It is odd that humor, something that is so much a part of our lives today, is talked about so little in the Bible. There are some who have deduced from that fact and the awesome holiness of God that humor is somehow inappropriate in Kingdom work. Some have advocated that humor should not be a part of preaching, that it is somehow offensive to God and destructive to his glory.
But we live in a culture in which humor is ever-present: late-night talk shows, TV, movies, – it is everywhere. In fact, humor has become a moral value in America. I have heard a program or movie that is sexually explicit, vulgar, violent or profane defended by Christian people with the simple phrase, “But it is so funny”, as if the value of humor nullified any other moral issue.
What part should humor play in a Christian’s life? Is a preacher offending God’s holiness if he tells a joke in the pulpit? Are humorous observations inappropriate? What about teasing one other as we so often do? Are these things good? Are they bad? Is there some rubric by which we can cull out the bad and keep the good?
The Biblical Evidence
There is little in the Bible about humor. We know that God made us with a laughter mechanism and he called his creation good, so I hold out that there is a place for sanctified and sanctifying humor in a Christian’s life. Ecclesiates 3:4 tells us that just as there is a time to weep, there is also a time to laugh. But it gives us no hint as to how we can distinguish the two.
It is interesting that the vast majority or references to laughter in the Bible are negative. Laughter is seen as derisive, dismissive or belittling. To laugh at someone is to treat them contemptuously. In Psalm 2:4, God laughs derisively at the nations that rage against him – picturing that he is not threatened by them in any way.
In my observations of blogging, very often our humor is in line with this – meant to belittle or deride those with whom we disagree. In fact, Proverbs 26:18-19 chides those who do something evil and then claim they were only joking. It reminds me of the common blogging practice of saying something mean and hurtful and either tagging it as humor or attaching a smiley face to it – as if that ameliorates all the evil.
But there are a few places where laughter seems to be more positive. Abraham and Sarah laughed at the absurdity of being parents at ages 99 and 89, and named their son Isaac, based on the root word laughter. This was not meant derisively but as an observation of the absurdity of the situation. It was what comedians might call observational humor. In the Lukan version of the beatitudes (Luke 6:21) we are told that those who weep now will be made to laugh. This seems to be a reference to the joy that Jesus will bring into their lives.
So, while there is little biblical evidence on the topic, it seems safe to make the conclusion that humor is not ungodly, but it is a dangerous thing. It can serve God’s purposes and lift our spirits, but it is also easy to use humor to mask aggression, anger and other fleshly purposes.
My Journey
It may surprise readers here to know that I was often in trouble at school for talking too much, and that the common theme there was my propensity to make what I thought were funny comments, not all of which were appreciated by those in charge. I don’t do a lot of joke-telling in my messages, but I do make (what I think are) humorous observations and give illustrations and tell stories that seem to make people laugh.
There was a time, though, when God convicted me that I was using humor in my preaching for purposes that were not right. My biggest problem was the desire to have people like me. So, I did not want to compromise the Word but I knew that the harsh truths of scripture might be taken harshly by people, so I would use humor to counteract that. Essentially, I was saying to the people, “You may not like the message, but it is God who is mean, not me. I’m just the messenger. Don’t hate me because you don’t like what God says.” I was using humor for fleshly purposes. For a time, I used no humor at all in my messages while I tried to think and pray through these things and see if God would sanctify my sense of humor. That was hard. Observational humor and teasing is part of who I am. Stopping that was a real trick.
I cannot say that I have reached a place of completely sanctified humor. But overall, I believe that what sense of humor I have adds to my ministry and does not distract. But in the process of working through all of this I have learned a few things I would share today.
Sanctified Humor? Can Laughter Serve Kingdom Purposes?
Here are some simple thoughts I would share about Christians and humor.
1) Obviously, Christian humor is not obscene.
At the risk of being labeled liberal, it is clear that this is a relative thing. I might share a joke with my wife that I wouldn’t share with anyone else. I might share a joke with close friends that I wouldn’t share with my congregation on Sunday morning. But rude, crude, obscene, sexually explicit joking are pretty directly forbidden in several verses, most notably Ephesians 5:4
Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
But it seems obvious that there is more to this than a simple admonition against dirty jokes. I’ve observed people who wouldn’t think of telling a dirty joke say extremely hurtful things to others and call it humor.
