Read This For Bad Content

“And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had sourged him, to be be crucified.”

Mark 15:15

Every week, I am pressured by marketing services for Spiritual Reload. Though their tactics vary, the one constant theme is: keep the content coming! Post something– post anything! Just keep your followers’ attention and claim your corner of the internet.

I wonder…

Are people really THAT easy to fool? How many feel-good posts (that are 5-10 years old) are regurgitated to keep you scrolling? How many in-your-face news flashes have absolutely zero effect on your daily life? Why is it necessary to tell total strangers how you felt about the sunrise/sunset/raincloud/rainbow?

…do we have a content problem?

Double-Edged Definition

Content, and content have come to mean opposite things. It is a word whose Biblical usage is a contranymn to its modern usage.

Biblical

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary gives a Biblical usage definition for the verb form. It means:

• to satisfy the mind;
• to make quiet, so as to stop complaint or opposition;
• to appease; to make easy in any situation.

As a noun it is always taken to mean the state of the verb:

• rest or quietness of the mind in the present condition;
• satisfaction which holds the mind in peace, restraining complaint, opposition, or further desire, and often implying a moderate degree of happiness.

Modern

According to Dictionary.com, the word “content” is not given a verb form as a primary definition. As a noun, the word means

1. Usually, “contents;”
   • something that is contained,
   • the subjects or topics covered in a book or document,
   • the chapters or other formal divisions of a book or document.
2. Or something that is to be expressed through some medium, as speech, writing, or any of various arts.

Notwithstanding the verb and noun form differences, the oppositive nature of this word could not be more distinct.

You’ve been contented with Barabbas when you could’ve had Jesus.

We use the word today to define a steady stream of ‘noise’ coming from a source. A random picture to maintain a Snapstreak. Daily ‘breaking news’ whether there is anything new or breaking or not. A plagiarized video edited by artificial intelligence, then re-released on a different Youtube channel. Writers tapping poorly metered, barely rhyming words into a template to generate traffic to their ‘free website.’ Daily status updates, comments on other people’s comments: ‘live’ streams of incredibly ‘dead’ life.

Yet as each new deadline approaches, the people want more. And they will settle for Barabbas every time.

“Content” has become the word for manipulators trying to fool a computer into giving them more money, dopamine, or publicity than they rightfully deserve by duping adults and children who have no idea what they’re doing to click here instead of there.

All those things may be classified as content, but for some reason they don’t make you feel content. The internet of stuff keeps you busy, but doesn’t satisfy, and worse yet, is second-rate, used up, thrift-store junk at best! You have been contented with Barabbas when you could have had Jesus.

The Overruling Bible Definition

I’ll trust the Bible to let me know what human nature is up to, regardless of how we try to evolve our language. With a little outlining and context of Mark 15:1-15, we understand:

1. Pilate tried Jesus in the Roman court (1-5)
   • He found him innocent
   • Though He was silent in His own defense
2. Pilate attempted to release Jesus (5-10)
   • The people demanded He be crucified
   • Pilate produced Barabbas to goad them to take Jesus
     • Barabbas was the enemy of the state due to insurrection
     • Barabbas was a threat to society due to murder
3. Pilate gave them what they wanted (11-15)
   • People are not CONTENT unless they get what they want
   • What sinful man wants MOST, is to be rid of Jesus Christ
   • When men’s WANTS confront CHRIST- they will take ANY THING ELSE as a placebo for a guilty conscience.

“And so Pilate, willing to content the people, released Barabbas unto them, and delivered Jesus, when he had sourged him, to be be crucified.”

Mark 15:15

Why, they’d take a killer over a healer. They’d take a riotous man over a righteous man. They’d give up the Truth for a poor liar. They did it looking the Lord of the Universe in the face; what makes you think you’d do any better?

That’s how all social media algorithm survives- because to pull the plug on it would mean I HAVE TO FACE GOD HONESTLY ABOUT WHAT I’VE DONE WITH JESUS CHRIST. That’s why ‘bad content’ pervades the screens in front of so many lost men and out-of-fellowship believers. Considering the somber alternative, most will gladly take a murderer, and leave Jesus hanging on a cross.

The Good and Bad News

Good news is that no, you’re really not that easy to fool. And if you’ve read 600 words into this article, you are rare. You clicked on ‘bad content’– I truly believe–hoping it wasn’t.

Here’s the bad news. You may have found your way here by programmed, sub-autonomously searching for someTHING. You don’t even know what IT is yet. If you’re brave enough to read this next part, you surely won’t like it.

You’ve been looking for contentment without Christ. You won’t find what you’re looking for on the internet. If you will ever find peace, satisfaction, real contentment; you’ll need to close down this browser, turn off the screen, and go- as quickly as you can- find a Bible. Read those pages, not this website. Stop browsing, and start learning:

“For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”

Philippians 4:11

“If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.”

1 Timothy 6:3-7

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