Jesus's Sarcasm
I gotta confess, and those of you who know me well know this about me already, but I LOVE sarcasm. Probably too much. I realize sarcasm can be hurtful if it used in the wrong way. I have no doubt I have used it in that way before. I don't use it as much as I once did, so I am trying to do better. But sarcasm can be used in a way that gets people to see something that they may not have seen before, and I think that is a good use of sarcasm.
Jesus must have believed that, because He used it from time to time. My favorite example of Jesus's sarcasm is in Luke 7 when Jesus is at the home of Simon the Pharisee. You know the story.........Simon is offended because Jesus is letting this woman who is a "sinner" kiss His feet, and then wash his feet with both tears and perfume. Simon never said anything to Jesus about it, but Jesus knew what was going on in Simon's mind. Jesus then told him the parable about two men having debts to a moneylender, one great and one small, and having those debts cancelled. He asked the simple but deep question: "Now which of them loved him more?" Simon answered correctly, and somewhat sheepishly: "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt cancelled." Jesus told him he was correct. Then Jesus pointed out to Simon how the woman has smothered him with love from the second she had been with him, and how Simon had done NOTHING. He concluded his remarks about her by saying "Her many sins have been forgiven.....for she loved much".
If the story had ended there, it would have been a great story.........right? Ah, but it doesn't, and it gets even better. Jesus puts on his sarcasm hat, and really zings Simon. Jesus says:
"But he who has been forgiven little loves little". Have you ever been forgiven "LITTLE"? Do you have any LITTLE struggles? Forgiveness is ALWAYS big, and never "LITTLE"! That is the only way God knows how to do it, because He loves us so so much. Jesus, God in the flesh, only forgave big when He was on the earth. It's impossible to be forgiven little! The Pharisees were arrogant folks, and Simon was one of them. In his mind, he had no need for God's forgiveness.........or if he did, it was very "LITTLE". Jesus knew Simon felt that way about himself. Because of Simon's arrogance and self-righteousness, he didn't have the ability to love anybody...........not even Jesus. Oh he probably loved one person, himself. But he knew in his heart of hearts how sinful he was, and that he had been forgiven BIG.......even if outwardly he acted like he had "little" to be forgiven of. It had to zing him. It has to zing us.
Do you want to be able to love? Then you better acknowledge how much YOU have been loved and forgiven! I don't know that I can prove it, but I believe with all my heart the same principle applies to grace. If you are not a grace giving person, you probably have never acknowledged how in need of grace you are........and how God smothered you with His grace.
I wonder how sarcasm affected Simon? I wonder how it sits with you and me?
In closing, let me ask our fellowship or movement............are we known for our outpouring of grace and love for other believers? See, that is who Simon was with.......another believer......and he wasn't loving her very well. Is withholding fellowship an expression of love and grace? Of course it isn't. We for sure at times have been like Simon, and been guilty of loving "little". Why? Maybe because we had the heart of Simon..............a heart of self-righteousness and arrogance.
God help us to not need His sarcasm to realize that.
May we seek to have the heart of the sinful woman. "For she loved much".
26 Comments:
It proves once again love is the root of salvation.
I LOVE Jesus' sarcasm also! I find it darkly hilarious the way he responded to those trying to trap him when they asked, "Should we pay taxes to Caesar?" and he answered by pointing out Caesar's picture on the coin followed by, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and give to God what is God's!"
There's a LOT more of that too in His ministry! Awesome!
I am pretty sure sarcasm is a Gift! I know my entire family is blessed with it.
If we can ever get where we truly love Jesus like the woman in Simon's home we will forget about loving our "rules" and our "appearance" and only then can we accept and redirect his marvelous gift of grace.
I'm trying to be less sarcastic around the kids -- Sarcasm in children not as attractive as it sounds. So far, so good.
I'm so glad to have been "smothered in grace!" You're right, it sures helps you give more grace to others when you realize your own need for it and accept the gift of it.
Thanks!
My wife says I'm getting too sarcastic. I told her, "Yeah, right."
Oh... and remember God's sarcastic remarks to Job in chapters 39:9-12 and 41:1-5. That whole section is full of God "getting in Job's face" and making sarcastic comments.
