Nakipagpulong naman ang mga punong pari sa mga pinuno ng bayan at nagkasundo silang suhulan nang malaki ang mga kawal. At ang mga ito ay inutusan nilang ganito ang ipamalita, “Habang natutulog kami kagabi, dumating ang mga alagad ni Jesus at ninakaw ang kanyang bangkay.”

Mateo 28:12–13

“Exchange your pair of old shoes for a new one at this store. Offer good while supplies last,” ang sabi sa Facebook post. Excited much, you rushed to the mall dala ang luma mong sapatos. But the sales clerk told you, “Ay, sorry po. Wala pong old shoes-new shoes exchange promo ang store.” Huh?! Nasayang ang time and effort mo! Feeling mo, nabiktima ka. Yes, nabiktima ka nga — ng fake news.

If we are not careful, it is so easy to fall into the trap of believing everything that we read or hear about. Some people try to wrap their fake news in shiny wrapping paper, trying to pass it off as a gift. Tayo naman, excited matanggap at mabuksan ito. Before we realize what’s really inside, it’s too late. Napaniwala na tayo. What we thought was a gift has become a curse.  

Hindi na ito bago. Uso na rin ang fake news noong unang panahon. In Jesus’ time, after He resurrected, ni-report ng ilang guards sa chief priests kung ano ang nangyari. The tomb was empty. Jesus rose from the dead! But “when the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep’” (Matthew 28:12-13, NIV). Sadly, this fake news about Jesus is still being circulated among the Jews today. Dahil naniniwala sila sa fake news, they cannot accept Jesus as the True Messiah.

Are you a sharer or believer of fake news? Be neither. Instead, stand up for the truth.