Jokes about the Wife Being the Neck in Church

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

Occasionally, in church, I've heard jokes about the man being the head... which the Bible says, but the woman being the neck and directing him wherever she wants. I also have heard jokes about how the couple doesn't argue... he just does whatever she says, in church.

These are meant as jokes. I like good jokes and don't want to be the killjoy, the old fuddy duddy that throws a wet blanket on everyone's fun. But some humor is not edifying. Some jokes aren't good. The kind of joke where you lie to people is one of them:

Proverbs 26:18
18 Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death
19 is one who deceives their neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

I would argue that jokes that promote bad doctrine, and especially jokes that depict God in an unfavorable light or that diminish his power and other attributes are unacceptable.

When it comes to these marriage jokes, I can think of several reasons not to engage in them.

1. We live in a culture that does not embrace the Biblical values regarding a wife submitting to her husband. Many people do not take them seriously, and joking about them reinforces this.
2. A controlling wife may consider repentance not to be an urgent matter if others joke about it.
3. Some people in the audience are knew and do not know Biblical doctrine. They may think the wife being the neck quote is actually Biblical doctrine. Do not underestimate the ignorance of the crowd.

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

I meant jokes spoken in church about the wife being the 'neck' in marriage.

Lucy-Pevensie · Aug 16, 2020

It is just a joke. God made us with a sense of humour because he has a sense of humour.
You're being over-analytical & taking this neck joke too seriously. No one with any sense would connect it to doctrine.

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

Lucy-Pevensie said:

There are people who go to church who absorb the thinking of this world through going to school, watching TV and movies, and listening to the people around them. They may know little to nothing of the Bible. A pastor at a church I attended previousliy was raised Jewish. He went to get an Easter card for someone and was looking for something with a nice bunny on it. He saw a picture of Jesus coming out of the grave and wondered why they would put that in the middle of the Easter cards. He didn't know Easter was supposed to have anything to do with the resurrection of Christ.

If people aren't taught and don't read it for themselves, they may not realize wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. If they hear it and hear the whole topic treated as a joke, never taught seriously, that may discourage those who have heard about such things from taking it seriously.

Your attitude about jokes as expressed in your post is probably at the root of the problem I am addressing. The Bible says that deacons must be 'grave.' I'm probably not grave enough myself. But taking serious things seriously is an important quality of those who serve the church that all of us should cultivate.

By the way, can you think of any scripture that talks about Jesus or the Father having a great sense of humor, telling jokes? There is one passage I can think of about God laughing in Psalm 37. But He is not laughing about holy things. He laughs at the wicked because He sees His day is coming. In the Talmud, someone attributed a clever comment to Jesus of Nazareth which implied that the high priest was a whore-- a story told as a joke. But this is not something from the Bible.

I am not against jokes per se, or cleverness while teaching scripture. But if the joke is counter-productive, encourating people to make light of truths of scripture or jokes that work against Christian doctrine (e.g. a joke implying God cannot understand women and would choose to build a bridge from Hawaii to California rather than explain the mystery to a man) then I believe we should avoid those types of jokes.

Lucy-Pevensie · Aug 16, 2020

It's Sunday, take the day off and have a laugh.

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

Lucy-Pevensie said:

A lot of megachurches look like night clubs. They could replace Bible teaching and mutual edification with Christian themed stand-up comedy. That would get a lot of laughs. Do you think that is a good idea?

Scribe · Aug 16, 2020

Personally I don't like jokes in the pulpit at all. Many homiletic books teach about the value of warming of the audience with jokes but I disagree. I am an audience. And whenever I hear a preacher start with a joke I know that it is just going to be another polished 3 point sermon with no power of the Holy Spirit, no word from the prophet, no vision from on high. I know that I am not the only one that reacts to jokes that way.

Some of my favorite preachers were known for not joking. They came to the pulpit and within 5 to 10 seconds after they opened their mouth chills ran down your spine and you realized they had been in the presence of God and were speaking as a mouth piece for the Almighty and you would do well to pay close attention to every word because they were probably not going to say things twice and they didn't. Rich content full of the power of the Holy Spirit and exegesis that sticks with you the rest of your life. When they are done you know you have just had a demonstration of the Spirit empowered word and it has a weightiness and soberness about it. Jokes would distract from the seriousness.

