“Don’t let me hear of your suffering for murdering or stealing or making trouble or being a busybody and prying into other people’s affairs” (1 Peter 4:15 TLB).
To paraphrase an old saying, bad news travels halfway around the world before good news has a chance to put its boots on. There was some bad news spreading about the church in the first century town of Thessalonica according to 2 Thessalonians 3:11: “… we hear that some of you are living in laziness, refusing to work, and wasting your time in gossiping.”
The Bible uses two words to describe those who waste their time in this manner. Those words are “gossips” (as we see here in 2 Thessalonians) and “busybodies” (as mentioned in our passage from 1 Peter quoted above). Although these words describe similar behaviors, each has its own nuanced meaning.
A ‘gossip’ is someone who frequently talks about others. Gossips are notorious for spreading rumors and circulating falsehoods regarding other people. A “busybody” is a person who persistently intrudes and interferes in the affairs of others. If given the opportunity, a busybody is someone who will attempt to run another person’s life. A few synonyms for “busybody” might include nosy, intrusive, or meddlesome.
For instance, there are some who simply cannot wait to share information about others. Then there are those who are highly preoccupied with the affairs of someone else’s life. These behaviors are highly destructive and the Scriptures offer some valuable insight into the risks they pose….
“A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much” (Proverbs 20:19 NIV).
One version of Proverbs 20:19 renders this verse in a very direct manner: “Don’t tell your secrets to a gossip unless you want them broadcast to the world” (TLB). This portion of Scripture draws our attention to an unfortunate reality: if someone shares gossip about others, we can be certain that he or she is gossiping to others about us as well.
“No one who gossips can be trusted with a secret, but you can put confidence in someone who is trustworthy” (Proverbs 11:13 GNT).
We can help eradicate gossip if we refrain from participating in it. Instead, Jesus gave us the right example to follow when dealing with those circumstance that might promote gossip…
“If one of my followers sins against you, go and point out what was wrong. But do it in private, just between the two of you…” (CEV).
The Bible provides us with some additional counsel in this regard and we’ll consider those passages next.