend what was defective, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you." (Titus 1:5). If all Cretans were as their prophet describes them, there would be no point in leaving Titus behind nor in appointing elders. So Paul is voicing his frustration with those holding themselves out as "experts" or "influencers" in Crete, and with the propensity of the people to believe them and their exaggerations or outright lies.

 

The Cretan "influencers", "especially the circumcision party", are teaching bad teachings "for base gain" (Titus 1:10-11). Since the people are inclined to listen to these men, there is confusion, and the truth of the Gospel is not getting through. While Paul says they must be silenced, he then tells Titus to rebuke them firmly, so he is encouraging engagement with them for the sake of the truth. 

 

I reminded by this of how those who spread what was labeled "misinformation" were disparaged and silenced during COVID (and the 2020 election, and so many other things). That experience taught me so much about how idolatry apes Christianity. In Paul's case, he has the truth on his side. He knows it, Christ Himself has spoken to him, there is no uncertainty. Therefore he knows these "experts" who are confusing and upsetting the Cretans are, in fact, preaching "misinformation" and must be "silenced" to allow the truth to prevail, but he doesn't recommend cutting them off from society, but rather talking to them, rebuking them.

 

In the case of COVID, the "silencers" were actually the ones preaching misinformation - they were all "empty talkers and deceivers", and they did want to truly silence those who taught other than their narrative. I do think that many thought they were teaching truth, but their refusal to listen to any reasonable counter evidence was evidence of itself that they were treating their beliefs more like a religion. They stopped their their ears and punished the truth tellers, like the Pharisees in Acts.

 

At the time, I came to see theirs was a truly religious zeal, a lot like Paul's here, but since they were on the side of lies, it was really idolatry. They had something - power, money, ego, "base gain", or even their concept of science, that was more important to them than truth, and therefore they convinced themselves to believe the lies. Once one does that, it is very hard to come back, especially when people have been hurt by the lies. (The consequences of the COVID lies are so gargantuan, I think only history will be able to recognize them.)

 

We have to be very careful when we are convinced we have to silence others. Personally, I don't try to do so, I just listen, and if it is clear the person is wedded to untruths, I step away from the conversation or relationship. But those in positions of authority (as our leaders and "experts"), or with a mission to spread the truth (as Paul and Titus had), do not have the luxury of stepping away. They have to use their God-given intelligence and reason, run "the narrative" through what they know to be true (including, most importantly, what God has revealed to be true), and honestly evaluate their own biases and priorities, in order to lead the public or sway public policy in the right direction. 

 

Even though most of us are not leaders, we can and should evaluate what we know to be true when we hear conflicting statements and are feeling confused. Seeking the truth always pays off, since God is truth and the devil is lies. When really confused, we can look to the fruits of those who are speaking. Look, for example, at the lasting fruits and power of Paul's message versus how things are working out for Anthony Fauci and his message. Fruits can be evaluated in the moment, as well. It was fairly clear, early on, that lockdowns, masking, and the rest were producing disastrous fruits. The unwillingness of those advocating for them to hear that was a good sign they were lying.