The Ten-Day Word FastНамуна

Sarcasm

When you listen to a person speak, you almost immediately know their country of origin. Our words reveal which kingdom we live in – the world or Christ’s kingdom. What are the words of His language and kingdom? Compassionate words, kind words, encouraging words, and words of praise and worship—this is the vocabulary of heaven.

In the kingdom of heaven there will be no negative words, no critical or hurtful words like sarcasm. Our Lord has come to give us freedom from the negative words that tie us to the past and this world.

Here is the danger of sarcasm. It is perpetuated in those who hear the words. And if it couldn’t get worse, our children emulate the sarcastic exchanges that have come to be the most popular vehicle for humor. The more gross and vulgar the sarcasm of the world, the more wildly it is applauded and imitated by many young people. Sarcastic bantering has become a staple with our teens.

Because sarcasm is so widely accepted, many have become desensitized to its rudeness and offense. It is accepted as normal; it’s just another form of humor. Well, it’s not just another form of humor, and it brings dishonor to the name of Christ for those who follow Him to use it. We are called to edify, not tear down.

I had a teacher at a Christian school who said scarcasm instead of sarcasm. She saw and understood the emotional wounding that sarcasm produces. If sarcasm is so wounding, why is it employed by so many? I believe Christians who use sarcasm do not understand who they are in Christ. They have a poor self-image, are insecure, or live with a victim mentality and get their need for power by demeaning others. If we walked in the fullness of who we are in Christ, there would be a freedom in our lives that would obliterate the need to put others down and promote ourselves.

As we embrace fasting sarcastic words, we will starve these negative words into oblivion, and there will be no fertile soil in our life for them. We will create a spiritual immune system that is strong and vibrant and that insulates us from the negative words of the world. We will be on guard, always vigilant to hear God’s words of instruction and direction about every situation that challenges us to trust Him more.