So it is not only jokes about wives but all levity that distracts from a serious word from God. I do not stop listening entirely to them if they do joke, and if it is a funny joke I will probably laugh, but it is rarely a memorable message when the preacher jokes. The jokes are usually the only thing I can remember about the messages.

That is my opinion about jokes in the pulpit and now I am done.

notuptome · Aug 16, 2020

Out of the mouth come the issues of the heart.

If one expects to be taken seriously they must demonstrate a level of Spiritual gravity regarding biblical passages. God has a sense of humor and made men with a sense of humor but humor is not a substitute for honor and respect for the word of God.

Do not handle the word of God deceitfully.

For the cause of Christ
Roger

Lucy-Pevensie · Aug 16, 2020

presidente said:

Strawman

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

Lucy-Pevensie said:

How is that a strawman? I didn't say you suggested having stand-up comedians in church.

Truth7t7 · Aug 16, 2020

presidente said:

There are people who go to church who absorb the thinking of this world through going to school, watching TV and movies, and listening to the people around them. They may know little to nothing of the Bible. A pastor at a church I attended previousliy was raised Jewish. He went to get an Easter card for someone and was looking for something with a nice bunny on it. He saw a picture of Jesus coming out of the grave and wondered why they would put that in the middle of the Easter cards. He didn't know Easter was supposed to have anything to do with the resurrection of Christ.

If people aren't taught and don't read it for themselves, they may not realize wives are supposed to submit to their husbands. If they hear it and hear the whole topic treated as a joke, never taught seriously, that may discourage those who have heard about such things from taking it seriously.

Your attitude about jokes as expressed in your post is probably at the root of the problem I am addressing. The Bible says that deacons must be 'grave.' I'm probably not grave enough myself. But taking serious things seriously is an important quality of those who serve the church that all of us should cultivate.

By the way, can you think of any scripture that talks about Jesus or the Father having a great sense of humor, telling jokes? There is one passage I can think of about God laughing in Psalm 37. But He is not laughing about holy things. He laughs at the wicked because He sees His day is coming. In the Talmud, someone attributed a clever comment to Jesus of Nazareth which implied that the high priest was a whore-- a story told as a joke. But this is not something from the Bible.

I am not against jokes per se, or cleverness while teaching scripture. But if the joke is counter-productive, encourating people to make light of truths of scripture or jokes that work against Christian doctrine (e.g. a joke implying God cannot understand women and would choose to build a bridge from Hawaii to California rather than explain the mystery to a man) then I believe we should avoid those types of jokes.

A couple things in your post brought my attention?

1.) Easter Card?

Easter is a pagan holiday, in worshipping the fertility rites, that follows the full moon after the Vernal Equinox, 100% Pagan

You can't take paganism and put a Christian tag on it, and put the name of Jesus Christ in the resurrection, and now you have a valid form of worship, it's 100% (A Lie)

2.) Talmud?

The Talmud is a very (Evil) book, it was written by unsaved, Christian hating, Jewish Rabbis.

This book contains such filth as (Jesus Was Boiled In Human Feces) just to mention one, there are (Several) others, I'll spare you.

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

Truth7t7 said:

I am aware that the evidence we have is that Easter is named after a month which was likely named after a Celtic or Germanic false deity. But I am not arguing in favor of the name for the holiday. Throughout Europe in other languages, the name for the Holiday is typically along the lines of 'Paskah' derived from Pesach.

None of that was the point. The point is that this man did not know about the tradition of celebrating the resurrection of Christ around that time of year. He thought it was a holiday related to bunnies and Easter eggs.

I did not endorse the Talmud either. The only reference I know of Jesus telling a joke accused Jesus of calling the high priest of Israel a whore, quoting some verse in the Old Testament to do it. The Talmud is not friendly to Jesus, and that is part of the point. The Bible does not depict Jesus doing stand-up comedy.

