Gossip: It Defiles the Person

“It is not what enters into the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man.” Matthew 15:11.

Gossip.

It’s big business.

Just look at the grocery store rags like “The National Enquirer”, or any of those other papers of that ilk. How about the celebrity gossip shows on TV such as Entertainment Tonight and the reality shows like Big Brother, Survivor, The Bachelor, or any of the others. These shows trade on real time gossip. Voyeurism brought into our living rooms. The gossip media preys on the worst part of our human nature. The part that wants to see someone hurt. Gossip is a horrible thing.

As Christians we should be furious any time we hear gossip because it’s 180 degrees away from how we’re supposed to behave. The Bible has a lot to say about gossip; and none of it is good.

Proverbs 16:28 (NIV), “A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.”

Proverbs 20:19, (KJV) He that goeth about as a talebearer (gossip) revealeth secrets. Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”

Proverbs 26:20 (NIV), “Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.”

James 3: 5 - 6 (Living Bible), “…the tongue is a small thing, but what enormous damage it can do. A great forest can be set on fire by one tiny spark. And the tongue is a flame of fire. It is full of wickedness, and poisons every part of the body. And the tongue is set on fire by hell itself, and can turn our whole lives into a blazing flame of destruction and disaster.”

Matthew 12: 34 – 36, “…a man’s heart determines his speech. A good man’s speech reveals the rich treasures within him. An evil-hearted man is filled with venom, and his speech reveals it…And I tell you this, that you must give an account on Judgment Day for every idle word you speak. Your words now reflect your fate then: either you will be justified by them or condemned.”

Each one of us is here as part of the Body of Christ to love and care for one another. We are here to bring others to Christ through our witness and our example. Is gossip the kind of example we wish to present to others? The words in the Book of Proverbs are quite specific. Gossip serves only to harm others. Its only purpose is to tear someone down. Gossip doesn’t care about what is true and what is false. It only seeks to harm. In the general parlance of today we must ask the question: “How Christian is that?” The answer is, “It’s not Christian at all!”

We hear in the quote from James just how powerful and vile gossip is and just what damage it does to others as well as ourselves. Jesus is no less specific. He says that our speech reveals how we behave and who we really are inside. If we truly love others and care for them as we should, people will be able to hear that in the way we talk. If we are evil with a vile heart inside our speech shows that as well. Jesus also warns us that evil speech and gossip will be dealt with harshly at our judgment.

How can we build the church if we’re tearing others down? Have you ever visited a church several times and decided not to make it your church home because of gossip and division that you witnessed?

We are called to be greater than gossip. As the Body of Christ we are called to love, not hate; help not harm. The next time you’re tempted to talk about others in a negative way, or someone tries to draw you into such a conversation ask yourself these questions:

1. Are we talking about ways we can help this person?
2. Is our speech lifting this person up or tearing them down?
3. If this person walked into the room, would I stop talking?

Someone needs to explain to me how gossip fulfills the second great commandment in Jesus’ Summary of the Law: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Gossip flies in the face of Jesus’ teaching and should not be tolerated by us, His children. We are each made in the image and likeness of God. Each of us is called to imitate Christ in our daily lives. Don’t be known as a gossiper and don’t participate in it when it’s going on. Don’t allow yourself to be defiled by gossip.

“Let your so light shine before men that they may see your good works (and words) and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.”