麻豆社

Good morning,

Like many, I鈥檝e been gripped by the true crime story of the Tinder Swindler, released last week on Netflix. My jaw dropped as I watched this documentary about one Simon Leviev. They said he used the online dating app Tinder to swindle women across Europe out of millions of dollars by posing as a billionaire.

According to the film, Leviev 鈥� whose real name is Shimon Hayut 鈥� conned the women by sweeping them off their feet with lavish dinners, grand romantic gestures and trips in private jets 鈥� all paid for by other unsuspecting women he was apparently conning at the same time.

This type of crime鈥檚 dubbed 鈥渞omance fraud鈥� and it flourished in the pandemic as people went online in search of a lockdown soulmate.

Events like Valentine鈥檚 Day just add to the pressure on a lonely heart. Leviev鈥檚 victims spoke of growing up with fairy stories of being swept off their feet by Prince Charming. Many of us crave a love that takes our breath away; so are vulnerable to being duped in pursuit of this love.

I鈥檓 fascinated by stories like that of the Tinder Swindler - astonishing tales of people prepared to deceive and manipulate in this way. Fraud is as old as time, but the online world adds a new dimension to the question: How well do you really know another person?

While many successful friendships and relationships are forged online, perhaps humans need physical proximity to others to know them fully. To see them in the context of community, to see the impact of their actions on others. In the New Testament Jesus warns of false prophets, the wolves who come in sheep鈥檚 clothing. By their fruits you will know them, he says. By what they do, not just by who they say they are. By their actions, not just by the one-sided stories they can tell about themselves on their Tinder profiles.

When Jesus asks his disciples in the city of Caesarea Philippi who they think he is, they at first tell him who others think he might be. Finally, Simon Peter says he knows exactly who Jesus is - the son of God. You see, only those who followed Jesus daily, spent every waking moment with him, saw how he treated others, cared for the sick and opened his arms to the poor truly knew him. The others hadn鈥檛 really got a grasp of his identity. They hadn鈥檛 seen Jesus in community and in context. So how could they really know him?

The Bible tells us there are gifts for the faithful, described as the fruits of the Spirit. These offer some wisdom for all of us in spotting a fake from a keeper, a good apple from a bad: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control 鈥� all of which are demonstrated in thought and word, but also in deed.

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