Not only did the sense of humor in Jesus enable him to unmask pretentious
hypocrites, but also to expose the absurdities that the multitudes
commonly practiced in the name of religion.
There are those, for example, who in prayer use "vain repetitions,"
thinking that they shall be heard for their "much speaking." They
estimate the efficacy of prayer by its quantity and not by its quality.
They think that if they only keep at it long enough, if they only use
multitudes of words, they will surely attract attention on high.
There are others who think that religion consists in the "washing of pots
and cups and such like things" and they "lay aside the commandment of
God." One of their representatives in modern literature is Dolly Winthrop,
who tells Silas Marner about the letters "I.H.S." pricked upon the
Christmas cakes: "I can't read 'em myself, and there's nobody, not Mr.
Macey himself, rightly knows what they mean; but they've a good meaning,
for they're the same as is on the pulpit-cloth at Church; an' if there's
any good, we've need of it in this world."
It is curious how the superstition of externalism has affected many, even
noble minds. Dr. Johnson once said of John Campbell, a political and
philosophical writer, "Campbell is a good man, a pious man; I'm afraid he
has not been inside of a church for a good many years, but he never passes
a church without pulling off his hat. This shows he has good principles."