MOBS AND THE BIBLE
In recent years, we’ve seen an increase in “mob justice”. A mob is a group that refuses examination and suppresses dissent. A mob is persuaded less by evidence and more by outrage or fear. The members of the group fuel each other emotionally and, by oppressing or ignoring dissent, develop moral certainty about their perspective. That all members agree proves that they already know the truth. Reason is unnecessary.
The Bible is not unfamiliar with mob activity. Jezebel utilized a mob mentality to murder Naboth (1 Kings 21). Paul and his co-workers were victims of mob violence in Ephesus (Acts 19.21ff) and Jesus was crucified under pressure from a mob (Matthew 27). The common threads in these stories are false witness, emotional agitation, and pressure on authorities to yield to the mob rather than the truth.
James Madison (Federalist 10) warned about mobs (“factions”) as the most dangerous tendency inherent in democracy. The Bible also warns us about mobs. “You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit” (Exodus 23.2-3).
Mobs, driven by peer pressure and emotional reasoning, are the opposite of the wisdom encouraged by the Lord. Wisdom takes its time, restrains emotions, and assesses the viability of evidence.
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. (Proverbs 14.29)
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 29.20)
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7.8-9)
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1.19-20)
Biblical wisdom is slow because it insists on painstaking precision. Mobs determine who is the guilty party rather quickly based on an emotionally charged echo chamber. Wisdom slows things down and asks hard questions about what is true.
The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18.17)
Accusations are at first persuasive. The first to tell his story molds the narrative in his own favor. He selects and omits points of his story and assigns moral roles to the characters (victims, villains, heroes) based on the emotional responses he hopes to generate.
Wisdom listens but always says “There is more to the story”. Wisdom “examines him”. What seems obvious and right at first hearing may be biased, incomplete, and completely wrong. Wisdom takes the time to review evidence and ask hard questions about the story and the storyteller(s). Inconsistencies in the narrative raise doubts about the credibility of the story and its narrator and prevents reckless judgment.
Mobs form when a group uncritically accepts the first storyteller before the other side has a chance to speak. The other side, when it does speak, has been pre-judged merely for disagreeing, and the mob reinforces its self-perception that it is just and dare not be questioned. It is this that makes a mob difficult to counter.
Wisdom—taking the time to hear both sides before making a final judgment—has led to the practice of treating the accused as innocent until proven guilty by reasonable evidence. The caution found in English common law reflects the principle of Proverbs 18.17. As the renowned jurist William Blackstone said, “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent person suffer.”
Wisdom distrusts initial impressions, emotional judgment, and peer pressure. Wisdom insists on examining competing narratives and testing claims and places the burden of proof upon the accuser, not the accused.
Because of sin we all are vulnerable to being swept by emotion into partiality and unjust judgment. Biblical wisdom requires a certain distrust of self and a disciplined focus on the evidence. The Lord calls us to resist the pressure of the crowd, to slow down, to test claims, and to love clarity and justice more than agreement. Truth is not established by feelings or numbers but by careful examination.
The Bible is not unfamiliar with mob activity. Jezebel utilized a mob mentality to murder Naboth (1 Kings 21). Paul and his co-workers were victims of mob violence in Ephesus (Acts 19.21ff) and Jesus was crucified under pressure from a mob (Matthew 27). The common threads in these stories are false witness, emotional agitation, and pressure on authorities to yield to the mob rather than the truth.
James Madison (Federalist 10) warned about mobs (“factions”) as the most dangerous tendency inherent in democracy. The Bible also warns us about mobs. “You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice, nor shall you be partial to a poor man in his lawsuit” (Exodus 23.2-3).
Mobs, driven by peer pressure and emotional reasoning, are the opposite of the wisdom encouraged by the Lord. Wisdom takes its time, restrains emotions, and assesses the viability of evidence.
Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,
but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly. (Proverbs 14.29)
Do you see a man who is hasty in his words?
There is more hope for a fool than for him. (Proverbs 29.20)
Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry,
for anger lodges in the heart of fools. (Ecclesiastes 7.8-9)
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. (James 1.19-20)
Biblical wisdom is slow because it insists on painstaking precision. Mobs determine who is the guilty party rather quickly based on an emotionally charged echo chamber. Wisdom slows things down and asks hard questions about what is true.
The one who states his case first seems right,
until the other comes and examines him. (Proverbs 18.17)
Accusations are at first persuasive. The first to tell his story molds the narrative in his own favor. He selects and omits points of his story and assigns moral roles to the characters (victims, villains, heroes) based on the emotional responses he hopes to generate.
Wisdom listens but always says “There is more to the story”. Wisdom “examines him”. What seems obvious and right at first hearing may be biased, incomplete, and completely wrong. Wisdom takes the time to review evidence and ask hard questions about the story and the storyteller(s). Inconsistencies in the narrative raise doubts about the credibility of the story and its narrator and prevents reckless judgment.
Mobs form when a group uncritically accepts the first storyteller before the other side has a chance to speak. The other side, when it does speak, has been pre-judged merely for disagreeing, and the mob reinforces its self-perception that it is just and dare not be questioned. It is this that makes a mob difficult to counter.
Wisdom—taking the time to hear both sides before making a final judgment—has led to the practice of treating the accused as innocent until proven guilty by reasonable evidence. The caution found in English common law reflects the principle of Proverbs 18.17. As the renowned jurist William Blackstone said, “It is better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent person suffer.”
Wisdom distrusts initial impressions, emotional judgment, and peer pressure. Wisdom insists on examining competing narratives and testing claims and places the burden of proof upon the accuser, not the accused.
Because of sin we all are vulnerable to being swept by emotion into partiality and unjust judgment. Biblical wisdom requires a certain distrust of self and a disciplined focus on the evidence. The Lord calls us to resist the pressure of the crowd, to slow down, to test claims, and to love clarity and justice more than agreement. Truth is not established by feelings or numbers but by careful examination.