A group of Pharisees brings a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, ready to stone her.

Joke Poo: A Scrum Meeting

A group of Software Developers brings a bug-riddled piece of code to the Lead Developer, ready to push it to production.

The Lead Developer steps forward and calmly says:

—“Let whoever is without bugs in their code push the first commit.”

Everyone falls silent.
Suddenly… CLANG! A commit flies and breaks the build.

The Lead Developer looks up, surprised, and says:

—“…Bob, seriously, again?!”

Okay, let’s break down this joke:

Key Elements:

• Biblical Context: It’s a direct reference to the story of the woman caught in adultery in the Gospel of John (John 8:1-11). This pre-existing knowledge is crucial for the joke to land.
• Unexpected Twist: The setup leads us to expect a moral lesson about forgiveness and the universality of sin. The punchline subverts this expectation with humor.
• Character Inversion: Jesus, portrayed as wise and forgiving in the original story, is now embarrassed and exasperated.
• Stereotype/Exaggeration: The “Mom” character is used to exaggerate a stereotypical maternal behavior – being overly involved or critical of her children. The humor derives from applying this trope to the Son of God in a humorous way.
• Physical Comedy: The act of throwing the stone is inherently violent, creating a jarring contrast with the expected tone of the setting and story.

Analysis:

The joke works because it takes a serious, well-known religious story and inserts a modern, relatable family dynamic. The shock and humor come from the unexpected violation of the established biblical narrative. The addition of “Mom” is the comedic catalyst that triggers the punchline.

Now, let’s use these elements to create a new piece of humor:

New Humor: Witty Observation/Alternate Punchline

Instead of the original punchline, consider this observation/punchline combo, playing on the historical context and the nature of stone-throwing:

Setup (same as the original joke): A group of Pharisees brings a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, ready to stone her. Jesus steps forward and calmly says: “Let whoever is without sin cast the first stone.” Everyone falls silent. Suddenly… THUD! A stone flies and hits the woman on the head. Jesus looks up, surprised, and says:

Alternate Punchline/Observation: “Really, guys? With all the perfectly good basalt in Galilee, you had to use sedimentary limestone? It’s going to flake! And now it’s evidence! Think, people, think!”

Rationale:

• Biblical Context Continued: This punchline continues to draw on the historical context. The geography of Galilee (where the Bible says Jesus lived and preached) is characterized by certain types of stone.

• Practical Knowledge: It introduces the detail that different types of stones have different properties and are better suited for different uses.

• Twist on Forgiveness: The punchline implies forgiveness, but not out of moral superiority, but due to concern about what constitutes proper disposal of evidence, and the need to be cautious.

• Character Inversion Extended: Jesus is still portrayed as wise, but is now primarily concerned with the technical details of crime, as though he were a mob boss cleaning up after his henchmen.

This new humor aims to enhance the original by adding a layer of absurd, practical concern that contrasts amusingly with the situation’s gravity. The new punchline leans into the dark humor a bit more.