I have been told that sarcasm is the lowest form of humor. I’ll admit that I’ve been accused of being sarcastic. Occasionally, I wonder whether those who say such things are right. Maybe a believer shouldn’t be sarcastic. Is sarcasm sinful? 

It cannot be. The Bible is full of sarcasm. 

One of my favorite well-known sarcastic passages is Isa 44:9-20. The prophet makes fun of those who worship idols. He depicts the irrationality of cutting down a tree then using half of it to cook a meal and the other half to make a god. The idolater then bows down to what he used for fuel. Half of his god was ashes at his feet. The “god” he makes cannot see, hear, or deliver him from trouble. Who would call out to a piece of wood to save him from his enemies? 

We might accuse Isaiah of being sarcastic and unfeeling. But the targets of his sarcasm deserved it. 

I recently found a less known but similarly sarcastic passage. In Judg 17:1-13, a man by the name of Micah stole some silver from his mother. She placed a curse on the thief, not knowing it was her son. When he learned of the curse, he returned the silver. The mother then took part of the silver and made an idol. 

Micah was feeling very virtuous, so he built a shrine for the idol in his home. He didn’t want his idol to feel lonely, so he made some other idols to keep it company. It was a real circus of idols. (I told you I was sarcastic.) 

Micah didn’t stop there. Such a collection of gods deserved the appropriate amount of attention. Micah hired a Levite—such an honorable title!—to provide the respect his idols deserved. Because of his great effort, Micah was sure that God would “be good” to him (Judg 17:13). 

But the Lord wasn’t. Eventually, men from another tribe in Israel came and took Micah’s Levite and stole his idols. When Micah discovered the theft, they were returning to their own territory. He went after them to recover his gods. This is what he said: 

“You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. Now, what more do I have?” (Judg 18:24)

Anyone who reads these words can hear the whine in his voice. It is easy to see how insane his actions were. He tells the thieves that they have taken away his gods that he had made with his own hands!  

The thieves told Micah to shut up and go back home. They were too powerful for Micah to resist, and Micah’s gods sure weren’t going to do anything about the situation. Micah slinked back home empty-handed.  

How pathetic was this man? He is a living example of Isaiah’s words. He had a house full of gods that could not hear or help. I’m sure he called out to them. They were supposed to protect him. But they were on their way to a new home. Now, he had nothing left. He deserved any sarcastic scorn anybody might throw his way. Instead of making an idol with the silver, his mother would have been much better off spending it on a fancy dinner and night out on the town.  Most of us do not encounter people who make idols out of wood or silver. But many place their trust for their long-term security in the works of their hands—the stock market or maintaining a healthy body, for example. Do they not see that such things will eventually fail them? 

Others read or hear passages from the Gospel of John, which speak of Christ’s offer of eternal life, but they are unwilling to consider the evidence—the signs He did and His teachings that explain those signs. Since they are unwilling to consider that evidence, they do not believe in Him for the life He will give to anyone who believes. They will attempt to find their ultimate purpose in money, health, or other aspects of life. 

They may not refer to such things as their gods. But they are just as pathetic as Micah and the people Isaiah describes. They will be left with nothing. We can feel sorry and pray for them. But sometimes, sarcasm would be appropriate as well. At least Isaiah and the author of Judges thought so.