Appropriate/inappropriate humour?

[Ruth]

Firstly, I have to apologize; I've not been posting on the forum for a while.

Hopefully this doesn't get cut off; I've tried to colour-code it to make reading easier. I was wondering about the biblical use of humour; when it is appropriate and when it isn't.


Ephesians 5 has a list of things not to be named among the saints, one of them being jesting.

Ephesians 5:1-5:

1 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.


Proverbs 26:18-19 also mentions sporting, but I'm not sure if this is always has the same defintion as jesting:

18 As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death,

19 So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?


And then there's also Proverbs 14:9:

9 Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.


But in 1 Kings 18:27; Elijah mocks the prophets of Baal when they are calling to their false god:

27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.


So jesting that makes a joke of sin or uses deceit would be sinful.
But with Elijah, he mocks the false prophets, but also tells them the truth, beacuse he says that baal is a god (idol). So it's used in the context of a rebuke, as opposed to jesting for the sake of jesting?

Would this be correct? I'm not sure if I've rightly divided the Word or not, or got definitions mixed up.
 

[Jephte21]

That's a great point you make right there for multiple reasons. Yes we have to be careful about how we joke about somebody else.

[creationliberty]

So jesting that makes a joke of sin or uses deceit would be sinful.

Nice job Ruth, that was spot on. You're right on that point. You did a great job of considering the context and discerning the truth of the Word, and I'm thankful that God has blessed you with that understanding.
Just to give a quick example, you notice in Ephesians where it say "filthiness." If we were to take filthiness in a general sense, then it would be a sin for a man to go outside and dig a hole because he would get dirty. In this instance, it's in the specific context of sin, so if it jesting over sinful words and actions, it is an offensive against the Word of God.

[Ruth]

Thank you for the replies.

I still don't think I understand this area fully, but I'm thankful to God for convicting me about this.

It's been on my mind for a while as where I work people will 'joke', in that they'll say something they don't mean, or something rather unkind to someone and then the other will respond in a similar manner. And then this continues on and on between them.

It's confusing; sometimes I don't know if they're being sincere in what they're saying or not. I try and keep myself to myself and work quietly with my hands, but even overhearing this kind of talk troubles me.

But it's a good reminder that I also need to be careful about what I say and think too.