CHRISTIANS AND FAKE NEWS[1]: Exegesis of John 7.12

                                     

Abstract

This essay explores the intersection between the biblical text of John 7:12 and the modern issue of misinformation or "fake news," particularly as it relates to Christian ethics, witness, and discernment. By exegeting John 7:12 in its narrative and theological context, we uncover how the polarization of public opinion around Jesus mirrors current patterns of disinformation, rumor, and ideological manipulation. The paper argues that Christians are called to be truth-bearers in a world plagued by confusion, using the example of Jesus’ integrity and the biblical value of discernment as a foundation for digital and relational ethics.

 Keywords: fake news, information literacy, disinformation, prophecy, Bible, Gospel of John.

________________________

Introduction

Fake news means “vague noise, rumor, news without guaranteed certainty”. It comes from rumors, which is without doubt the world's oldest medium. It seems to have a bright future, even in the most advanced and rational societies.  The new means of communication - mass media, the Internet, social networks and the telephone - give rumors an incredible speed of propagation. Ultimately, rumors are bulimic; they feed on everything that passes them by. So why does it appeal to us all?

     It's hard to understand what rumors really are. What's most disturbing is that belief in rumors is not the privilege of the naive, the gullible in short of others. It concerns us all. It feeds the conversations of profane people as well as those of Christians, in the street as well as in the authorities. Fake news are part of our daily lives, and as such, they crystallize many preconceived ideas. Christians are no exception, especially when it comes to accusing others. Socrates complained about the gossip he was the victim of, and Jesus was the victim not of what he said or did, but of what was said about him.

1. The Nature of Fake News in John 7:12

In the digital age, the spread of fake news—false or misleading information presented as fact—has become a major challenge for society. Christians, called to be people of truth (John 14:6), must address this issue both in how they consume information and how they communicate it. A striking biblical example of misinformation appears in John 7:12, where conflicting reports about Jesus circulate among the crowd:

"There was much murmuring among the people about him. Some said, ‘He is a good man,’ while others said, ‘No, he is misleading the people.’”

 

This passage provides a framework for understanding how false narratives spread, their dangers, and how believers should respond to them. The verse, situated in the narrative of the Feast of Booths, presents a climate of uncertainty and conflicting opinions surrounding Jesus. The Greek term γογγυσμῒς (goggysmos), translated as "muttering" or "grumbling," connotes whispered discussion, often of a suspicious or contentious nature. The two contrasting assessments— “He is good” versus “He deceives the crowd”—encapsulate the confusion and division that misinformation can cause[2].

In John 7, Jesus secretly enters Jerusalem because of the growing hostility of the Jewish leaders. The crowd buzzed with speculation. The divided opinions in verse 12 reflect a broader theme in John: division in response to truth. The evangelist often contrasts light and darkness, truth and falsehood, faith and unbelief (cf. John 1:5; 3:19-21; 8:44). The fake news about Jesus stems from fear, political pressure, and theological misunderstanding, leading to misinformation that distorts Jesus' mission[3].

Finally, Jesus' crucifixion was the result of false accusations based on rumors or fake news[4]. This is where we see that fake news often has aversive content. It is almost always negative. The most common type of fake news targets a person or social group with the sole intention of causing harm. We also see that when a piece of information is passed on to someone, the original message is often distorted, with the messenger altering it by omitting details or even reconstructing it in a different way[5]. The recipient's interpretation may add elements to the story. In the end, the story may no longer be the same at all. I deduce that Jesus’ trial exemplifies how misinformation can lead to injustice. In ministry, ethical leadership demands vigilance against distortion, ensuring truth is communicated with integrity, whether in preaching, pastoral care, or theological education.

That is why Luke in his gospel, insists on Jesus' innocence. Five times, Pilate, like Herod, declares that he finds no grounds for condemnation (Lk 23:4, 14, 16, 22). Similarly, at his death, the centurion will see Jesus as a righteous man (Lk 23:47). In Mark, Pilate seems more indifferent, while in Matthew, ironically, it is the procurator who declares: Mk 27:24 : “I am innocent of this man's blood”[6].

This insistence on Jesus' innocence is all the more surprising given that Pilate addresses him only once: Luke 23 :3: “Are you the king of the Jews?” In comparison, not only does John have six interventions by Pilate with Jesus, but Mark mentions three: 15:2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” 15:4a: “Do you not answer?”  and 15:4b: “See all the accusations they bring against you”. For his part, Matthew reports two: 27:11 : “Are you the king of the Jews?” ; 27:13:”  Do you not hear all the testimony brought against you?”.

