What is the difference between warning a person about someone who is dangerous, and gossip? The truth and the relevance of it. In the gospels Jesus warned of the “yeast” and “leaven” of the Pharisees. He warned people because the Pharisees were not really following the law. They were just appearing to do so.
Matthew Chapter 23, almost in its entirety, Jesus describes the deplorable nature of the Pharisees with statements like: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Jesus was warning people about the evil of the Pharisees.
So, what is gossip? According to Microsoft Bing, gossip is idle talk or rumor about someone’s personal life. What does the bible say about it? Jesus says in Matthew 12: 36: “But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” The bible also says in 1 Timothy 5:19: “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses. And in 2 Corinthians 12:20: “For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder.”
Ultimately the difference between warning someone and gossip is the truth, lies, and exaltation for the wrong reasons. When Jesus was warning people about the Pharisees, He was doing this because the Pharisees had rejected God and His plan for their lives. When the Pharisees did this, they slander Jesus with lies and deceit because they were Jealous of his ministry. A warning leads people away from danger. Gossip and slander leads people into sin.
Scripture References
27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Matthew 23:27-28 NIV
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread. 6 “Be careful,” Jesus said to them. “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.” Matthew 16:5-6 NIV
1 Timothy 5:19 states 19 Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.
20 For I am afraid that when I come I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be. I fear that there may be discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. 2 Corinthians 12:20 NIV
29 (All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John. 30 But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.) Luke 7:29-30 NIV