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A judge awarded a woman $1 million. He found that her employer fired her illegally and slandered her character. Slander can cause great pain. It is why, in Psalm 40, David pleaded so fervently, “O LORD, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips.” In Phil Ryken’s book Loving the Way Jesus Loves, he details how people mocked Jesus the day He died. They stripped him naked to humiliate him. He claimed to be a king so they gave him a robe, a crown of thorns, and a stick for a scepter. A king needs subjects, so they knelt and mocked him saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” He claimed to be a prophet, so they blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy! Who struck you?” He claimed God as his Father, so they mocked, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” They mocked his power by saying, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself.” They mocked his faith, saying, ‘He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants him.” The best way to cope with slander and mockery is to rely on what Jesus said, “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie on you because you are my followers. Be happy! Be glad for a great reward awaits you in heaven.