It is clear that for Luke, and for Pilate, Jesus' innocence is beyond doubt, and the trial thus pits the procurator against the Sanhedrin, which puts forward false arguments before settling for a blatant revenge:” crucify him”.

2. The Dangers of Fake News for Christians Today

It's certainly true that the Church is no exception to the phenomenon of fake news, particularly in African churches. Satan does the same thing.  And he's often on the lookout for what's going wrong, or what seems to be going wrong, and turns it into fake news within the Church. Indeed, fake news often has a negative impact on the Christian faith in Africa by creating divisions, inciting violence, and undermining confidence in the Christian community. It's so much easier to see the mote that's in others and not see the beam that's in your own. There are many examples of fake news in our churches in Africa. There are religious groups that today use fake news to produce misinformation and build false narratives about human beings and the truth of the facts, with the clear objective of hurting people and destabilizing society[7].

It has been observed that fake news is pervasive in the political arena, where politicians employ it to discredit their opponents. A similar trend has been noted in Christian communities. To illustrate this point, we will use the following example: Many religious leaders have joined the disinformation bandwagon. In a religious environment where various actors attached to Christian beliefs have been conducting religious proselytizing campaigns for decades in Africa, sometimes in conflict with each other, disinformation has become a powerful tool for simultaneously promoting certain beliefs and practices and discrediting those of competitors on the religious scene. Following the trends first employed by evangelicals with the creation of religious TV and radio channels across Africa, charismatic religious figures are using the media to increase their power, to spread sometimes distorted religious teachings and egocentric narratives inherent in miracles. This manipulation of information tends to exacerbate interfaith tensions and divisions[8].

Disinformation campaigns can involve the dissemination of miracles, prophecies and fabricated divine claims, with the aim of reinforcing the authority and legitimacy of religious leaders or their organizations. These practices can lead to the exploitation and manipulation of vulnerable populations, often financially, further strengthening the influence of these religious actors. Disinformation campaigns also have a significant impact on the way many citizens perceive the world, their communities and their societies. Indeed, disinformation carried out by religious actors in Africa often goes beyond religious contexts and touches on political and social issues. It may concern international aid programs or development initiatives, electoral processes or the promotion of certain political agendas[9].

In addition, the covid-19 pandemic was the source of other fake news in Africa and elsewhere in the Churches. Messages abounded on social networks and on the communication platforms of certain churches, claiming that the pandemic was divine punishment. Disinformation campaigns can involve the dissemination of miracles, prophecies and fabricated divine claims, with the aim of boosting their reputation Some pastors have asked their followers and supporters not to vaccinate themselves or their children. They are often called fake prophets.

 In Christian tradition, the expression “fake prophets” is used in various contexts to designate those who spread false doctrines. Today, we could use the same expression to refer to those who spread infoxes. For this tradition, the phenomenon of “false prophets” is at the origin of lies and false news or false prophecies. That's why it's up to the powers that be (kings, judges, etc.) to discern true prophets from false ones, and to combat false doctrines. Indeed, while some writers of biblical literature refer to “false prophets” as “dream-mongers” and invite God's people to beware of them (cf. Dt 13:2-4)[10],

The experience of false prophecy remains one of the crucial phenomena in the history of Christianity. The biblical tradition also uses the image of the wolf to represent those who divulge lies. This image was also present in the Middle Ages, when, according to L. Gonzalez, “[...] the wolf became the embodiment par excellence of the false prophet, who is all cunning, lies and deceit”. Thus, like a wolf, the false prophet scatters the flock and decimates it (cf. Acts 20:29), while the good shepherd is concerned with guarding and protecting the sheep (cf. Ps 22).

It is in this general context of the fight against those who divulge false prophecies that we can situate the struggles against heresies, the crusades, the missionary conquests, etc. in the history of Christianity. And if for the Church, the phenomenon of false prophets is an integral part of its history, and the propagation of false doctrines is closely linked to this phenomenon, its fight against false prophecies remains the expression of its witness to the truth and its concern to protect Christians from the danger of relying on lies, with all their consequences. This struggle is part of the Church's commitment to the truth[11].

