By: Larry Young
As around the world and here in the United States, we are all being buried in propaganda, much of it driven by repetition. To get crowds of people worked up, short chants and phrases are repeated over and over, sometimes for hours, until the “desired effect” is achieved. We see it constantly in the news media; a particular word, phrase, or action is repeated ‘ad nauseum’ in an attempt to make a focus insurmountable.
Repetition has been an effective tool all throughout history, including biblical times. Take a look at the mob that called for the execution of Jesus. They repeated their call with explosive force: “Pilate said to them (the mob), What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified…And all the people answered and said “His blood be on us and on our children.” (Matthew 27: 23, 25) Do you think they demanded Barabbas casually or just one time? No, it was mob rule with plenty of repetition, to the point where Pilate’s attempts to release Jesus caused a “tumult”.
Consider the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7: 54-60), or the stoning of Paul (Acts 14: 19). Stirring up a crowd to mob violence has been with man throughout history… and using repetition is a very powerful and hypnotic tool in the hands of unscrupulous people, especially when motivated by hatred and/or politics. Just last week, one commentator summed up the current power of repetition: “A lie spoken once is still a lie. A lie spoken a thousand times becomes a truth”.
Stop for a moment and consider where all of us are being pushed by propaganda, using the sway of repetition in the wrong hands. Look at how antisemitism continues to grow in the Middle East and even in our own country. Is this not religious-based? Are we not next in line? The door of mercy and grace is still open, but for how much longer? It’s past time to get serious about what we believe, who we are, and where we are going! We just celebrated the anniversary of the risen Christ: He also uses repetition…but only sparingly, and only to uplift the body of Christ, not to tear it down, nor to hypnotize or lead astray. Ask Jesus to give you clarity, peace, love, and wisdom in the face of the constant drumbeat of repetition in our world today.