In my human development class I start my lectures talking about prenatal development and end the semester talking about nursing homes and hospice care. I am sure to point out to my young students that they can be very smart and well informed but they are not yet wise. You have to be old before wisdom arrives. So one of my students put up his hand and said, “Tell us something wise.” After the laughter I said, “If you like to tell funny stories about people be sure you are a member of that group. Then you have the privilege. White people should not tell black jokes. Gentiles should not tell Jewish jokes. As for me, I can tell old short bald guy jokes.” Recently I heard someone make a crack about people with doctorates. I tell lots of them. But this person did not have the right. His attempt at humor made him look envious.
We, according to Paul, are saints. His first letter to the church at Corinth was addressed to the saints. If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life you qualify and with membership comes the right to tell jokes about saints.
Just think of the joy and privileges that come with membership in the greatest group that will ever be assembled. In Revelation 7:9 it says our group will be so big it will be numberless. How grand. After I am done crying because of the joy, I want to spend the next hundred years laughing.
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 16, 2014
Spring of Life, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org