3. A Theological Vision for Christian Communication

John 7:12 confronts the believer with a crucial question: How do we represent the truth of Christ in a world addicted to lies? The answer lies not only in condemning fake news but in embodying a culture of truth rooted in Christ: When our Christian life is linked to Holy Scripture, it should not obey the laws that govern rumors. This is why God formally forbids the children of Israel to indulge in rumours: "You shall not spread false rumours. You shall not join with the wicked in bearing false witness".     

The aim is to spread a fact established by eyewitnesses, not to spread a vague, unfounded story. Because fake news is deadly, destructive of faith. It conveys slander, lies, criticism, murmuring and contempt[12]. To protect Christians from rumors, the apostle Paul recommends that they mind their own business. The apostle James, for his part, draws the attention of Christians to the proper use of their speech: "The tongue is a small member, and it boasts great things. Behold how a small fire can set a great forest ablaze!  The tongue too is a fire; it is the world of iniquity."

The divided opinions about Jesus show how quickly misinformation can spread and solidify into competing narratives. Christians must develop theological and digital literacy to discern the source, motive, and impact of what they hear and share. The Church must avoid becoming an echo chamber of ideologies and instead become a living counter-narrative, demonstrating that truth is not merely data but a person, Jesus Christ[13].

Christians are called not merely to avoid spreading fake news, but to be agents of truth, discernment, and peace in a noisy world. In a time when muttering and manipulation abound, the Church must echo the voice of Christ clear, courageous, and full of grace.

4. A Christian Response to Fake News

Faith not only looks to Jesus, but looks from the point of view of Jesus, with his eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing ". It is at this anchor point that the stakes of the Christian faith as a contextual reception of Christ are played out, in the face of the phenomenon of false news which today marks the historical fabric of Christians in African environments. In these circumstances, the practice of the Christian faith is confronted with the phenomenon of the manipulation of consciences and the flow of false information; a phenomenon that seems to reverse the scale of values to the point of advocating an emancipation that rhymes with a relativization of everything, even truth. Every Christian should attribute the same rights to truth and falsehood; far more rights are given to falsehood than to truth, because the latter is systematically concealed and distorted. By manipulating and falsifying the truth, fake news challenges the Christian faith, which is based on Christ as truth. They challenge believers in their religious convictions. Faith not only looks to Jesus, but looks from the point of view of Jesus, with his eyes: it is a participation in his way of seeing ". It is at this anchor point that the stakes of the Christian faith as a contextual reception of Christ are played out, in the face of the phenomenon of false news which today marks the historical fabric of Christians in African environments.

5. Christians as Truth-Bearers in a Post-Truth World

John 7:12 reveals that fake news is not a new problem, but in the digital age, its spread is faster and more damaging. For example, as fake news alienates human relations in today's society and in the Church, sowing hatred and discord in intersubjective relations and undermining trust in others, which is the foundation of every community, it is now the historic responsibility of Christians "[...] to counteract these falsehoods. [...]. The most radical antidote to the virus of lies is to allow ourselves to be purified by the truth. In the Christian vision, truth is not just a conceptual reality, which concerns judgments about things, defining them as true or false. Truth is not just a matter of bringing obscure things to light, of “unveiling reality”, but of having truth with the whole of life.

The point here is to make witnessing to the truth a ground of credibility for Christian identity, and thus to profess the Gospel on a daily basis as the Word that gathers and unites, that comforts and reconciles across all diversities. It is through their lifestyle, through their way of living their faith in the Church in African environments, that Christians sign “[...] the truth of the Gospel message and the salvation in Jesus that has come to them and to their community of faith”.[14]

Witnessing to the truth of the Gospel requires positioning oneself in time and space in relation to the truth revealed by Christ. To bear witness to it is to identify with it through one's life, to become its co-worker in truth, to join in its logic of combat against today's false prophets and to fight against the pollution of the values conveyed by its Gospel (charity, justice, peace, solidarity, joy, hope, reconciliation...).

                                                                                Jimi ZACKA, PhD

 

                                                   Bibliography

Brown, R. E. The Gospel According to John (I–XII). Anchor Yale Bible. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1966.

Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991.

Lewis, C. S. La difficulté d’être vrai. In Dieu au banc des accusés. Paris: LLB, 200

Plantinga, A. Warranted Christian Belief. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

Tubbs, T.L.,  Prophetic Preaching: A Pastoral Approach. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010

Wright, N. T. Virtue Reborn. London: SPCK, 2010.