2) Christian humor must not destroy, it must build up.
We, as Christians, cannot use our humor to deride, belittle or hurt others and then hide behind the “I was only kidding” defense. This is a common (and fleshly) tactic used by bloggers. We should be aware when someone’s “humor” is always directed derisively at those with whom we disagree. When that happens, it is usually a form of passive-aggressive personal attack. I may not want to say, “Buford McGillicutty is a big, fat jerk.” So, I make a joke about Buford McGillicutty that cuts him down to size, but I am able to claim, “Hey, I was only kidding. Lighten up! Don’t you have a sense of humor?”
That is a tactic unworthy of Godly men and women.
Wouldn’t godly humor build up – even build up the person who is the subject of the joke?
That may seem inconsistent – how can a person be built up by joking to them or about them? It is a tricky business. First, you do not belittle or devalue another using humor. But (and someone with a better understanding of human psychology than I have must explain this) people often feel honored to be mentioned and joked about. Its sort of like inclusion in family, in the club. It is a way of making people feel welcome. I don’t tease anyone on this blog more than I tease CB Scott. Please don’t tell CB, but I actually like the guy. And I do not yet think that any of my teasing has hurt him or torn down his fragile self-esteem. Gentle teasing is an act of friendship, a recognition of relationship and done properly, it makes people laugh and feel good. It builds up.
Humor can also brighten dark times. This is a natural response. When things are difficult, dark and threatening, an appropriate joke can lighten the mood and help everyone to see that all is not lost, that we should not despair. A little humor can remind us that there is hope and joy even in those dark times.
But we must be very careful that our words not injure other people, even if we were joking.
3) A Christian takes responsibility for his humor.
More than once, I have teased someone and it has hurt their feelings. Maybe I went too far. Maybe they misunderstood me. But if I am the one who tells the joke, I must be responsible for my words. If there is a misunderstanding, I should clarify. But if my joke hurts someone, even if that was not my intent, that is on me. I must take responsibility for my jokes. I cannot pass the buck by blaming the problem on the other’s lack of a sense of humor. If my humor offends, I must make amends.
4) Christian humor tends toward the self-deprecating.
If I am going to use humor, it should most often be at my own expense than it is at others expense. I often tell funny stories about things that have happened to me. But they are funniest when I am the butt of the joke, not someone else. If your humor tends to build you up at others’ expense, it is probably not God-honoring.
5) God is beyond our jokes.
This is a personal issue with me. I don’t tell jokes about God. He is holy and awesome. We human beings are frail and silly and funny little things. Humor about our situation is justified. When you read the stories of people transported into heaven they are generally falling down in awe. They are not laughing. I hate jokes about God. The human condition is fodder for laughter, but divine glory is not.
Is that inconsistent? Perhaps. I don’t know.
6) Christians laugh with others, not at others.
That’s a simple rule. If your laughter is at someone else’s expense and that person isn’t laughing, God isn’t amused either. Godly laughter does not divide, it actually builds unity and fellowship.
Now, Your Turn
This is a tough subject for those who desire to honor God in everything. Blogging is a haven for hurtful humor – the belittling, denigrating, dismissive kind that is so common in the Bible. This has no place in our fellowship. But it is very common.
What insights do you have about godly humor in preaching, in blogging and in our conversations with one another?
Especially from my years working with youth, sarcasm should be used sparingly. I’m pretty sure sarcasm is my love language, but it is easy to misinterpret and tends towards cynicism. It is used a little in the Bible for godly purposes, but we don’t find it on every page for a reason.
…sarcasm is my love language.
Brilliant.
If anyone is offended by what I said, please know o was only joking. Wait…never mind.
Haven’t you fellows every read the Bible. God has such a sense of humor that He named one of the Patriarch’s LAUGHTER. Yep, my good friend who was raised an orthodox Jew was named Isaac, which he let know meant LAUGHTER.
