I love humor. I truly believe it’s one of God’s greatest gifts. But Paul warns his buddies in Ephesus to not let their jokes go too far or get out of control. “Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving” (v4). The apostle is NOT saying that followers of Jesus should have their funny bone surgically removed. But as believers, our humor shouldn’t harm others. Our humor shouldn’t hurt others. Rather than telling another dirty joke, let’s spend our time thanking God for all that He’s given us. And that includes humor and laughter.
Can I be transparent for just a moment? Thanks. I appreciate that. The Holy Spirit really busted my chops when I read this. As I said before, I love humor. I love to laugh and make folks laugh too. There’s only one problem. I love snark. I love sarcasm. I love a sharp zinger that puts someone else down. But this can be a VERY slippery slope. What starts as good fun can end up tearing someone else down in the name of delivering a punch line. That’s humor that hurts. Paul’s words here to the Ephesian church are more than a bit uncomfortable for me. As the old saying goes, he’s gone from preachin’ to meddlin’. I know that’s the case for me.
And let’s also not forget what’s going on here. Paul is writing to the Ephesian church from the slammer in Rome. He’s gotten word of a nasty heresy that’s making the rounds just down the road in places like Colossae , Hierapolis and Laodicea. A group of spiritual hucksters has rolled into the region selling a load of spiritual snake oil. Using this counterfeit gospel, they’ve duped Jesus’ followers into thinking our Savior got them into His kingdom but they’re responsible for staying in. They’ve sold them on a super secret formula to do just that. Follow their intricate list of religious rules to finish the job that Jesus started (Col 2:15-23). There’s little doubt that following this false teaching would have resulted not just in an arrogance but would have led to cocky put downs of those who weren’t part of the “in” crowd.
First the apostle fires off a letter to these churches setting them straight. That’s the book of the Bible we call Colossians. Before hands that to his delivery man Tychicus (Eph 6:21; Col 4:7), he quickly writes another note to the folks in Ephesus, just 100 miles up the road. The two letters cover a LOT of the same instruction. Think of Colossians as treatment for the disease and Ephesians an inoculation against it. OK, let’s dig in.
Paul begins by telling folks to avoid “filthiness” (v4). This is the Greek word aischrotes. It means obscenity and ugliness. In this context, “filthiness” is something indecent, dishonorable or shameful. It’s an act of defiance of social or moral standards resulting in disgrace, embarrassment and shame. It’s the only time the term shows up in Scripture. Considering the context, the apostle is probably talking about conversation focused on sex. He’s just told us to avoid sexual sin and porn (Eph 5:3). And in the next verse, he warns us that folks obsessed with sex, porn and other forms of greed won’t be enjoying the privileges of membership in God’s kingdom (Eph 5:5). The placement of this verse makes it clear that the “filthiness” he’s talking about is focused on sex.
The apostle wants us to avoid talking about sex in a way that turns people into objects. Talking about sex is certainly fine for married couples. As a matter of fact, they should! Paul certainly doesn’t mind talking and teaching about sex in a healthy way. He told the Corinthians that a husband and wife should have a healthy sex life (1Cor 7:1-5). There might be times to cool it during important times of prayer. But a lack of sex opens the door for Satan to tempt us with adultery. And any married couple would do well to do an in depth study of the Song of Songs. But the rest of us need to ignore Salt & Pepa’s advice to talk about sex obsessively and continually.
Next we’re to knock off the “foolish talk (Gr. morologia)” (v4). This is blabbing that is both foolish and stupid. Useless speech. Silly speech. Like the previous term, it’s the only time it shows up in the NT. This is talk that’s a waste of time. It has no purpose. No redeeming value. It’s just talking to hear yourself talk. It doesn’t teach. It doesn’t build up. It’s not even funny. Stop wasting your time and mine. Put a sock in it.
Finally, Paul wants us to put an end to “crude joking” (v4). In a general sense, the Greek word eutrapelia describes all humor, joking and facetiousness. In a good sense, the original term describes a well-turned phrase or sharp wit. But given the context (as well as the rest of the humor we see in Scripture), he’s talking here about dirty jokes and vulgar comedy. This is using profanity and foul language for shock effect. It’s coarse jesting involving vulgar expressions and indecent content. For 21st century believers, this means we should avoid crap like dirty jokes and dropping the F-bomb. Do you think that’s the kind of humor Jesus used? Naw, I don’t think so either.
What is Paul NOT saying? He certainly isn’t telling the Ephesians to stop laughing or having a sense of humor. King David wrote a lyric about His laughing God (Ps 2:4). The authors of the Scripture are pretty clear that joy and laughter are a key part of what it means to imitate Jesus. In my mind, the radical Rabbi/Carpenter is the funniest dude to ever walk the planet. His teachings are loaded with ridiculous images and hilarious punch lines. Don’t believe me? Think about walking around with a 2x4 sticking out of you eyeball! Christ nicknamed the hot-headed brothers Jimmy and John as the “Sons of Thunder.” And tell me it’s not a hoot that He drafted Saul the Pharisee, the most legalist Jew of all time, to be His apostle to those filthy Gentiles! Now THAT’S funny!! On the night before His murder, Jesus told His crew that a huge point to all His teaching was “that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (Jn 15:11). I don’t see that as a life with our sense of humor cut out. And one awesome day on the other side of eternity, we’ll laugh ourselves silly (Ps 126:2).
God’s people aren’t above a good put down. The Bible is loaded with them. Here’s just a couple. The prophet Elijah trash talked the prophets of Baal at the big showdown on Mount Carmel. When their god didn’t respond to their pleas, Elijah said that Baal might be in the can (1Ki 18:11). Go ahead. Look it up. That’s EXACTLY what he meant. Paul wasn’t above comedy even when describing the most important doctrine. He told the folks in Galatia that folks who are so hepped up on others being circumcised in order to follow Jesus should go ahead and “emasculate themselves” (Gal 5:12). If they won’t cut it out, they should cut it off! He used crude language when appropriate. The apostle told the Philippians that compared to Jesus, everything else is just a big steaming pile (Phil 3:8).
But this is a warning that our jokes and humor have boundaries. Don’t tear people down. Don’t objectify certain people, races or cultures just to be punchlines. Don’t talk about sex in unhealthy ways. Don’t cause others to stumble in their walk with Jesus (1Cor 8:9). Don’t clown around to the point of missing our mission. Instead, replace all of your dirty jokes and talk about sex with thanksgiving to God. We’ve got plenty to be thankful for. Am I breathing? Do I have a roof over my head? Do I know where my next meal is coming from? Do I have a Savior that loves me? Did He love me SO much that He was willing to come to earth, live the perfect life that I completely failed to live? Did He die on a cross as punishment for my sin that I should have died? Did He rise to a glorious new life that I certainly don’t deserve? There’s plenty to thank Him for.
The Message is a fantastic and fresh paraphrase of the Bible. I love how Eugene Peterson brings this verse to life. “Though some tongues just love the taste of gossip, those who follow Jesus have better uses for language than that. Don’t talk dirty or silly. That kind of talk doesn’t fit our style. Thanksgiving is our dialect” (Eph 5:4 The Message). Stop the humor that hurts. Stop the humor that harms. Instead start thanking Jesus for who He is and what He’s done.
So what do you think? Agree? Disagree? I would love to hear from you. Drop a comment below and let's chat.
No comments:
Post a Comment