Wit and Humor of the Bible Part 10

_Paul and his Detractors._

Perhaps none of the great characters of New Testament times were so beset by foes of all kinds as was Paul. He has himself a.s.sured us that he was often in perils from his own countrymen, and in perils from false brethren. He was denounced by priests and scribes, and opposed by upstarts in the very churches he had founded. In replying to arguments and meeting objections he sometimes showed his mastery of more than one form of wit,--although the form he most frequently used was irony.

By many his preaching was characterized as "foolishness." There was nothing in it to commend it to the Jews who "required a sign," or to the Greeks, "who sought after wisdom." "Very well," is his reply, "foolish it may be, but after all it has accomplished more than either Jew or Greek has been able to do for the world. 'Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not G.o.d made foolish the wisdom of this world?' What has it achieved? Where are its monuments? 'For after that the world by wisdom knew not G.o.d, it pleased G.o.d by the foolishness of (just such) preaching (as mine) to save them that believe.'

This foolishness has lifted men from vile and sinful lives into righteousness and honor. Have your own way about it, O Greeks and Jews; I will be accounted a fool if you will, and am willing to let my words be stigmatized as folly; but you will find that 'G.o.d hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; G.o.d hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty; and base things of the world, and things that are despised hath G.o.d chosen; yea, and things that are not, to bring to nought things that are.' I accept the low estimate you put upon me and my work, but I triumph over you and your work, however exalted. Results shall determine. This is glorious folly!"

In writing to the Corinthians, he says of certain members of the church who thought that in spiritual things they were superior to himself, "Now some are puffed up, as though I would not come to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know, _not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power_."

To those thus puffed up, he addresses himself in the following ironical strain: "Now ye are full, now ye are rich; ye have reigned as kings without us; and I would that ye did reign, that we also might reign with you. For I think that G.o.d has set forth us the apostles last. * * * We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised."

He denounces certain teachers who were sowing the seeds of discord among his churches, as "false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works." Such teachers as these p.r.o.nounced Paul a fool and did everything to bring his work into contempt. "Very good,"

says Paul to the Corinthians, "receive me then as a fool," and then proceeding, with his favorite irony, "For ye suffer fools gladly, _seeing ye yourselves are wise_!"

How scathing is his rebuke to those who misrepresented his doctrine: "We be slanderously reported, and some affirm that we say, Let us do evil that good may come!--whose condemnation is just." This is his only answer to evil tongues.

It is conceded by the best authorities that Paul did not write the Epistle to the Hebrews, but there is a pa.s.sage in that letter not unlike him,--the rebuke to those who ought to be strong, manly and intelligent Christians, but who have not yet gotten out of their swaddling clothes: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of G.o.d; and are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is but a babe. But _strong meat belongeth to those that are of full age_, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."

Similar to this is Paul's treatment of the Corinthians when they were divided in their allegiance, some claiming to belong to one teacher and some to another. First Paul himself had been there and taught among them in that broad and liberal spirit which always characterized him. He made very little of forms and ceremonies, and very much of charity and brotherhood. Then came Peter who was always more narrow than Paul, but very intense. Paul was a broad river, Peter a mountain torrent. Peter never completely freed himself from the bondage of the Jewish system, and he insisted upon some of the things that Paul discarded. Soon a party was formed. Some thought, no doubt, that Paul was too far away from the Jewish creed, that he was not strict enough, that it was perhaps safer to take Peter as a guide; so while some said, "I am of Paul," others said, "I am of Cephas." Then came Apollos who is described as being "very eloquent."

When he stood up to speak, many said, "He beats both Paul and Peter; I am of Apollos." So there were "envyings and strifes and divisions." Paul ridicules the Corinthians for these childish quarrels, and says that he must still speak to them as to "babes." "I have fed you with milk and not with meat; for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, _neither yet now are ye able_!"

_Examples from other Apostles._

The epistle of James that has furnished ill.u.s.trations for some of the preceding chapters, shall yield one for this, in its notice of a grave abuse that existed in the early churches, and that has not entirely died out of modern churches.

"My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, in respect of persons. For if there come into your a.s.sembly, a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place (Take this high-priced and fas.h.i.+onable pew, where you can listen to the gospel in luxurious ease, and at the same time dazzle the eyes of those in neighboring pews with the latest fas.h.i.+ons), but say to the poor, Stand thou here, or sit here under my foot-stool (or go up in the gallery), are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?"

