Conversations With Jesus
Many times when I am troubled or confused, I seek comfort in my hammock, sipping on a drink, conversing with Jesus. On one particular day, I found myself mired in self-doubt.
“Jesus,” I asked, “why do I work so hard?”
And I heard the reply: “Men find many ways to demonstrate the love they have for their family. You work hard to have a peaceful, beautiful place for your friends and family to gather.”
“I thought that money was the root of all evil,” I responded.
And the reply was: “No, the LOVE of money is the root of all evil. Money is a tool; it can be used for good or for bad”.
I was starting to feel better, but I still had a question bubbling up inside of me and could not resist prolonging the conversation, so I asked it. “Jesus,” I said, “what is the meaning of life? Why am I here?”
And Jesus replied: “That is a question many men ask. The answer is in your heart and is different for everyone.” Then Jesus paused before going on. “I would love to chat with you some more, Señor, but I must finish your lawn.”
(Ah, politically incorrect humor, the backbone of comedy since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, the Word Police have clamped down on much of the off-color humor we’ve come to know and love. I fear the day of a Rabbi, Priest and Politician walking into a bar together are soon to be over, the fun and frolic of figuring out how many midgets can fit in a phone booth have past.
And yet, is the above joke really offensive? After all, it only works when it is read, not when it is spoken aloud, and only because the Hispanic culture still uses the name and spelling “Jesus” when all other cultures have abandoned it. Is it offensive to say that a Hispanic would be doing lawn care? I think the numbers would bear out the exceptionally high possibility that this is more of a truth than a stereotype. Should Christians be offended? Oh wait, in America is perfectly okay to offend Christians, so that doesn’t matter anyway.
The point is, a joke can be a joke even if it plays upon cultural stereotypes or political taboos. Humor can be funny without the intention of being mean, and if the supposed spokesperson for an entire ethnic group expresses outrage, we don’t really have to cower in fear after all.)
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TheWriteJerry @ October 10, 2007
I almost vomited i laughed so hard. very nice.
Now that is some high praise indeed!
Stereotypical humor is a two edged sword. People will get blown grief for it. However, the backlash from it amplifies its humor. It will ALWAYS be here.
Well done! And this is coming from a practicing Christian. The tone was respectful and non-critical plus Jesus’ first 2 responses were reasonable so I stuck with it. I was quite concerned after the third answer (obviously not something biblical Jesus would say), but this only set me up for a hearty, relieved chuckle. I also enjoyed your commentary.
Landed here via StumbleUpon.
nice post. i am a fan of more posts
I hope to get back to regular posting soon. Things away from the computer have been very hectic.
AWESOME!
That was great. I’m going to share it with my hubby. He works with alot of Hispanic landscapers.