Jesus used both Humor (sarcasm) and Insults to get His point across.
Jacob was the father of the Israelites and his name meant "full of guile" or "deceiver."
(John 1:47, NKJV)
"Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!'
I would say that Jesus was using sarcasm there in declaring that Nathanael was �The FIRST Son of Jacob to be without guile!�.
Mark 7:5-6
5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, �Why don�t your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with defiled hands?�
6 He replied, �Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
That sure sounds like an Insult to me.
17 After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18�Are you so dull?� he asked. �Don�t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them?
This most certainly is not �flattery�.
24 Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[g] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.25 In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an impure spirit came and fell at his feet. 26 The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.
27 �First let the children eat all they want,� he told her, �for it is not right to take the children�s bread and toss it to the dogs.�
28 �Lord,� she replied, �even the dogs under the table eat the children�s crumbs.�
29 Then he told her, �For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter.�
30 She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.
Here a woman �tosses� Jesus� Sarcasm �back at Him� and Jesus was �amused� and rather liked her �flippancy� and quick wittedness.
God has a sense of Humor and Jesus was most definitely a man.
I know that Jesus wasnt always Sugar & Spice & Everything Nice...Puffy Fluffy Cotton Candy...Goody 2Shoes all the time when He was here in the physical...Many a scripture appears to be Sarcastic an Arch posted some...Should a Christian use it ? Ima not sure...but I know alot of us do...me included...:nahnah:...xo
In the OT, the prophets were often sarcastic -- witheringly so. Look at what Elijah said to the prophets of Baal. Ouch. Look at what Elijah said to Aziah: "Is there not a God in Israel..." Ouch. Paul was sarcastic at times, and sometimes polemical -- as was Jesus in human form. "Brood of vipers" and all that.
So, yes, I believe that we can be sarcastic when necessary. Should we always be sarcastic? No. But more than that, do you think that Christians should NEVER be sarcastic?
I guess I have to ask how you mean that question, when you are joking with friends, or actually talking with somebody you don't know. I use it among friends a lot, but it would be improper to use it rudely with any one.
Biblical figures had used sarcasm, and it's a hard mechanism NOT to use. Especially when we're being talked down to or just don't feel like being that nice. But honestly, I don't think Christians should use sarcasm, at least when witnessing. Now, I'm not saying Jesus was wrong, but we have to consider the attitude we have, and show, when we use sarcasm. It is usually one of frustration, impatience, and pride. We reflect upon our God and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and to do anything that paints a picture of impatience or meanness is not in our best interest.
