Say the wrong thing on social media, and Zap! You’re cancelled.
Make a mistake or do something unpopular, and Boom! You’re cancelled.
Talk about cancel culture: Bob Baffert–trainer of Kentucky Derby winner, Medina Spirit–claims that he and the horse are the latest victims of our cancel culture. (The horse, who failed his drug test following the famous race, refused to comment.)
What is cancel culture, anyway?
Wikipedia says it’s an online or offline form of “ostracism in which someone is thrust outside of social or professional circles.”
So, how would Jesus fare in the era of cancel culture?
He’d probably get “cancelled” now just as He was over 2,000 years ago.
But his cancelers weren’t the media or a bunch of cliquy 7th graders.
Jesus wanted to be shut down by judgmental Pharisees, the devil, regular people, the Romans, and even His own followers.
The Pharisees tried to snare Jesus into breaking His own law. (Mt 9:1-7, Mark 12:28-34, Luke 20:20…)
The devil also tried to trick Jesus into doing wrong. (Mt 4:1-11)
A crowd of everyday people cried out for Jesus to leave them after He healed a demon-possessed man. (Mt 8:28-34)
Even His own followers tried to cancel Him. (John 6:66-68)
Finally, Jesus faced the ultimate cancel when the Romans took His life. They tried to shut Him down. Ironically, Christianity is one of the largest religious groups in the world in 2021.
They didn’t shut Jesus down then.
No one will shut Jesus down now.
And no one ever will.