Demonizing the messenger is what people do when they cannot refute a message. Using rumor, misinformation, or outright lies, they try to discredit the person who brings the message. By demonizing the messenger, they hope to destroy the message itself. That happened to Jeremiah. God sent him to deliver a grim message to Judah: since the people had repeatedly ignored God’s messages by the prophets, He said He would completely destroy their Temple and make Jerusalem an object of cursing in every nation on earth. Despite these dire warnings, rather than repent and change their ways, the leaders demonized the messenger, Jeremiah, thinking they could nullify the message. We read this in Jeremiah chapter 26: “When Jeremiah had finished his message, saying everything the LORD had told him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people at the Temple mobbed him. ‘Kill him!’ they shouted. ‘What right do you have to prophesy in the LORD’s name that this Temple will be destroyed like Shiloh? What do you mean saying that Jerusalem will be destroyed and left with no inhabitants?’” Sadly, some people today think they can escape the consequences of ignoring God or Jesus Christ as God’s appointed Savior and King. They try to do it by belittling God’s message or demonizing His messengers. But we only deceive ourselves if we ignore God’s message to repent of our sins and accept His Son as our Savior and Lord.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