Shannon, thanks for sharing that WONDERFUL news with all of us. I praise God for what He is doing in Nashville with these two groups of beleivers!
DU
I never really thought about "forgiving little" but I know I have been guilty of it toward those who offended me. Remember, all the jabs about Bama aren't sarcastic; their truth brother!
sar·casm
mid 16th century: from French sarcasme, or via late Latin from late Greek sarkasmos, from Greek sarkazein ‘tear flesh,’ in late Greek ‘gnash the teeth, speak bitterly’ (from sarx, sark- ‘flesh’).
If you knew this, you would never think for a moment that the Sovereign Ruler and Creator of a Universe would employ a sophomoric technique like sarcasm. If you knew Him, really knew Him this would become instantly clear, that Jesus would never use a so-called 'teaching' tool the might have deleterious effects on the minds or hearts of his fellows, be they enemies or friends, for he well knew that His Father was and remains no respecter of men. If you were to study your scripture from the eyes of the infant you are to Him, you would understand that in being like a child when approaching Him you are en-abled to receive His love and experience the pure love by which God is characterized and the corallated fact of His Absolute absence of divisiveness and (masked) cruelty, that only human beings are capable(potentiated with)of. Please study more before writing these careless(if well-meant)ideas that you have regarding Jesus of Nazareth. I ask this of you not to undermine your creativity, but rather as a request to your ministry that it be more discerning about the tone of it's direction. Do you seek more souls for the kingdom, or do you actually desire an earthly type of attention that by default can serve to undermine your fellows understanding of the Message?
Sincerely
Gillian Hart
Urantia Citizen
Though Simon was not a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, he was an influential Pharisee of Jerusalem. He was a halfhearted believer, and notwithstanding that he might be severely criticized therefor, he dared to invite Jesus and his personal associates, Peter, James, and John, to his home for a social meal. Simon had long observed the Master and was much impressed with his teachings and even more so with his PERSONALITY.*
(1651.6) 147:5.2 The wealthy Pharisees were devoted to almsgiving, and they did not shun publicity regarding their philanthropy. Sometimes they would even blow a trumpet as they were about to bestow charity upon some beggar. It was the custom of these Pharisees, when they provided a banquet for distinguished guests, to leave the doors of the house open so that even the street beggars might come in and, standing around the walls of the room behind the couches of the diners, be in position to receive portions of food which might be tossed to them by the banqueters.
(1651.7) 147:5.3 On this particular occasion at Simon’s house, among those who came in off the street was a woman of unsavory reputation who had recently become a believer in the good news of the gospel of the kingdom. This woman was well known throughout all Jerusalem as the former keeper of one of the so-called high-class brothels located hard by the temple court of the gentiles. She had, on accepting the teachings of Jesus, closed up her nefarious place of business and had induced the majority of the women associated with her to accept the gospel and change their mode of living; notwithstanding this, she was still held in great disdain by the Pharisees and was compelled to wear her hair down — the badge of harlotry. This unnamed woman had brought with her a large flask of perfumed anointing lotion and, standing behind Jesus as he reclined at meat, began to anoint his feet while she also wet his feet with her tears of gratitude, wiping them with the hair of her head. And when she had finished this anointing, she continued weeping and kissing his feet.
(1652.1) 147:5.4 When Simon saw all this, he said to himself: “This man, if he were a prophet, would have perceived who and what manner of woman this is who thus touches him; that she is a notorious sinner.” And Jesus, knowing what was going on in Simon’s mind, spoke up, saying: “Simon, I have something which I would like to say to you.” Simon answered, “Teacher, say on.” Then said Jesus: “A certain wealthy moneylender had two debtors. The one owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. Now, when neither of them had wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which of them do you think, Simon, would love him most?” Simon answered, “He, I suppose, whom he forgave the most.” And Jesus said, “You have rightly judged,” and pointing to the woman, he continued: “Simon, take a good look at this woman. I entered your house as an invited guest, yet you gave me no water for my feet. This grateful woman has washed my feet with tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave me no kiss of friendly greeting, but this woman, ever since she came in, has not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil you neglected to anoint, but she has anointed my feet with precious lotions. And what is the meaning of all this? Simply that her many sins have been forgiven, and this has led her to love much. But those who have received but little forgiveness sometimes love but little.” And turning around toward the woman, he took her by the hand and, lifting her up, said: “You have INDEED repented of your sins, and they are forgiven. Be not discouraged by the thoughtless and unkind attitude of your fellows; go on in the joy and liberty of the kingdom of heaven.”
