You know the song. You may not have listened to it on purpose but there’s a reason the original video on YouTube has more than sixteen billion views. According to YouTube it is the most-watched video of all time. It is, in every sense, a viral video. If you heard even a brief clip of the video you would know exactly why it is viral, for it would stick in your ear on perpetual repeat until sometime next week.
What makes something like the “Baby Shark” video go viral? (You’re welcome. You’re hearing it now.) My older daughter’s love language seems to be TikTok. She frequently comes to my wife and me to show us the latest viral video. Intellectually I know there is a formula, a recipe for why certain videos go viral. Surely it has to do with the emotional impact of the video, whether it’s sad or funny or whatever, or the relatability and connectedness you feel with those in it. You know, the algorithm. None of this explains, of course, “Baby Shark”.
Prior to online video there were other ways for things to go “viral”. When I was in fourth grade it seemed I was the only kid in the class who did not know John 3:16. Not every kid could quote it but each could at least paraphrase it—except me. I had no idea. This was a public school in the 1980s yet culturally John 3:16 was widely quotable by those with even a passing familiarity with the Christian faith. It is certainly one of the first verses Christians have been taught in recent history, hence its prominence in the culture forty years ago. Again, this is a more recent emphasis. In the early church a very different text was widely known by Christians.
The great early Christian scholar Origen, for example, wrote about a widely-known Scripture text—a viral text, if you will—in a letter to Julius Africanus in the 240s.
For who of all believers does not know the words in Isaiah? “It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:2-4 ESV)
Origen, Letter to Julius Africanus, 15
Notice how he framed his lengthy quote: who of all believers does not know this text!? (Um…I recognized the quote but I had to look up where in Isaiah it is found.) One German scholar, cited by Alan Kreider in his book “The Patient Ferment”, claimed “this is the prophetic passage the early Christian writers cited more often than any other”. Writers such as Hippolytus, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Cyprian, Cyril of Alexandria, Eusebius, Athanasius, and Jerome all indicated this was a prominent text in the minds of early Christians. Why was it such a prominent text? Justin Martyr cited it in his public debate with Trypho in the second century and explained how it was being fulfilled in his day.
…and we who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have each through the whole earth changed our warlike weapons, — our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage, — and we cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope, which we have from the Father himself through him who was crucified…
Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, 110.3
The early church cited this text because they believed this is what God is doing among his people. Today we tend to read prophetic words like these as if they were entirely future, as if they have no bearing on our lives in the present. Justin indicated this prophecy is about the Christian’s life. Hippolytus wrote that if “one receives proper instruction and teaching…what is bitter will be altered into what is sweet—that is, the spears into pruning-hooks, and the swords into plough-shares” Hippolytus *”The Refutation of All Heresies, 6.11″.) Irenaeus, writing in the second century, connected Isaiah’s prophecy to life in the new covenant, instituted by Jesus.
…from the Lord’s advent, the new covenant which brings back peace, and the law which gives life, has gone forth over the whole earth, as the prophets said: “For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem; and he shall rebuke many people; and they shall break down their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks, and they shall no longer learn to fight.”
Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.34.4
The early church believed this prophecy in Isaiah 2 was being fulfilled in the transformed lives of those who followed Christ. Why is it, then, that I had to look up this quote from Isaiah when I came across it this morning? I knew it was in Isaiah, but I thought it was in Isaiah 60-something. Why is it that we emphasize John 3:16 over something like Isaiah 2? Could it be that we—by we I mean the modern, nominal Christianity we see everywhere—could it be that we are not actually transformed? Could it be that our lives, not being transformed, are simply not attracting folk to the gospel as it did for the first few centuries of the church and so we must emphasize personal evangelism in a way that cannot be found in the early church?
John 3:16 is a great verse! It is filled with such promise! It proclaims the gospel, but so does Isaiah 2. Because we do not see Isaiah 2 the way the early church saw it, we don’t see the gospel in it. The gospel is this: Christ has won the victory over sin and death. Therefore, all who trust in him are being transformed. This means, as Justin indicated, every wickedness has been changed, replaced with something good and useful. Rather than evil and violence and such, “we cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope”.
Why would a text like Isaiah 2 become viral? There was no algorithm that determined this. Rather, the early church lived out the truth of Isaiah 2, and were transformed by the gospel of Jesus. As the great Cyprian said in the third century, “we do not speak great things, but we live them”. Tertullian indicated no one reads what Christians write unless he or she is already a Christian. Even the early church’s written defenses of the Christian faith, whether addressed to the emperor or someone else, were largely for the benefit of Christians, to strengthen their faith.
In our world going viral is cool. Well. Maybe not for “Star Wars Kid” twenty years ago, but people love to watch a viral video and love to share them with others—and by people I mean folk younger than I. The problem with “going viral” is it doesn’t last. Do you remember “Star Wars Kid“? It was decades ago! Some day another Baby Shark video will come along. It may not generate billions of views, or it may be the one to surpass Baby Shark, but no one’s life is changed by a viral video. Being viral does not cause human flourishing.
