Did Jesus have a sense of humor?

Sebastian Michael · Feb 3, 2018

"Did Jesus have a sense of humor?"
I doubt it. I think he was too busy dying for our sins and saving souls to make wise cracks.
It is also written in scripture that joking ought not to be done because it is inconvenient and useless.
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." - Ephesians 5:3-4
What is jesting? What does it mean to jest?
Let us examine the definition of the word "jest".
JEST - noun: "a thing said or done for amusement; a joke."
verb: "to speak or act in a joking manner."
Or we could look to Solomon for some wisdom on the subject.
"A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." - Ecclesiastes 7:4
What is mirth?
MIRTH - noun: "amusement, especially as expressed in laughter."
Now this is not to say that we can't laugh or shouldn't ever be happy. But you must look at the context of what is being said here. It is referring to jokes, comedy. Back in medieval times and during the renaissance, kings sometimes had what were called "fools", also referred to as the court "jester". Interesting that the jester was called a "fool". People often say that we "shouldn't take life too seriously all the time". Well in the scope of things, there is a lot to consider and quite a lot to be taken seriously in this life. Knowing that every little thing you do, say and think literally effects the outcome of your very fate doesn't leave much room to sit back and "have a laugh", now does it? Again, the Lord doesn't take issue with us laughing. It is a natural expression of joy, which is another thing the Lord wants us to experience. Context is everything though. If you have children and one of them eats chocolate or something very messy and it gets all over them, you often find it adorable. And their messy smile may cause you to laugh. This expression of joy is very different than when you laugh at a "two dudes walk into a bar" joke. It is the nature of the humor that changes things. Again, laughter is an expression of joy, yes? Well if you take joy in your child, that is perfectly okay. But if you laugh at jokes about sex, drugs, or any other type of blue/white collar humor, you are condoning and taking joy in what is being said. This is where it becomes a problem. If God were sitting right beside you in a comedy club, (aka a literal house of mirth), would you be more conscious about what you laugh at? I think you would. And that right there should just show you where the issue is and what it is. It is often said, but nobody ever really seems to consider, "what would Jesus do?" Sorry, but I don't think you'd ever find Christ anywhere near ridiculous, useless office jokes around the water cooler. These men are jesting. Something that was suggested in the Bible to be a thing we ought to refrain from.

Heavenhome · Feb 3, 2018

A very interesting thread.I also think that Jesus would find little to laugh about. I think we humans often try to bring God down to our level rather than lifting Him up where he belongs.

Strathos · Feb 3, 2018

He made a pun in Matthew 16:18, though ('Peter' means rock).

tulc · Feb 3, 2018

...looking at who He picked as His Apostles would tend to argue against the OP.
tulc(is just sayn')

~Anastasia~ · Feb 3, 2018

We have to be careful building a doctrine off a translated word.

The Greek ευτραπελία most often refers specifically to jesting that is coarse, obscene, filthy, or vulgar. Of course we should not engage in such things, dragging us further down and away from Christ.

But if a sense of humor is a good thing, then it was given to us being made in the image of God. Jesus said that children were of such as the Kingdom of God, and they are easily merry and possess the good side of a sense of humor in abundance.

I believe God (and so very much so Jesus, being God incarnate in human form) has a sense of humor. But certainly, it would not get in the way when seriousness is appropriate.

Sebastian Michael · Feb 3, 2018

He wasn't saying it like that to be humorous Strathos. He was being ambiguous. There is a difference between ambiguity and a pun.
PUN: noun - "a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings."
verb - "make a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word."

AMBIGUITY: noun - "the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness."

tulc · Feb 3, 2018

If Jesus doesn't like funny things why did He make so many things funny?
tulc(is just sayn' part deux)

tulc · Feb 3, 2018

Sebastian Michael said:
He wasn't saying it like that to be humorous Strathos. He was being ambiguous. There is a difference between ambiguity and a pun.
PUN: noun - "a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings."
verb - "make a joke exploiting the different possible meanings of a word."

AMBIGUITY: noun - "the quality of being open to more than one interpretation; inexactness."