You will remember that the name is associated with the fact of Sarah’s laughing. And she made a prophecy about it, that who ever heard and understood, among women apparently, would laugh with her. I saw this fulfilled once in my life. I was teaching a ladies class in my last pastorate, when they asked me about the issue of Sarah’s prophecy. When I explained it to them, the small class, I suppose there was 6-8 there, suddenly burst out in laughter. I came away with the feeling that I had just seen a biblical prophecy fulfilled. Let me add also that our Lord Jesus used a technique of humor, absurdity, when he spoke of not being able to remove a speck from your brother’s eye due to the main house beam in your own eye. The main hosue beam, well, think about it: It is funny by contrast.
A merry heart does good, like a medicine.
David
Of course, Vol, that does not apply to most of the jokes you publish on Facebook!
you know you love’em and look forward to reading them!
David 🙂
I will plead the fifth amendment on that one.
As proof of God’s sense of humor, I submit the Duck-billed Platypus!
It absolutely confounds evolutionists.
Squirrel
and the Warthog
And people who cheer for the Kansas City Royals.
Just you wait……
Watch it. Oh who am I kidding. It’s hopeless.
Because of the early divergence from the therian mammals and the low numbers of extant monotreme species, the platypus is a frequent subject of research in evolutionary biology. In 2004, researchers at the Australian National University discovered the platypus has ten sex chromosomes, compared with two (XY) in most other mammals (for instance, a male platypus is always XYXYXYXYXY)
I think God has a sense of humor. Check the kangaroo.
I think Jesus had a sense of humor too. If He didn’t have a smile on his face and a twinkle in His eye when he told the woman at the well to go get her husband, then He was being mean. And I don’t think that.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go work on my self-esteem. It’s somewhere South of CB’s.
That’s right. Pick on the innocent guy who just tries to get along with everybody and never makes anyone angry or defensive. Yeah. That’s just great.
I get home from speaking to a bunch of Gideons International folks and messing up on my “You Are The Best King James Only Guys I Know” joke and what do I see when I check in at SBC Voices? Bob Cleveland and Dave Miller raggin’ on me for being shy, soft spoken, and reserved.
Just wait fellows. One day you two will bite down on a cream filled doughnut and realize it is filled with Denture-Cream instead. Guess who will be laughing then? That’s right—Your Ole Barbarian,Visigoth Buddy—Me 🙂
I had to prove I already had Dentur-Creme before I could buy the hearing aids.
Actually, though, it’s better on toast.
Certainly all humor isn’t bad or sinful. But we need to remember not to be entertained by the things Christ had to died for.
Dave,
I agree with humor.
You never know how the person may receive the simplest humor, though. Many are either born with a low self esteem or it came upon them through who they are, how God made them or events in their lives that have molded them. Here is one for the books. On one of the Gaither videos there is funny presentation of the song about “The Fourth Man”. Tim is the comedian and he has an extremely hard time with timing in a quartet with this clip. It was so funny my whole family was rolling on the floor. I watched it several times over the years and one day it hit me that they were making fun of a person who had a difficulty with timing. That happened to be me. I cannot sing because I just don’t know when to come in at the beginning of a song. I have a good voice and have had many compliments about how well I sing. The problem is, I desperately want to be able to do that and can’t hear the note that would initiate me beginning when I am suppose to. I have sang in a choir since 1985. I will not sing in that setting again because I know how professionals think about people who cannot time the entry to a song. On the other hand, I can teach and tell stories on myself with no problem at all. For instance, I wanted to get something for my wife on Mother’s Day, like some clothes. I was not thinking about Mother’s Day and saw that Sears had the cook top we wanted for about $250 off the regular price. I was so excited about it that I made the purchase and forwarded the email confirmation to my wife to let her know about the great deal I made. Her return email said, “This would have made a wonderful Mother’s Day surprise.” Blink blink! So, the $250 I saved went toward a surprise. (two spaces) Now that’s funny, I don’t care who you are.
I didn’t tell that about the Gaither skit to cause people to refrain from doing funny skits or telling funny stories or feeling sorry for me. This is like a throne in the flesh for me. It keeps me humble and I know it. We need to laugh and we need to be humbled at the same time, in some cases. As long as I keep this to myself I will be okay. So don’t tell anyone, especially CB (Mr. Magoo).
“thorn in the flesh”
Did you hear the one about the guy who ran off and ……” Oh, I’m sorry. That is not a joke is it? That is a Greek Tragedy.
