Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (Ephesian 3:4, ESV)
“Nothing shows a man’s character more than what he laughs at.”
– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), German writer
Too many Christians have unwittingly waded deep into the cesspool of crude and rude humor, laughing at the tawdry, off-color, racist, sexually-themed speech that passes itself off as humor and making fun of any and every kind of person that is different from them; the fat, the skinny, the less attractive, the poor/plainly dressed, the physically/mentally challenged.
Question: In the spiritual realm, who is happy and who is grieved when believers are amused by and laugh at such things?
We are supposed to be part of the solution of holiness, righteousness, love, and hope instead of being part of the problem. Jesus explained that love would be the hallmark characteristic of his followers that would identify them to the world. Remember the 70’s chorus, “They will know we are Christians by our love”?
Yet again, “What Would Jesus Do?” rears its convicting head. We need to ask ourselves, “What would Master Jesus find funny and what would make Him weep (break his heart)?”