Disinformation Board Censors Speech in First Century Jerusalem

Peter and John cure the cripple at the gate, by Nicholas Poussin 1655

If you want to correctly interpret the madness of our own time, you can often find similar situations in the Bible. That's exactly what I found yesterday morning when I was reading Chapter 4 of Acts of the Apostles. Really! The more things change the more they stay the same. The "banality of evil" marches to the same drum in every generation. Liars lie. Minions of Satan engage in strategizing to keep themselves in power and annihilate their competition. That's exactly what happened in the first century: truth debunked as "disinformation," unpopular speech censored and forbidden. The competition labeled as insurrectionists troublemakers who must be forced to shut up or face persecution.

Yup! And we see a modern repeat of the story today as the Sanhedrin attempts to impose censorship on the Apostles after they cure the cripple at the gate.

How does that apply to our own time? Let's take a look.

You've no doubt heard about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) establishing a Board of Disinformation headed by the queen of disinformation, Nina Jankowicz, who promotes herself as a "Russian disinformation specialist." What is that you ask? Well, obviously it means she is an expert at spreading disinformation from her "Ministry of Truth" office at DHS. She is the poster girl for liberalism who happily magnified lies and "disinformation" about the Russia dossier hoax, Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, and Hunter Biden's notorious laptop. She got every single issue wrong, or right from the perspective of her puppet masters. She's also written several books that show she is a good radical feminist who hates men. So the liberals love her of course, and have raised her under the Peter Principle to her level of incompetence, not to mention stupidity. The only woman I've seen who is more ridiculous than Nina is Kamala Harris...although Jen Psaki finishes a close third.

So what does this have to do with Disinformation in first century Jerusalem?

Hey, history is repeating itself. It's deja vu all over again.

Read Acts chapter 4. Peter has just cured a cripple in the name of Jesus -- you know... Jesus.... the white supremicist and racist the blasphemer and criminal, who had to be killed. And now more bad news for the woke religious leaders! People are flocking to Jesus' disciples because of the miracles they perform in His name. 

They must be stopped! It's an insurrection!

Unfortunately for the religious leaders, though, there are too many eye witnesses to label the miraculous cure of the cripple "disinformation." 

But facts never stop those in power. And so, the first century Pharisees and elders of Judaism exercise the first century equivalent of censorship and thought control. 

First, like the Biden administration's arrest of the January 6th protesters, they arrest Peter and John. The Apostles get a speedy trial the next morning unlike the January 6th protesters many of whom remain political prisoners in the D.C. gulag prison. The Sanhedrin then give Peter and John a "stern warning" not to preach in the name of Jesus again. 

Peter pushes back, like the Canadian pastor who refused to bend to the COVID police. He and John refuse saying,  “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God. For we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

At that point the Sanhedrin lets them go because they are afraid of the people. "They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old." Think about that. Most of the residents of Jerusalem saw him begging every day. They knew he was a cripple and no fraud. The miraculous healing astounded them. But all the Sanhedrin could see was a threat to their power.

This event, however, illustrates the power of the people when they stand together and speak truth to power. and "glorify God." We have been crushed under liars and "disinformation" specialists, as well as "fact checkers" who couldn't find their way out of a paper bag. It's time to stand up for the truth and refuse to be cowed by these power hungry tyrants!

So what do Peter and John do after this event?

On their release, Peter and John returned to their own people and reported everything that the chief priests and elders had said to them. When the believers heard this, they lifted up their voices to God with one accord. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David:

‘Why do the nations rage

and the peoples plot in vain?

The kings of the earth take their stand

and the rulers gather together

against the Lord

and against His Anointed One.’

In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They carried out what Your hand and will had decided beforehand would happen. And now, Lord, consider their threats, and enable Your servants to speak Your word with complete boldness, as You stretch out Your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.”

After they had prayed, their meeting place was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

We have nothing to fear when we walk in the way of the Lord. During these 50 days of Easter joy, I invite you to join me in reading Acts of the Apostles and reflecting on its relevance to our own day.  We are the modern apostles (our priests) and disciples (we laity) who can speak truth to power under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Let's do it!

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!