Funny how you commented beneath “thorn in the flesh”. How appropriate. It is also good that you read my comments. You will be better for it, except when it comes to forgiving. The tragedy of your pride and arrogance is that you seem to think you are justified to walk into someone’s life story and demand to be repented to when you never had part in it nor accept that I have a restored relationship with Christ. If you are not requesting that I repent to you then you are an accuser and someone else has that title wrapped up and is better at it than you. That is sad Mr. Magoo. And that needs to be preached across this land, but you are obviously not qualified and possibly never were.
Trust me Bruce H. I do read your “every” comment. I noticed you mentioned my name in the one above. I was more than glad to respond.
BTW, I did not accuse you of anything. Whatever do you have in mind to state such a thing?
“BTW, I did not accuse you of anything.”
How long is your nose right now?
“Whatever do you have in mind to state such a thing?”
Sounds like a sarcastic question to me from a arrogant self-centered man. Just the tone of your response above and ALL of the other comments you make toward me says it all. You set people up and then begin to condemn and accuse them of whatever you come up with as your own conclusion. You don’t care to know the facts or the forgiveness you simply self appoint yourself to ridicule and put down people and brag about things like, “That’s right. Pick on the innocent guy who just tries to get along with everybody and never makes anyone angry or defensive. Yeah. That’s just great.” If you think it is “funny” to do what you do you are misinformed. Your friends here overlook your crudeness toward your condemnation of others because you seem to be in the click and it makes what you do okay, but it’s not.
My, my Bruce H. What ever can the matter be? Does this mean we are not friends? I think I shall just die if we are not friends.
Here’s one.
Ask a person to repeat this statement verbatim, “What is the key to telling an Aggie joke?” When they start, wait till they get to “key” and interrupt and say quickly, “Timing”.
Ah, Dave! I miss hanging around with you!
Yep.
Finding new courage that he never knew he had, he stormed into the kitchen and announced to his wife, “From now on, you need to know that I am the man of this house, and my word is the ‘Law.’ You will prepare me a gourmet meal tonight, bring it to me, and when I am done eating my meal, you will clear the …dishes and serve me a scrumptious dessert.
After dinner, you are going to draw me a bath so I can relax. You will put on soothing music, wash my back, towel me dry,and
bring me my robe. You will massage my feet and hands to relieve any last bit of tension in me, so that I can sleep like a baby.
Then, tomorrow, guess who’s going to dress me and comb my hair?
The wife replied, “The funeral director would be my first guess.”
LOL . . . love it, love it
Thanks, Vol, I needed that!
I just try my best to be a blessing to someone everyday! 🙂
During a robbery, one of the robbers mask slid down.
He looked at a man and asked. Did you see my face?
The man said yes! And, the robber shot him.
Then he turned and asked a woman. Did you see my face?
She said no, but my husband over there did.
LOL
. . . another blessing
“”””It is odd that humor, something that is so much a part of our lives today, is talked about so little in the Bible.”””
Good post, Dave. Excellent points for consideration. In regard to your comment above, I am wondering if humor comes up more often than we notice, because we think of Western humor (not cowboy humor) for the most part.
Exaggeration and hyperbole are more Eastern, semitic varieties of humor and these seem to abound in the Bible. I’m thinking of a man with a two by four sticking out of his eye complaining about the wood chip in someone else’s eye. Or, pushing a camel by the butt through the eye of a needle.
So, I don’t necessarily feel the Word is as silent in regard to humor as one might think.
Also, in regard to “frequency versus importance”. . . I’m thinking of how many times someone excuses himself (or herself) to go use the bathroom. Certainly, that is an important part of every day life, but it is not spoken of frequently.
Weather is also something that impacts our lives but it is not spoken of all that frequently, though it is mentioned several times.
Remember, the early church folk were Baptists (first following John the Baptist) so we have recorded what is really important to Baptists: arguing and eating. Now, those are frequently mentioned.
I like the balance you bring to this. I am not sure that it is true, but supposedly Spurgeon, when confronted with people saying that he joked too much, said that if they knew how much he restrained himself, they would have congratulated him.
My favorite humor in the Bible and was probably not meant to be is in Genesis 2 where God says that He was going to make man a helper and then proceeded to bring before Adam all the animals for him to name. I can always imagine Adam saying, “Please, Lord, not the anteater.” (I understand that the Bible does not say that God had told Adam what he intended to do.)
