Matthew 28:11-15 As the women were on the way into the city, some of the Temple police who had been guarding the tomb went to the chief priests and told them what had happened. A meeting of all the Jewish leaders was called, and it was decided to bribe the police to say they had all been asleep when JESUS’ disciples came during the night and stole this body. “If the governor hears about it,” the Council promised, “we’ll stand up for you and everything will be all right.” So the police accepted the bribe and said what they were told to. [Living Bible translation]
Fake News: false reports of events… www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com
Summary
After JESUS was crucified HIS body was released to Joseph of Arimathea, one of JESUS’ disciples. Joseph begged Pontius Pilate, who was the governor of Judaea and the judge at JESUS’ Roman trial, for JESUS’ body for burial.
But, despite HIS crucifixion, the chief priests and Pharisees were still concerned about JESUS. So they went to Pilate and insisted that Pilate issue an order that JESUS’ tomb be sealed. Pilate agreed and posted a guard of soldiers.
It’s not clear exactly how many soldiers were sent. A Roman “watch guard” generally consisted of 4 soldiers because the Roman night was divided into 4 three-hour watches. The fourth watch would be the time right before dawn. [For example, in Matthew 24:14, it is noted that during the fourth watch of the night, JESUS went out in the night to HIS disciples walking on water.]
However many guards there were, these guards were present when a great earthquake occurred. They were present when an angel of the LORD came down from heaven and rolled away the stone from the tomb door. They were present when they angel said, “HE is risen.” These guards were present when the women were invited to see for themselves that HE was not there and when the women ran from the tomb to tell the other disciples the good news.
But when the guards gave their true report to the chief priests, the chief priests decided to bribe the guards and create some fake news. They tried to bury the good news, but the good new-- the Gospel-- prevailed.
Food News
There has been a plethora of political commentary about “fake news.” However, politics does not hold a monopoly on “fake news.”
Recently it was reported that chocolate companies “made a conscious decision to invest in science to transform the image of their product from a treat to a health food.” In Report: Chocolate Industry Paid For Research Showing That Chocolate Is Healthy,” by Laura Northrup, October 19, 2017, it was noted that companies like Mars paid for studies that show that chocolate is “good for a study subject’s heart and circulatory system.” It turns out that while specific compounds in chocolate, for example like “flavonals,” (which can be found in small amounts in chocolate) and have been linked to improved health, as the article notes, “chocolate itself is not good for your health.”
It turns out that the flavonols are mostly processed out of the chocolate that is eaten for snacks. But flavonols can be found in other substances by drinking tea or eating other things like apples, kale, onions or pears. Eating a pear will give you more flavonols and also natural sugar rather than processed sugar.
In other words, according to those who reviewed the research paid by chocolate companies, because flavonols was found in some degree in unprocessed chocolate and was linked to improved health, many people were misled into thinking that processed chocolate, which contains huge doses of added sugar and fat, was also itself “healthy” for you.
In order not to be misled in matters of foods, it helps to “read labels.” When you purchase food, whether chocolate or other items remember:
- The claims on the front of the item can sometimes be misleading. Just because an item says “whole grain” or “reduced salt” does not make it a “healthy” item. Just because an item is “fruit-flavored” does not mean that you are getting natural fruit. “Low-Fat” does not mean “healthy.”
- Ingredients on an item are listed by quantity, from the highest ingredient in the item to the lowest ingredient. If sugar, sodium, hydrogenated oils are listed as the first or second ingredient that should alert you about the kind of item you are purchasing.
- Consider the number of calories in the item you are purchasing.
- Be aware of the serving size. When some foods and drinks go up in serving size they also go up in calories and added sugar.
Also, don’t be misled by commercials and advertisements. Just because the person eating the food “looks healthy” does not mean the food or item is healthy for you.
Study Good News
Just as one should know the contents of the food one eats, one should also know the contents of their spiritual food, the BIBLE. So study the WORD of GOD. As you listen to a sermon, perhaps you may want to take notes for later review. Have some Bible discussions. Attend Sunday School. Read the WORD for yourself as you commune with GOD and pray.
2 Timothy 3:16 states:
The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from GOD and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. [Living Bible]
The BIBLE, our good news, was written to help us deal with fake news. It teaches us truth.
So, read, study, pray, be discerning and BE BLESSED.