...why can't it be both?
tulc(suspects it actually is)

tulc · Feb 3, 2018

Psalms 126: 2 said:
Then our mouth was filled with laughter
And our tongue with joyful shouting;
Then they said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”

To me it looks like one of the things the Lord uses is the joyfulness and laughter of his people to draw others.
tulc(and nothing drives people away faster then a group that looks like they live on sour grapes and lemons all day long)

~Anastasia~ · Feb 3, 2018

tulc said:
To me it looks like one of the things the Lord uses is the joyfulness and laughter of his people to draw others.
tulc(and nothing drives people away faster then a group that looks like they live on sour grapes and lemons all day long)

That's actually the first kind of thing that came to my mind. Those folks I know who most diligently seek God and have the closest communion with Him, are sometimes among the most joyous and merry people I know, with a delightful sense of humor.

Of course, they sometimes are also deeply repentant, or otherwise engaged with worthwhile thoughts. But they are never morose or sour.

Sebastian Michael · Feb 3, 2018

Which part was funniest talc? The savage whipping and beating Christ received? the spitting in the face? the mockery? or just the crucifixion itself? Perhaps it was the hilarious moment with the money changers where Christ was offended at how wicked men had turned his Father's house into a den of thieves? All the philosophical parables he told as a forewarning of the impending doom that was to become of the world? The weeping and gnashing of teeth? I fail to see humor in anything the Bible goes over. None of the prophets came laughing and yucking it up. And I highly doubt the Son of God came down here for a festive bonfire and a few beers with the bros. It is not impossible to laugh without telling a dumb joke. I know, I've done it before. I apologize if I'm coming off as a little volatile, but the only thing I find myself doing when reading scripture is sighing heavily in depression, anxiety and sorrow. I find myself weeping and shedding tears in heartache over all the people that live their lives without any regret or understanding. I weep for those that hate God and for those in my own life who I've wronged and only turned away from God. I have been told that I'm a very funny guy and that I "always know what to say". But I want to put joking to bed now that I know what life is about and what is going on here. I could waste my time talking about a bear in the woods, a midget and a pony, or I could be focused on what really matters. That is my take on life. If the last words I uttered on this Earth were a wise crack, you can throw me in the fire. What an embarrassment I'd be. Hate to sound young right now but every time I see a commercial for the "hip new comedy of the summer!", I want to vomit. It's all cancer to me.

Deadworm · Feb 3, 2018

Bible scholars take Jesus' sense of humor for granted. In particular, 2 aspects of His pedagogical style are designed to trigger smiles:
(1) His constant use of witty puns: Unfortunately, most of these only work in Aramaic and my study of Aramaic is particularly fun when retroversion from Gospel Greek to Aramaic uncovers all these puns. When these puns are overlooked, Jesus' point is often missed by taking Him too literally.

(2) More obvious is Jesus' constant use of Semitic hyperbole, especially in His parables. Jesus just loves to use hyperbole as a shock tactic to wake His audience up and make them think.

Another illustration of His sense of humor is His penchant for nicknames. For example, James and John are so annoyed at the unfriendly response of Samaritan villagers that they ask Jesus whether they should call down a lightning strike from Heaven against them. It is likely this childish request that prompts a bemused Jesus to nickname them "the Thunder boys" (literally "sons of Thunder). Peter acts very unstable at times; so Jesus chooses for him the ironic nickname "the Rock" (Aramaic: "Cephas").

Catherineanne · Feb 3, 2018

Sebastian Michael said:
"Did Jesus have a sense of humor?"
I doubt it. I think he was too busy dying for our sins and saving souls to make wise cracks.
It is also written in scripture that joking ought not to be done because it is inconvenient and useless.
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." - Ephesians 5:3-4
What is jesting? What does it mean to jest?
Let us examine the definition of the word "jest".
JEST - noun: "a thing said or done for amusement; a joke."
verb: "to speak or act in a joking manner."
Or we could look to Solomon for some wisdom on the subject.
"A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." - Ecclesiastes 7:4
What is mirth?
MIRTH - noun: "amusement, especially as expressed in laughter."
Now this is not to say that we can't laugh or shouldn't ever be happy. But you must look at the context of what is being said here. It is referring to jokes, comedy. Back in medieval times and during the renaissance, kings sometimes had what were called "fools", also referred to as the court "jester". Interesting that the jester was called a "fool". People often say that we "shouldn't take life too seriously all the time". Well in the scope of things, there is a lot to consider and quite a lot to be taken seriously in this life. Knowing that every little thing you do, say and think literally effects the outcome of your very fate doesn't leave much room to sit back and "have a laugh", now does it? Again, the Lord doesn't take issue with us laughing. It is a natural expression of joy, which is another thing the Lord wants us to experience. Context is everything though. If you have children and one of them eats chocolate or something very messy and it gets all over them, you often find it adorable. And their messy smile may cause you to laugh. This expression of joy is very different than when you laugh at a "two dudes walk into a bar" joke. It is the nature of the humor that changes things. Again, laughter is an expression of joy, yes? Well if you take joy in your child, that is perfectly okay. But if you laugh at jokes about sex, drugs, or any other type of blue/white collar humor, you are condoning and taking joy in what is being said. This is where it becomes a problem. If God were sitting right beside you in a comedy club, (aka a literal house of mirth), would you be more conscious about what you laugh at? I think you would. And that right there should just show you where the issue is and what it is. It is often said, but nobody ever really seems to consider, "what would Jesus do?" Sorry, but I don't think you'd ever find Christ anywhere near ridiculous, useless office jokes around the water cooler. These men are jesting. Something that was suggested in the Bible to be a thing we ought to refrain from.