---

[1] Huyghe defines fake news as “[...] a message about a non-existent reality (pure invention or bona fide press error), the contextualization of facts to produce an effect of influence [...], a rumor or urban legend as has always existed, a purely sensational effect aimed at surprise and therefore maximum attraction [...], a content assumed to be false and not true [...].or urban legend of the kind that has always existed, a purely sensational effect aimed at surprise and therefore maximum attraction [...], content assumed to be false and implausible, but intended to make people laugh or to test their credulity, a source that presents itself as something it is not [...]”. Bradshaw and Howard call fake news “phony news”.

[2] Read Brown, R. E. The Gospel According to John (I–XII). Anchor Yale Bible. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1966.

[3] Cf. Carson, D. A. The Gospel According to John. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1991.

[4] In this moment, we see the weight of injustice—truth twisted by those in power, righteousness left exposed and vulnerable. Jesus stood before leaders who manipulated the narrative for their own gain, reminding us how fragile honesty can be in the face of corruption. His trial speaks to the struggle for ethical leadership, urging us to defend truth and integrity, not just in the church but in every corner of society.

[5] Lewis, C. S. La difficulté d’être vrai. In Dieu au banc des accusés. Paris: LLB, 2001

[6] Bauckham, R. The Testimony of the Beloved Disciple: Narrative, History, and Theology in the Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007 analyzes the tension between faithful witness and untruthful opposition in John's Gospel.

  [7] Wright, N. T. Virtue Reborn. London: SPCK, 2010.

[8] Plantinga, A. Warranted Christian Belief. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.

[9] Indeed, disinformation by religious actors in Africa often goes beyond the religious framework and touches on political and social issues. It can concern electoral processes or the promotion of certain political agendas, falsely predicting electoral victories for a candidate using the prophetic slogan of “God has said...”.

[10] Christians are to believe the truth (Jn 8:32; 1 Cor. 13:7; Eph. 1:13; 2 Thess. 2:13-15; cf. Jn 20:30-31; 1 Cor. 15:1-9), be grounded in the truth (Eph. 6:14 Titus 1:9; 2 Pet. 1:12), speak the truth (Ex. 20:16; Ps. 15:2; Prov. 8:7; 12:17, 22; Zech. 8:16 ; Eph. 4:15 , 25 ), teach the truth (2 Cor. 4:2; 2 Tim. 2:15; Titus 2:1), rejoice in the truth (1 Cor. 13:6), love in truth (1 John 3:18), live according to the truth (Ps. 25:5; 2 John 4), and worship in truth (Ps. 145:18; John 4:24). We are, in fact, saved by the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Jn 8:31-32).

[11] The early church father Irenaeus rightly said: “Error never shows itself in its naked reality, in order not to be discovered. On the contrary, it dresses elegantly, so that the unwary may be led to believe that it is more truthful than truth itself.” We are even warned in 2 Timothy 4:3-4 that “the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

[12] Scripture is also chocked full of specific warnings about false messiahs (Matt. 24:24); false prophets (Ezek. 13:9; Jer. 23:16, ; Matt. 7:15-20 ; 24:24 ; Luke 6:26; 1 John 4:1 ; cf. 2 Pet. 1:19-21 ; 2:1-22); false teachers (Matt. 16:11-12 ; Acts 20:28-30; Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:16-18; 4:3-4; Titus 1:9-16; 2 Pet. 2:1 ; 3:16 ); false apostles (2 Cor. 11:13-15 ); false disciples (Matt. 7:21-23 ); false doctrine (Eph. 4:14 ; 2 Thess. 2:1-12 ; 1 Tim. 1:3-4 ; 2 Tim. 2:16-18 ; 4:3-4; Titus 1:9-11 ; Heb. 13:9 ; 2 Pet. 2:1-22 ; 3:17 ); and false gospels (Gal. 1:6-9 ). Such falsities were a danger not only to the early church but has been a persistent danger to all believers throughout history.

[13] Scripture commands us to test everything (1 Jn 4:1), and Jesus in His ministry commanded that we must “not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (Jn 7:24).

[14] Tubbs, T.L.,  Prophetic Preaching: A Pastoral Approach. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010, underlines the prophetic call to truth in pastoral ministry, applicable to today's challenges of disinformation.