(1652.2) 147:5.5 When Simon and his friends who sat at meat with him heard these words, they were the MOREastonished, and they began to whisper among themselves, “Who is this man that he even dares to forgive sins?” And when Jesus heard them thus murmuring, he turned to dismiss the woman, saying, “Woman, go in peace; your faith has saved you.”
(1652.3) 147:5.6 As Jesus arose with his friends to leave, he turned to Simon and said: “I know your heart, Simon, how you are torn betwixt faith and doubts, how you are distraught by fear and troubled by pride; but I pray for you that you may yield to the light and may experience in your station in life just such mighty transformations of mind and spirit as may be comparable to the tremendous changes which the gospel of the kingdom has already wrought in the heart of your unbidden and unwelcome guest. And I declare to all of you that the Father has opened the doors of the heavenly kingdom to all who have the faith to enter, and no man or association of men can close those doors even to the most humble soul or supposedly most flagrant sinner on earth if such sincerely seek an entrance.” And Jesus, with Peter, James, and John, took leave of their host and went to join the rest of the apostles at the camp in the garden of Gethsemane.
(1653.1) 147:5.7 That same evening Jesus made the long-to-be-remembered address to the apostles regarding the relative value of status with God and progress in the eternal ascent to Paradise. Said Jesus: “My children, if there exists a true and living connection between the child and the Father, the child is certain to progress continuously toward the Father’s ideals. True, the child may at first make SLOW progress, but the progress is none the less sure. The important thing is not the rapidity of your progress but rather its certainty. Your actual achievement is not so important as the fact that the direction of your progress is Godward. What you are becoming day by day is of infinitely more importance than what you are today.
(1653.2) 147:5.8 “This transformed woman whom some of you saw at Simon’s house today is, at this moment, living on a level which is vastly below that of Simon and his well-meaning associates; but while these Pharisees are occupied with the false progress of the illusion of traversing deceptive circles of meaningless ceremonial services, this woman has, in dead earnest, started out on the long and eventful search for God, and her path toward heaven is not blocked by spiritual pride and moral self-satisfaction. The woman is, humanly speaking, much farther away from God than Simon, but her soul is in progressive motion; she is on the way toward an eternal goal. There are present in this woman tremendous spiritual possibilities for the future. Some of you may not stand high in actual levels of soul and spirit, but you are making daily progress on the living way opened up, through faith, to God. There are tremendous possibilities in each of you for the future. Better by far to have a small but living and growing faith than to be possessed of a great intellect with its dead stores of worldly wisdom and spiritual unbelief.”
(1653.3) 147:5.9 But Jesus earnestly warned his apostles against the foolishness of the child of God who presumes upon the Father’s love. He declared that the heavenly Father is not a lax, loose, or foolishly indulgent parent who is ever ready to condone sin and forgive recklessness. He cautioned his hearers not mistakenly to APPLY his illustrations of father and son so as to make it appear that God is like some overindulgent and unwise parents who conspire with the foolish of earth to encompass the moral undoing of their thoughtless children, and who are thereby certainly and directly contributing to the delinquency and early demoralization of their own offspring. Said Jesus: “My Father does not indulgently condone those acts and practices of his children which are self-destructive and suicidal to all moral growth and spiritual progress. Such sinful practices are an abomination in the sight of God.”
(1653.4) 147:5.10 Many other semiprivate meetings and banquets did Jesus attend with the high and the low, the rich and the poor, of Jerusalem before he and his apostles finally departed for Capernaum. And many, indeed, became believers in the gospel of the kingdom and were subsequently baptized by Abner and his associates, who remained behind to foster the interests of the kingdom in Jerusalem and thereabouts.
http://www.urantia.org/
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