My daughter, now grown, teased me about a phrase I often used to correct her when she spoke unkind words. Reciting the first portion of Ephesians 4:29, I’d say, “Do not let any unwholesome words come out of your mouth.” Although the statement stopped her behavior, it also left her confused. All her little girl brain understood was that she’d said something I didn’t like.
Her response to my not-so-clear request, in many ways, mirrors my early interactions with God. In my sincere desire to please Him, I spent far too much energy focused on dos and don’ts without tending to the heart from which my attitudes, actions, and salty or clever quips came. Those with a similar mentality might call sarcasm sin, and when used to harm, I’d agree. But can one use the linguistic device for good?
According to biblical examples, yes.
If you’ve watched the Chosen series or the Passion movie, you might have found the filmmakers’ portrayal of Jesus surprising. He’s not depicted as an almost docile-appearing shepherd carrying a lamb on His shoulders. Nor do we see an angry man demanding respect and obedience. Instead, the producers captured God the Son’s humanity and, at times, playfulness.
This representation feels consistent with the Messiah revealed in the gospels. Jesus was more than a miracle worker who knew and conveyed the deep truths of His Father. He spoke with the authority of One who understands reality because He defined it. He also demonstrated a quick wit that silenced the religious power players, awed the masses, and likely provoked a few chuckles.
Matthew 12 tells us of a time when Jesus led His disciples through grain fields. This occurred on the Sabbath, a day for which the Pharisees outlined 39 prohibitions, including plucking grain. Therefore, they became upset when the hungry disciples started to pick and eat heads of grain.
“Look!” they exclaimed. “Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.” - Matthew 12:2 NIV
Notice how Jesus responded. “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?” (V. 4, NIV). He then explained a biblical account the religious leaders would’ve known well.
To catch the irony in Jesus’ words, we need to understand the attitude of those with whom He was speaking. The Pharisees prided themselves on their superior understanding of Scripture. First, their culture dictated that all Jewish males memorized large portions of the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament. People expected far more from the religious leaders. Historians tell us the Pharisees memorized the entire Torah. That’s 79,980 Hebrew words—committed to memory. They also assumed the authority to preserve and interpret Scripture.
They viewed themselves as Bible experts. Considering this, can you envision how Jesus’ words might have hit? His statement would be the same as asking a mechanic if they realized a vehicle needed gas to run.
We see another example of Jesus’ use of irony in John 10. This occurred about a year into His earthly ministry. His teaching and miracles drew large crowds and created increased hostility from His enemies. After making a clear claim of divinity, His Jewish opponents picked up rocks to stone Him.
In verse 31, He responded, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” (NIV).
This would be the equivalent of a husband stating to an angry wife, “So you’re upset that I sacrifice sixty-plus hours a week to provide for this family?”
The Bible records another clever retort in Luke 13. In verses 31-32, we read:
At that time ,some Pharisees came to Jesus and said to him, “Leave this place and go somewhere else. Herod wants to kill you.”
He replied, “Go tell that fox, ‘I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day, I will reach my goal.’ In any case, I must press on today and tomorrow and the next day—for surely no prophet can die outside Jerusalem! (NIV, emphasis mine).
This instance is best understood in light of the cultural context. As author and pastor Jayson D. Bradley wrote:
“This line wasn’t just a burn. It was a sobering commentary on the religious and political corruption of the time. Jesus was fully aware of the cost of His mission, and His sarcasm underscored the tragic irony of a city meant to represent God’s presence turning into a graveyard for prophets” (Relevant Magazine).
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Tim Robberts
Jesus wasn’t the only person in Scripture to use sarcasm to make a point, expose hypocrisy, or challenge oppressive systems. Paul, a first-century church planter who wrote much of the New Testament, delivered a few striking and biting statements. In his letter to the Corinthian believers, he wrote,
Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! You have begun to reign—and that without us! How I wish that you really had begun to reign so that we also might reign with you! - 1 Corinthians 4:8 NIV
Regarding this verse and the passage surrounding it, Dr. Kenneth Berding, professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology, states:
“Paul employs sarcasm to counter the Corinthians’ over-realized eschatology. That is, the Corinthian Christians somehow got the idea into their heads (from false teachers, most likely) that all the blessings of future heaven were theirs to enjoy right now — whether health, riches, or pleasure.”