What causes human flourishing? The Lord Jesus. His gospel, his victory over sin and death leads to human flourishing. The problem is so many want to go straight to proclamation. This was not the early church’s approach, however, for they chose a much more difficult path. They chose to live out the gospel in their everyday lives, living in a transformed way. Consider the Epistle to Diognetus.
For Christians are not distinguished from the rest of humanity by country, language, or custom. For nowhere do they live in cities of their own, nor do they speak some unusual dialect, nor do they practice an eccentric way of life. This teaching of theirs has not been discovered by the thought and reflection of ingenious people, nor do they promote any human doctrine, as some do. But while they live in both Greek and barbarian cities, as each one’s lot was cast, and follow the local customs in dress and food and other aspects of life, at the same time they demonstrate the remarkable and admittedly unusual character of their own citizenship. They live in their own countries, but only as nonresidents; they participate in everything as citizens, and endure everything as foreigners. Every foreign country is their fatherland, and every fatherland is foreign. They marry like everyone else, and have children, but they do not expose their offspring. They share their food but not their wives. They are in the flesh, but they do not live according to the flesh. They live on earth, but their citizenship is in heaven. They obey the established laws; indeed in their private lives they transcend the laws. They love everyone, and by everyone they are persecuted.
Epistle to Diognetus 5:1-11
The letter is anonymous but is an example of early Christian apologetics. Written to someone named Diognetus, the letter aims to show how Christians live in response to the truth of the gospel. Again, it was written primarily for Christians to read, for the author knew few outside the faith would ever read it. Notice the emphasis in this quote. Christians aren’t different from the rest of the world in how they speak or dress, in the foods they eat. They don’t teach made-up doctrine. They live in whatever cities they happen to be living in and live as good citizens, though they do not hold too tightly to their earthly citizenship. They know this world is not their home and so they live even more as citizens of that heavenly kingdom. Outwardly they look the same; how they conduct themselves is transformed by the grace of God in Christ through his Spirit.
We happen to live in this particular city, in this particular state, in this particular country. This weekend we will celebrate the birthday of our nation with a picnic or cookout or fireworks. On the outside we may not look all that different from those next to us, but our true citizenship is in heaven. Our loyalty is to the Lord Jesus and his kingdom. Our lives ought to match his ethics, his values.
As Christians we do not need to go viral to proclaim the gospel of Jesus: we need to live it. The early church’s evangelism happened largely as a response to questions from those outside the church who inquired as to the differences they noticed among the Christians. They share their food, but not their wives, for example. Why? Why were Christians so willing to care for the poor, and so unwilling to share their wives? Why do Christians love their enemies? That’s not the way of the world! It isn’t, but Christians knew they lived for a very different world.
Before Christians spoke the truth, they lived the truth. Even Jesus followed this pattern. There’s a reason he lived quietly as a faithful Jew for 30 years before he began publicly preaching and teaching. In other words, Jesus himself first lived the truth before speaking the truth. Jesus exhibited great patience in his life and ministry, trusting his Father to bring about the things necessary for him to accomplish the work the Father had sent him to do. Cyprian wrote of this patience.
But for us, beloved brethren, who are philosophers, not in words, but in deeds, and do not put forward our wisdom in our garb, but in truth — who are better acquainted with the consciousness, than with the boast, of virtues — who do not speak great things, but live them, — let us, as servants and worshipers of God, show, in our spiritual obedience, the patience which we learn from heavenly teachings. For we have this virtue in common with God. From Him patience begins; from Him its glory and its dignity take their rise. The origin and greatness of patience proceed from God as its author. Man ought to love the thing which is dear to God; the good which the Divine Majesty loves, it commends. If God is our Lord and Father, let us imitate the patience of our Lord as well as our Father; because it behooves servants to be obedient, no less than it becomes sons not to be degenerate.
Cyprian, Treatise 9.3
Cyprian urged Christians to live faithfully, for out of this faithfulness God would do his work. The problem with seeking to become viral is it lacks patience. Ministries often seek a form of virality. They want to grow big and quickly, whether a church plant or other non-profit. They want to win the ministry lottery and get rich quick. Every outreach event is a failure until it is like Pentecost. This inevitably leads to compromises, of course, for if the goal is the outcome of ministry, one will do whatever it takes to cause that outcome. If the goal of life and everything is faithfulness to the Lord, then one will do whatever it takes to pursue faithfulness. Out of our faithfulness God works and brings about “success” in his own time and in his own manner.
Being viral is cool. It’s exciting. It’s also very temporary. Let’s not seek to live viral lives, but faithful lives. We don’t need to be baby sharks. We need to be faithful men and women.