Truth7t7 · Aug 16, 2020

presidente said:

It flew right over your head, without a blink

The Jewish Pastor was 100% correct, Easter/Paska has absolutely nothing to do with (Jesus Christ) it's a pagan rite of spring fertility, 100% pagan

Show me in the Holy Bible where the Christian is instructed to follow the Full Moon After the Vernal Equinox, and a Sunday following this, in remembrance of the resurrection?

(You Can't) because its a pagan tradition brought into the church, with a tag hung on it (Jesus Resurrection) 100% A Lie

Once again, the Jewish Pastor was correct, Easter Bunnies and Eggs, symbols of fertility, the pagans win this one.

Many churches in the past 20-30 years have tried to christianize the witches new year Samhain/Halloween, calling this day (Harvest Festival) just another example of the last days apostasy.

Duskey · Aug 16, 2020

When preaching I prefer invoking amens rather than laughter. But that’s just me.

presidente · Aug 16, 2020

Truth7t7 said:

It is unlikely that you were there. His point in bringing this up was that he had so little understanding about the Christian faith that he did not know that Christians celebrated the resurrection at that time.

I did not say that they should. Maybe you should find someone to argue with who holds to the positions you oppose.

presidente · Aug 18, 2020

Am I the only one who has heard the 'neck' joke in church?

I wouldn't mind if someone told that joke, then went on to explain it is not a laughing matter, that scripture should be taken seriously, etc. Has anyone else seen the topic taken lightly in church?

tourist · Aug 18, 2020

presidente said:

The church I attended once had a Saturday night comedy club. I certainly don't condone replacing Bible teaching with comedy but do believe that there is nothing wrong with injecting in a little humor now and then. I didn't think that the neck joke was funny though because it demeans the wife. In some marriages the wife is the head and the husband is the feet and she will tell him where he needs to go. That's not meant as a joke but there is an element of truth in that sentiment.

Lanolin · Aug 18, 2020

maybe its a baptist fundamentalist thing? The churches who are so fiercely independent that they dont like all the other churches who arent as singular as they are so that they make jokes about them?

I dont know.

The one tired joke Ive heard a few times is going to church to make a christian is like going to mcdonalds to make a hamburger. Or something like that. I dont know, those jokes seem to fly over my head. Or neck.

I would be like what. I dont get it, its not in my Bible.
I like those witty church signs though. They are the best.

what is missing from ch ch? ur

tourist · Aug 18, 2020

Lanolin said:

maybe its a baptist fundamentalist thing? The churches who are so fiercely independent that they dont like all the other churches who arent as singular as they are so that they make jokes about them?

I dont know.

The one tired joke Ive heard a few times is going to church to make a christian is like going to mcdonalds to make a hamburger. Or something like that. I dont know, those jokes seem to fly over my head. Or neck.

I would be like what. I dont get it, its not in my Bible.
I like those witty church signs though. They are the best.

...especially witty church signs with typo's.

Godsgirl83 · Aug 18, 2020

the neck joke, far as I know, comes from a well known chick flick comedy.
When the movie came out I was late teen/early 20's and heard it used in church.
I thought it sounded funny, even though I single at the time, and it always stuck in the back of my mind (though honestly I had forgot it until hubs and I watched the movie one night.)
We were both rolling.......
Me like this:

and hubs like:

There's a part to the joke (at least if it's the same one I am thinking of from this movie) that says "the neck can turn the head any way it wants"

Now people laugh at this because it makes it sound as though the woman controls everything. What isn't taught though, is that it isn't just a "I want my way so I'll whine and cry and manipulate my head to turn the way I want to" ..........
that is what people make it sound like and joke about, but that is not the way God intended it to be.

Remember, Eve was made to be a help meet (helper) for Adam. A supporter of/for him.
Man is the head, the leader.
Woman is suppose to be the helper/supporter of/for him.
What supports the head on a body? The neck.

Sadly, even among many churches and "christian" couples, this is not the case.
Many seem to live as though the head has no control and the neck does it all..............

Jokes about the Wife Being the Neck in Church

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