It Means To Tear The Flesh

Mike Hosey, Elder

An ugly sin born deep in my past sometimes resurrects itself in my present. When it does, it rears an ugly head! This transgression hurts not only me, but those around me.

That transgression is a sinful kind of sarcasm.  Many people don't think of most sarcasm as sinful, and so they use it with abandon, not considering if what they are using is a good or bad kind of sarcasm. In fact, sarcasm is so pervasive in our society that you can't watch any single modern T.V. comedy and not see it employed by a host of characters.  

The term "sarcasm" comes from the Greek word, Sarkazein, which literally means "to strip off or tear the flesh." In modern English, sarcasm is a cutting remark  that uses words opposite of what one really wants to say in order to insult someone or show irritation. It is meant to produce pain. Notice the word "cutting" in that definition and how it relates to sarkazein.

The Bible has a lot to say about it. Proverbs 18:21, for instance, tells us that the tongue has the power of life and death.  Death comes from the tongue that practices sarcasm. And Proverbs 26:18-19 suggests that the one who employs it after he deceives his neighbor when he says, "I am only joking," is like an insane man who throws arrows and firebrands at people. It is no wonder that relationships which consistently practice sarcasm are full of pain and misery. Think about that the next time you use it against your spouse, child, parent, friend, or Christian brothers and sisters.

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:29 that our tongue should be used to build others up and give them grace, not to cut them down. Relationships which use edifying language and employ grace (which means undeserved favor) are generally healthier and much less painful than those which use sarcasm.

One might ask, "isn't sarcasm all through the Bible?"  The answer is an absolute yes. But usually the Bible neither condemns it, nor condones it. Rather, it simply reports it. And often what is mistaken for bad sarcasm is really a form of satire. 

The difference is that the intent of satire is to illustrate a point with irony and exaggeration, and not to cause unnecessary, intentional pain.

So the next time you feel a bit sarcastic, ask yourself if what you are about to say is really intended to cut the person, or to build them up. If it's not to build them up, and if it likely will cause only harm, then hold your tongue.