How can we resist joining mockery?
What practical steps can we take to avoid joining in mockery?

Root in the Text

“Like godless jesters at a feast, they gnashed at me with their teeth.” (Psalm 35:16)


Heart Check: Recognize Mockery for What It Is

• Mockery is not harmless humor; Scripture calls its perpetrators “godless.”

Proverbs 14:9 reminds us, “Fools mock at making amends for sin.” To participate is to side with folly, not wisdom.

• Start by asking the Holy Spirit to sensitize your conscience so you spot ridicule the moment it forms on your lips or takes root in your heart.


Guard Your Speech

Ephesians 4:29: “Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up.”

• Before speaking, run words through this filter: Will this edify? Will it give grace? If not, stay silent.

• Practice a deliberate pause—a two-second breath—before commenting in conversations or online threads.


Choose Your Company Wisely

Psalm 1:1 warns against sitting “in the seat of mockers.”

• Regularly evaluate friendships, podcasts, and social feeds. If sarcasm and belittling dominate, limit exposure or lovingly challenge the tone.

Proverbs 13:20: “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”


Fill Your Mouth with Blessing

Romans 12:14: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”

• Replace the impulse to sneer with spoken encouragement—thank-you notes, texts of appreciation, simple affirmations.

• Cultivate a habit of praising others publicly and correcting privately (Matthew 18:15).


Practice Active Compassion

• Mockery thrives on distance; compassion grows through proximity.

• Step toward the person others ridicule—listen, serve, pray for their good (Luke 10:33-35).

• When empathy rises, derision fades.


Seek Accountability

• Invite a trusted believer to flag any sarcastic or cutting remarks you make (James 5:16).

• Memorize key verses together—Proverbs 15:1; James 1:19—and remind each other when conversation veers off-course.


Let Christ Be Your Example

1 Peter 2:23: “When He was reviled, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats.”

• Follow His pattern: endure mockery without mirroring it, entrusting yourself “to Him who judges justly.”

• Pray for the maturity to absorb scorn and respond with truth and love, reflecting the Savior who “committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22)

How should Christians respond to being mocked, based on Psalm 35:16?
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