the bible can be funny?

The Bible can be funny. If you are one who thinks that the Word of God is stiff, boring, and forever serious, you are not reading what I am reading. I’ll give you an example that I was thinking about the other day…

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”


So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. – John 20:1-6 (NIV)

Here’s the humor in this…

The book of John is written by John the disciple. In his gospel, John remains “humble” by never mentioning himself by name (even though he is the second most mentioned disciple in the other gospels). Throughout his gospel, John refers to himself as “the disciple who Jesus loved.”

So when John is writing about the all-out 100 yard dash between Peter and an unnamed disciple (who Jesus loved) to see Jesus’ empty tomb, he is talking about Peter and himself. Apparently John was a runner or Peter was really slow, which he liked reminding people of that. He mentioned not once but twice that he was faster than Peter. He said first that “the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.” Then to rub it a little more, a sentence later says “Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb.” Apparently Peter was no Usain Bolt.

Basically John was saying in his “humble” way, “Who’s your daddy, Peter?!?”

See…the Bible can be funny.