Peter silences certain ones who complained of persecution, by saying, "If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye (that is nothing to complain of), but let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as a busy-body in other men's matters (if any one of you suffers in such a character, he deserves the lash)." In either case, there is nothing to justify your outcry.

He also denounces certain ones who have forsaken the right way and gone astray as "wells without water, clouds without rain that are carried of a tempest." They "speak great swelling words of vanity, promising liberty while they are themselves the slaves of corruption." And then he fastens the reproach of their apostasy upon them with what Falstaff would call a "most unsavory simile,"--"It is happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again, and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." Such are those who turn back to error from the paths of truth.

In much the same strain does Jude write to the same cla.s.s: "These are spots in your feasts of charity; clouds without water, carried about of the winds; trees whose fruit withereth without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever!"

John wrote to the Laodiceans: "I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot; so then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked!"

The Laodiceans needed the familiar prayer of Burns:

"O wad some power the giftie gie us, To see oursel's as ithers see us; It would frae mony a blunder free us, And foolish notion!"

They needed a look into the gla.s.s of Lao, which revealed the blemishes of the soul, how fair soever the exterior.

_Christ's Use of Invective._

Even more severe than his apostles in his use of denunciation, was the Great Master himself. In his controversies with the recognized religious leaders of his day, he heaped coals of fire upon their claims and teachings and practices.

"Ye leave the commandment of G.o.d and hold fast to the tradition of men,"

he says to the Scribes and Pharisees; and then adds, with terrible irony, "Full well ye reject the commandment of G.o.d, that ye may keep your tradition." Surely, when the commandments of G.o.d were placed side by side with rabbinical glosses, they were in an extremely cruel position!

No pa.s.sage of invective, in any literature, is more crus.h.i.+ng than this: "Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye compa.s.s sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him two-fold more the child of h.e.l.l than yourselves. * * * Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers; therefore ye shall receive the greater d.a.m.nation. * * * Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess. Blind Pharisees! cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also! Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers which, indeed, appear beautiful outward, but within are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. * * * Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, for ye are as graves which appear not, and men walk over them and are not aware of them."

But not only the leaders, but the people also, fall under his lash. "The men of Nineveh shall rise up in judgment with this generation and shall condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and behold a greater than Jonas is here. The queen of the South shall rise up in the judgment with this generation and shall condemn it; for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold a greater than Solomon is here! When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return to my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.

Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation!"

Upon another occasion, he upbraided the cities in which he had wrought and preached. "Woe unto thee, Chorazin; woe unto thee Bethsaida; for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to h.e.l.l!"

Does it seem strange that such language should have come from the lips of Jesus? Should we not rather have expected it from the stern Baptist, his forerunner, who denounced the "brood of vipers" that came to his baptism?

Is it inconsistent with that spirit of love which we believe to have been the distinguis.h.i.+ng characteristic of Christ? But love is not mere invertebral amiability or moon-faced complacency. By as much as love is strong and true, by so much does it seek, at any cost and by any means, to remove the faults and follies of its object. If the lash be needed, the lash it will take. "He who has never experienced the affectionate bitterness of love," says F. W. Robertson, "who has never known how _earnest_ irony and pa.s.sionate sarcasm may be the very language of love in its deepest, saddest moods is utterly incapable of even judging this pa.s.sion!"

Here the writer's task ends. The subject may be capable of much more elaborate treatment; it would be claiming too much to suppose that these chapters exhaust it. The writer trusts, however, that he may have suggested a line of study to others, as it was first suggested to him. The poetry, the dramatic portions, the oratory of the Scriptures, are unsurpa.s.sed. Viewed simply as a literary work, the Bible is the most interesting in the whole realm of letters. It becomes increasingly interesting, as its great human elements are recognized. Over history, biography, and most serious discourse, play the soft gleams of healthful humor and the lightning-like bolts of sarcasm and wit. The book touches human nature at all points. The more we view it as "literature," the less as "dogma," the firmer will become its hold upon the heart of man.

That these fragmentary studies may help some one to appreciate his Bible better and enjoy it more, is the writer's wish. He may also express, in closing, the hope that whoever has taken the trouble to read these pages may have found them free from that which he disclaimed at the outset--irreverence; as he believes them to be free from the other extreme, superst.i.tion.