A reflection on what it is to go viral, in ways both good and bad, as seen through the lens of John 12:20-22.
The whole thing began so small, so far away. It was harmless, really. It certainly didn’t make much difference at first. It began with a being, a moment, a place. Not many noticed when it started. Even fewer cared. The world, initially at least, remained pretty much the same.
It originated among the animals, as best anyone could tell. It spread freely among them. That is until we humans caught it too.
And once it got into us, well, that was pretty much that. For we like to mingle. We’re drawn to one another. We love to gather. We are relational creatures, through and through.
When we’re together, we can’t help but open our mouths and talk. And when we do, billions of tiny particles project outward, potentially being received by anyone within range. Whether they like it, or not. Whether it’s good for them, or not.
If those tiny particles enter another person, in a particular way, they too will catch what we’ve just shared. And the next time they open their mouth in the presence of another, they’re likely to share what they’ve just received further still.
Left unchecked, all this tiny particle sharing can spread from person to person to person like wildfire. Spreading until potentially the whole herd has it. Spreading until it becomes part of what makes the herd what it is.
At that point? Better worse or otherwise, when the thing gets out it’s gone viral.
And there’s no undo button for that.
Viral
Going viral happens when something replicates, copying itself onto others as it goes.
It can be a(n) –
Infection,
Contamination,
Disease.
The word originates from Latin, and was initially synonymous with venom.
Think –
snakebite,
poison,
harm.
This past year, more than any other, we know plenty about *that* kind of viral.
Yet going viral, in modern vernacular, is neither good nor bad. It can be the spread of a(n) –
Video,
Image,
Words.
It can happen online, with a view, a like, a share.
Anyone care to guess the YouTube video that’s gone viral, more than any other, and seen over 8 billion times? All in less than five years? This is a fun one…
Baby Shark doo doo doo doo doo doo…
When local BBQ restaurant Cornbred posted a photo on Facebook last Sunday, of a server holding two ginormous cinnamon rolls, our little Iowan corner of the internet pretty much went *nuts*. So far the image has garnered 1,300 likes/loves/whoa reactions, over 2,600 comments, over 4,600 shares, and has been seen by over 1 million people. Normally posts to Cornbred’s page get a small fraction of that response.
What happened? The image resonated. People just had to share it. Cornbred’s cinnamon rolls that day sold out in record time.
Scripture
This kind of viral sharing finds voice in scripture too.
The whole thing began in a town of 400, over 6,000 miles away. So small. So distant. It didn’t make much difference, at least early on. It began with a baby, a manger, a star. Not many noticed when it started. Even fewer cared. The world then, initially at least, remained pretty much the same.
It started among a flock of sheep, as best anyone could tell. A flock being watched by shepherds, by night. It spread freely among them, until we humans caught it too. And as that baby grew, and started talking, recognition of who this person was began to spread.
First to –
One,
Two,
Twelve,
Later –
Hundreds,
Thousands,
More.
They were drawn to the –
Words,
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Healings.
The –
Love,
Promise,
Hope.
Today’s text is situated dramatically in the context of Passover. Proceeded by Jesus’ raising of Lazarus, Mary’s anointing of Christ’s feet, the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The Son of Man couldn’t help but create buzz wherever he went.
People kept –
Seeking Jesus out, desiring to know more,
Liking, loving, whoa-ing at what they saw,
Sharing, retweeting, by word of mouth, Christ with others,
More, and more and more.
For Jesus, in no small way, had gone viral.
When some Greeks came to Philip, and asked to see Jesus, the disciple did what disciples do. He told another disciple, and the two went and shared Jesus with them some more. Jesus then shared what was to come next: his death, resurrection, ascent. He shared that even more people would be drawn to him because of it.
The numbers of the early Christian church grew daily, scripture says. The sharing, about Jesus, both in word and deed, helps explain why.
Now
Talk of viral spread these days, in any form, can’t help but be seen in a negative light.
Half a million now gone in the US, due to Covid,
Tens of millions deceived by conspiracy theories,
Falsehoods shared and retweeted, often unchecked.
As the pandemic slows down (keep masking), and
Vaccinations ramp up (keep distancing), and
Spring begins to bloom (enjoy),
Let us take a moment to consider –
What kinds of viral spread we choose to be part of, and
What kinds of viral spread we choose to shut down.
So keep on playing Baby Shark, Gangnam Style, Ed Sheeran.
Keep on sharing pics of cinnamon buns, cat memes, baby pics too.
Each silly, playful, fun.
Tho beware of the virus of conspiracy theories, the –
Pizzagates,
Space lasers,
Stop the Steal campaigns.
Each widely shared,
Each not based in reality,
Each that have led so many astray.
For there is venom in them all.
For when we’re together, in person or online, we can’t help but open our mouths and talk. And when we do, billions of tiny particles project outward, potentially being received by anyone within range.
Whether they’re six feet, or six thousand miles away.
And if those tiny particles enter another, in a particular way, they too will catch what we’ve just shared. And the next time they open their mouth, in the presence of another, they’re likely to share what they’ve just received further still.
It is human nature, after all.
So may we spread –
Love, not hate,
Truth, not lies,
Health, not harm,
Peace, not violence,
Welcome, not walls.
Above all else, may we do as the disciples did that day.
May we share Christ. May we spread his message of compassion, forgiveness, care for others. May we keep it at the center of all we think, say, do.
May we spread the message until all of humanity has caught it. Until all of humanity has been re-made by it. Making life on earth, as it is in heaven, anew. Amen.