Paul uses a sarcastic kind of humor in Galatians 5:7-12 when he wishes that those who were involved in forcing believers back into circumcision would “mutilate themselves”.
Where I often get into trouble with humor is when i do it off the cuff without thinking through why I am telling a joke.
I’ve been told to be very careful with biblical humor, especially to impressive minds or new converts. The humor about the bible story will be the only thing remembered now and each time that story is read in the future. I cringe when I hear the funny stories of the speakers when kids come back from youth camp. He may have been funny and interesting but our kids seem to never remember the truths taught and in about a week they need to return to the alter again. Woe to some youth camps!
This happened about 6 months ago on Louisiana Hwy 57, just outside of Dulac, a little town in the bayou country of Louisiana , and while it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it’s real.
An Ohio businessman, Saul Rubins, abandoned his disabled vehicle on the side of the road, and attempted to hitchhike. The night was pitch dark in the middle of a thunderstorm. Time passed slowly and no cars went by. It was raining so hard he could hardly see his hand in front of his face.
Suddenly, through the sheets of rain, he saw a car moving slowly, approaching and appearing ghost-like in the rain. It slowly and silently crept toward him and stopped. Desperately needing a ride, Saul jumped in the car and closed the door. Only then did he realize that there was no one behind the wheel and no sound of an engine to be heard over the rain.
Again the car crept silently forward and Saul was terrified, too scared to think of jumping out and running.. He saw that the car was approaching a sharp curve and, still too scared to jump out, he started to pray and beg for his life; he was sure the ghost car would go off the road and into the bayou and he would then drown!
But just before the curve, a shadowy hand appeared at the driver’s window, reached in and turned the steering wheel, guiding the car safely around the bend. Then, just as silently, the hand disappeared through the window and Saul was alone again.
Paralyzed with fear, Saul watched the hand reappear every time they reached a curve. Finally, scared nearly to death, Saul had all he could take, jumped out of the car, and ran to town..
Wet and in shock, he went into Schmoopy’s. Voice quavering, he ordered two cups of coffee, black, and then told everybody about his supernatural experience. The room became silent and everybody got goose bumps when they realized Saul was telling the truth and was not just some drunk. About 30 minutes later two Cajuns, dripping wet, walked into Schmoopy’s and one says to the other,
“Look, Boudreaux, ders dat idiot what rode in our car when we wuz pushin’ it in da rain!!!”
ROFL . . .
Vol, you could get together with Rex Ray over on Wade’s blog, and the two of you could write a best-seller filled with fun stories . . .
‘Joy’ is a gift meant to be shared.
you must have some Irish blood in you, VOL.
the Irish have the gift of joy in abundance
🙂
My wife is Scotch-Irish thru and thru. I’m a mixture of English, French, German, and Cherokee Indian.
David
Good post. One of the things I learned as a RA at Liberty University, and now as a youth pastor is students who can dish it out can’t always receive it back very well. I had one student while being a RA who loved to make jokes about my lack of hair that seemed to be in constant hibernation. It never really phased me since I cracked jokes at it just as much as anyone else. However, I learned he was pretty sensitive to jokes aimed back at him, and it took me a while to realize the line in the sand isn’t the same for everyone.
I also struggle with trying to be humorous in lessons just to be humorous and have people like me. Many youth pastors I know struggle with wanting to be popular with the kids and use humor in their messages to make it happen. I now try and make an effort to use humor as a way to break down barriers between me and my students to help get my point across. While I need to make sure I balance this out correctly, I feel like I am getting better at it.
I think the Bible has a lot of humor. I remember the first time I really read and took in the account of Moses coming doen from the mountain to find the people dancing around the golden calf they had made. When Aaron was aked how it all happened he said, “we threw our gold into the fire and out came this calf.” I laughed and laughed. Now that there is funny right there.
When our son was little, he use to imitate me, trying to tell jokes. Needless to say they were really lacking in humor, and they were funny just because of that. However, after he grew up and became a pastor he became adept at using natural situations for humor, and I wish I could do it as well as he. So fellows, if you have a son who might one day turn out to be a preacher, remember: He just might out do you in the humor department.