Paul’s words in Galatians 5:12 carry even more bite. Here’s the backdrop. A group of legalistic Jewish believers were pushing a gospel based on works, particularly circumcision, not grace. Understandably, this upset Paul. He wrote,
“As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!” NIV
However, my favorite biblical example of sarcasm comes from 1 Kings 18. At that point in ancient Israel’s history, an evil king named Ahab ruled. He not only worshiped demonic idols; He actually placed an altar for the Canaanite fertility god in the temple.
Elijah, the most prominent prophet of the time, responded by summoning the people and the prophets of Baal and Asherah, two popular pagan deities. Once everyone arrived, he issued a challenge.
Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire—he is God.” - 1 Kings 18:22-24, NIV
The wicked “prophets” agreed to his terms. They selected a bull, prepared it, and “called on the name of Baal from morning till noon” (v. 26, NIV). When nothing happened, Elijah began to mock them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened” (V. 27, NIV). Some scholars suggest Elijah’s statement contained a Hebrew idiom for relieving oneself. Therefore, one could read Elijah’s statement as, “Perhaps he’s distracted, going to the bathroom, or catching a catnap.”
Clearly, he felt angered by the pervasive deception sweeping through the land and enslaving God’s people. But he also chose his words for impact. His taunts highlighted the absurdity of worshiping manmade objects, after which he presented irrefutable evidence for the One true God.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Aaron Amat
As a communicator, I often employ self-deprecating humor to alleviate tension and provide comedic breaks for my audience. It’s my way of letting them know that, as a speaker, I share their struggles. I’ve also found that joking about universal challenges helps counter shame by normalizing humanity’s constant need for grace.
What’s more, studies suggest sarcasm (when kind) helps build trust, strengthen bonds, and “increases creativity for both expressers and recipients.” Additional research indicates it’s a sign of a healthy mind.
That said, it’s never funny or godly to take pleasure at someone else’s expense. In regard to sarcasm, the question, then, is, what is our intent?
Photo Credit: Jamie Brown/Unsplash
Scripture tells us our words reveal the condition of our hearts. The sarcasm spoken by a witty friend hits much differently than one-liners hurled in anger. The issue lies with intent.
Are we trying to reduce our social anxiety by making others look bad? Perhaps we want to address something passive-aggressively that we lack the courage to talk about directly. Or, we might have developed the habit of making fun of other people’s weaknesses and faults.
I’ve seen this tendency infect entire social groups that use biting humor to connect with one another. This might earn a few chuckles and evoke temporary feelings of belonging. But it also creates an environment with “insiders” and “outsiders” rather than those characterized by authenticity and emotional safety.
This cheap bid for attention harms everyone involved, the target especially. In short, using sarcasm to mock others isn’t only selfish. It also reveals a middle-school mentality.
Healthy adults utilize coping strategies to manage personal discomfort, relational skills to gain a sense of belonging, and the spiritual maturity to celebrate people’s qualities, not flaws.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/LaylaBird
Early in my marriage, my husband and I excelled at passive aggression. For example, when he came home late from work, lacking the courage and skills to express how I felt, I’d say something like, “I guess your phone stopped working.” Or, “You obviously weren’t anxious to see me.” This inevitably triggered his defenses, which increased my hurt and widened the distance between us.
Initially, we didn’t feel safe enough with one another or in our relationship to reveal our vulnerabilities. This caused us to live perpetually on guard and to approach disagreements as competitions rather than opportunities for connection. We didn’t realize how our harsh one-liners eroded our trust in one another and the foundation upon which our relationship stood.
It took numerous marriage conferences, studies, books, and seminars, along with the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, to learn to use sarcasm well, with kindness, and without bite. We still get it wrong on occasion. I have times when lack of sleep, stress, and frustration awaken my old, passive-aggressive ways, as does my husband. But we’re now more apt to recognize when our sarcasm has turned from funny to ugly, immature, and sinful.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/shironosov