Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The joke is not about Jesus but about how a message gets garbled in the back rows, and about the confident listener who explains the garble away. 'Blessed are the cheesemakers' became a standing gag for any pious-sounding line that means nothing, and Gregory's explanation is the part that makes it Python.
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In context
Spoilers for Life of BrianShow the scene
At the Sermon on the Mount, Brian is among the crowd listening, but the people at the back cannot hear Jesus. A man mishears one of the Beatitudes: "I think it was 'Blessed are the cheesemakers'." Gregory's wife asks what is so special about the cheesemakers, and Gregory explains that it is not meant literally and refers to any manufacturer of dairy products. The scene has other mishearings too, such as the "Blessed are the Greek" shouted by a man played by Terry Gilliam.
Sources (2)
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (Wikiquote)Dialogue: Sermon on the Mount crowdReference checked
- Monty Python's Life of Brian (Wikipedia)Plot and CastReference checked
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