Does anyone else just get a kick out of some parts of the Bible?

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Tis_Bearself

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I’m putting this here instead of under Apologetics/ Sacred Scripture because it’s not really an Apologetics topic.

I was wondering if anybody else just really enjoys or chuckles at some parts of the Bible. Obviously not the super serious parts where Jesus is dying for our sins or handing down some deep teaching, but more the “human interest” stuff.

Here are some of my favorite Biblical moments:
  • The whole story of Judith. How could one guy (Holofernes) be so dumb and full of himself that neither he nor, apparently, anybody on his staff thought this gorgeous lady who just showed up out of the blue might be “up to something”?
  • Esther 6 where Haman thinks the king wants to reward him and lays out this whole grand plan of what he thinks would be awesome, riding around in the king’s robe on the king’s horse with somebody announcing his praises, and then the king says, “That’s great, go do exactly that for Mordecai” whom Haman hates. Can you just picture Haman’s face?
  • John 1:45-46 where Philip goes to Nathaniel (Bartholomew) and says, hey we found the one the Prophets talked about, Jesus from Nazareth, and Nathaniel who’s laying under a fig tree says, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” That makes me laugh every time because I’m picturing myself substituting in the name of some city I think is just totally backwards or a dump and saying the same.
  • Luke 9:46 and various other passages where the apostles start arguing about who among them is the greatest. If that doesn’t sound like a bunch of bros I don’t know what does. Same for the pushy mom of James and John asking Jesus to promise that her kids will sit on his right and left hand. You can totally see a mom doing this.
  • 1 Samuel 1 where the priest sees Hannah praying and thinks she is drunk (it was right after dinner so I figure she probably also had wine on her breath) and he basically says “go home, you’re drunk”. One wonders if having to shoo drunk people out of the temple was a regular part of his job.
Anybody else have favorite Bible moments like this?
 
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I do at times. I do an adoration hour weekly and often spend part of the time just reading the bible. Not in a bible study way, but just opening it and reading whatever.
 
I read reverently when I do read, but there are just so many parts of the Bible that reflect human nature or seem so true to life it could be yesterday and not 2000 years ago. Certain preachers like Gayle D. Erwin (my favorite Protestant Bible preacher) really highlight that. I remember being stuck in traffic in DC trying to get to a Mass at the National Shrine and Erwin was on the car radio talking about the part of the Gospel where some guy is casting out demons in Jesus’ name and the Apostles are suggesting he be burnt because he’s not one of them. Erwin described this in a way that was really true and really funny, pointing out how Jesus must have totally rolled his eyes at the Apostles and so forth. I was laughing in the car.
 
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Acts 12:12. Peter (who was thought to be dead) knocks on a door. A girl opens it, sees it’s Peter. Runs off excitedly to tell the others. Peter, meanwhile, is still knocking to get in.
 
Yeah, there are some parts that are kind of humorous. 🙂 There are more parts that are humorous after a bible study with our Monsignor. Sometimes there is more humor that is subtle and that most of us don’t pick up on unless we understand the cultural context.

For example, the whole story about the people lowering a man from the roof to hear Jesus is pretty funny when you think about it. The Bible doesn’t specifically say this, but scholars believe that house was Peter’s. Additionally, based on what scholars know about home construction back then, the people most likely damaged Peter’s roof when lowering the man! So sometimes, what the Bible doesn’t say that is pretty humorous too… i.e. Peter looks at his roof afterwards, gets ticked off; and Jesus’ telling him “Peter, it’s’ all good!” 😁
 
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Yeah, I wonder if the Son of Man having nowhere to lay his head was because after a few situations like the roof business, people were afraid to have Jesus in their house because of the crowds.
 
Definitely, every time I read about Jacob or David for example, I can’t help but think, “He scandalous!”
 
I’ll admit I’m terrible at reading the Bible. I’ve switched to the Jerusalem Bible. I’ve read it’s not as good a translation, but it’s more readable to me; and I really struggle with reading the Bible.

That said… some favorite parts:

The Centurion who had his servant healed. I love that. You get the idea he’s a hard headed pragmatist of faith. ‘Of course he can command healing. I command lots of things…’

I also love Paul when he reveals he’s a Roman citizen. “Oh, while you’re getting ready to beat me, may I remind you it would basically be a death sentence to you?”

I also love Paul comforting the jailer, telling him that despite the earth quake he is still there.

These are apart from the Gospels. I do love the story of Jesus, even if I struggle with the writing sometimes.
 
Judges 3 when the king is stabbed and the stab wound is so deep that the fat closes around the sword. Worthy of Tarentino!!
 
Oh yeah, he’s so fat that the fat just swallows up the knife. Can you imagine that in a society where people were literally starving in the streets.
 
Balaam and the donkey story in Numbers 22. Not sure if that is supposed to be taken as literal. Always thought it was kind of amusing.
 
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Tis_Bearself said:
Esther 6 where Haman thinks the king wants to reward him and lays out this whole grand plan of what he thinks would be awesome, riding around in the king’s robe on the king’s horse with somebody announcing his praises, and then the king says, “That’s great, go do exactly that for Mordecai” whom Haman hates. Can you just picture Haman’s face?
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Yes, I love this one!. 😄

Another passage that makes me smile is Job’s obvious sarcasm to his friends after they have finished their long-winded opinions on his suffering: “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you." (Job 12:2)
 
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Speaking as a bald guy, I remember my parish Priest, who is also bald, concluded God too must be bald based upon the following statement:

From there Elisha went up to Bethel. While he was on the way, some little boys came out of the city and jeered at him: “Go away, baldy; go away, baldy!”

The prophet turned and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the children to pieces.

2 Kings 2:23-24
 
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Probably because it has the three-letter word for a donkey in it that Discourse thinks is being used in its vulgar sense to mean posterior.
 
Of course I do. God has a sense of humour (which is fitting, since he made us in his image). One of my favourites is Acts 2:15 (Go look it up)
 
Most of these passages get even better with the King James-era wording:
“and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.”
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“Thou bald head” 😄
 
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adamhovey1988 said:
Of course I do. God has a sense of humour (which is fitting, since he made us in his image). One of my favourites is Acts 2:15 (Go look it up)
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One of my favourites too - makes you wonder what they got up to in the afternoons! 🙂

I also like the angels appearing to the shepherds after Jesus was born - almost like they were so excited they had to tell somebody, and the only ones up st that time of night were the shepherds 🙂
 
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Then there is Jesus’ typically teenage response when lost and then found in the Temple - 'why were you worried? ’ You can almost see the eyeroll.
 
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