Seeking the True, Good, and Beautiful Online

When we look at how the world has changed since the time of Jesus, there is no doubt a lot that is different. New continents have been discovered since then, historical events and technological innovations have changed how we live, and we have new social, cultural, and political frameworks for how to understand the world.

At the same time, human beings are still human beings. In many ways, the things we care about today aren’t all that different from what mattered to the people of Jesus’s day. Our Gospel this morning is a good example. The Pharisees come to Jesus, concerned that his disciples were failing to comply with a basic external practice of the Jewish law: to ritually wash one’s hands before eating. Jesus, in turn, criticizes the Pharisees for failing to adhere to the interior precept of that same law: to maintain a clean heart, so that in all things God may be glorified.

At first glance, the debate of this Gospel may seem very distant from our lives today. But while you and I may not be familiar with the particulars of the ancient Jewish ritual of hand washing, we are certainly familiar with the more fundamental questions involved here – things like: minding someone else’s business rather than our own, of keeping up appearances in order to look good to others, and of failing to actually live out the values we impose on others. The dangers of gossip, judgmentalism, and hypocrisy are ever-present in our modern world. And that’s maybe especially true for us who are Christians – not because we are naturally worse in those regards than others, but because our Lord specifically calls us to be better than others. If we want to follow Jesus, we have to keep our heart clean, as well as our hands.

Jan Luyken's Bible, The Dispute about Eating with Unwashed Hands (early 18th cent.)
(From the Phillip Medhurst Collection of Bible Prints)

One area of our lives where these questions often converge is in our interactions on the internet. Jesus said that “nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person.” Perhaps we might be tempted to object when we consider what can be found online: on message boards and blogs, on social media apps, and even far worse things from other corners of the internet. It’s enough to make anyone feel defiled! But even here, the wisdom of Jesus holds up: the internet is a human invention, and so what we find there is ultimately a reflection of ourselves. The problems of the internet are all too real, but they too originate from within our own hearts.

How should we as Christians behave online? The simple answer is: the same way we should behave offline. If the things we read, or the things we watch, or the things we post or like or share, are in any way inconsistent with our commitment to Christ, then we should stop doing them, simple as that. In practice, that may not always be simple to figure out. That’s why I think there are three general principles that can guide our online behavior, to keep it consistent with our Christian faith:

• “Is it true?” The internet is a forum for all kinds of facts and viewpoints, but unfortunately this also means it’s rife with false information, speculation, and outright conspiracy theories. As Christians, we have a commitment to the Truth, and so we should constantly be asking ourselves: Is what I am reading/watching/posting true? Is it consistent with what I know to be true, from my faith, my values, and my lived experience? Is it leading me and others closer to the One who is Truth itself?

• “Is it good?” As Christians, we have a duty to pursue goodness, for ourselves and others. This includes our interactions online. There’s a lot that can be found online which is good: information, communication, recreation. But as I mentioned, there’s a lot that isn’t good, too. We should ask ourselves: Is what I am reading/watching/posting aligned with what is good? Is it beneficial to me in being a better person, a holier person? Is it conducive to helping others in their own pursuit of goodness?

• “Is it beautiful?” There’s a lot on the internet, especially on social media, that is about appearing beautiful, or having a life that appears to be beautiful. But often those concerns can lead to a disconnect between appearance and reality; they can distract us from what is truly beautiful – Christian virtue, the human heart conformed to the image and likeness of God. If we all strove to be a little more spiritually beautiful in our dealings online – more charitable, more forgiving, more understanding, more Christlike in all that we say and do – then we could take great strides in making even that part of our lives to conform with our Christian identity.

Friends, whether we are very active online or not, Jesus provides all of us with a good examination of conscience today. The evil things we see in the world and on the internet have their origin within us. That’s why, as Christians, we must be especially careful online and in person not to fall victim, as the Pharisees did, to gossip, to judgmentalism, to hypocrisy, or to any other way of attending only to externals and not to the interiors of our own hearts. Let’s be sure instead to seek the True, the Good, and the Beautiful in all that we do, or say, or post – so that in all things God may be glorified.