The bull is excited at the deft hands of a bullfighter who wields a red cape. Several spears have been stuck on the back of the rushing bull. Finally, when a sharp blade pierces the bull’s skull, it falls on the spot.
The bullfighter who stabs the skull of a bull lastly is called the matador in Spanish. Nowadays, matador refers to black propaganda that distorts facts and manipulates public opinion to slander the other person. Matador spreads from mouth to mouth unlawfully, and strikes a fatal blow to the other person just as the sharp sword of the bullfighter who enticed the bull pierces its skull.
A man struck by matador, which was originally meant to harm others, is going to get hurt somehow. Also, it is hard to verify it and to know who has to take responsibility for it.
Matador exists even in the Bible history. About 2,000 years ago, when Jesus preached the gospel of the new covenant, the Jews could never cope with Jesus through the Scriptures. So what they used was matador.
“For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.” . . .’ ”Mt 11:18–19
“The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.’ ” Yet even then their testimony did not agree.”Mk 14:55–59
The Jews who slandered Jesus with all kinds of rumors accomplished their purpose. It was a great result they achieved through matador because they could brand Jesus as the “Nazarene sect [heresy]” (Ac 24:5) and even crucify Him.
Then, was Jesus a heretic as the Jews insisted? Never! The fact that Jesus is God, who came to the earth in the flesh according to the prophecies of the Bible, is unchanging even though all sorts of slanders and defamation followed.
The situation is similar in the age of the Holy Spirit when God comes again in the flesh for our salvation.
“so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”Heb 9:28
When He comes a second time, what we must be careful for is matador. Let us first look at the Bible before wavering by groundless rumors. We must judge right from wrong through the Bible. Nothing can change the truth or remove it.