Of course the Lord had a sense of humour; how on earth can you read the gospels and not see it there on every page? He gave his disciples nicknames, he used puns, he compared outwardly righteous people to whitewashed tombs.

No smut; no vicious jokes, certainly. But a degree of gentle humour? Absolutely.

~Anastasia~ · Feb 3, 2018

Sebastian Michael said:
Which part was funniest talc? The savage whipping and beating Christ received? the spitting in the face? the mockery? or just the crucifixion itself? Perhaps it was the hilarious moment with the money changers where Christ was offended at how wicked men had turned his Father's house into a den of thieves? All the philosophical parables he told as a forewarning of the impending doom that was to become of the world? The weeping and gnashing of teeth? I fail to see humor in anything the Bible goes over. None of the prophets came laughing and yucking it up. And I highly doubt the Son of God came down here for a festive bonfire and a few beers with the bros. It is not impossible to laugh without telling a dumb joke. I know, I've done it before. I apologize if I'm coming off as a little volatile, but the only thing I find myself doing when reading scripture is sighing heavily in depression, anxiety and sorrow. I find myself weeping and shedding tears in heartache over all the people that live their lives without any regret or understanding. I weep for those that hate God and for those in my own life who I've wronged and only turned away from God. I have been told that I'm a very funny guy and that I "always know what to say". But I want to put joking to bed now that I know what life is about and what is going on here. I could waste my time talking about a bear in the woods, a midget and a pony, or I could be focused on what really matters. That is my take on life. If the last words I uttered on this Earth were a wise crack, you can throw me in the fire. What an embarrassment I'd be. Hate to sound young right now but every time I see a commercial for the "hip new comedy of the summer!", I want to vomit. It's all cancer to me.

If I may - and I promise that I'm not being condescending. On the contrary, I can admire your appreciation for the seriousness of it all.

This is a good and necessary stage in our approach to the Gospel. So yes, your impressions are correct. It IS all very serious, what sin has done to the world, and how it grieves God and should grieve us as well. This is a good step in repentance.

What we cannot do is take a stage of our own and use it to color the world, history, humanity, the Gospel, and in this case even God Himself. What you are seeing is good and necessary, but it is only a piece of the puzzle.

You are on the right track though, I think. Just we can't generalize such things to be the ultimate nature of God.

(ETA - just to be clear, I'm not suggesting that you haven't received or accepted the Gospel or are not Christian. Sometimes we talk about things in slightly different ways. I'm speaking from the perspective of seeing the Christian life as a life of continued and hopefully deepening repentance. God be with you.)

R. Hartono · Feb 3, 2018

Luke 24:18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou the only stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?

19 And he said unto them, What things ?

Norbert L · Feb 3, 2018

Sebastian Michael said:
"Did Jesus have a sense of humor?"
I doubt it. I think he was too busy dying for our sins and saving souls to make wise cracks.
It is also written in scripture that joking ought not to be done because it is inconvenient and useless.
"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks." - Ephesians 5:3-4
What is jesting? What does it mean to jest?
Let us examine the definition of the word "jest".
JEST - noun: "a thing said or done for amusement; a joke."
verb: "to speak or act in a joking manner."
Or we could look to Solomon for some wisdom on the subject.
"A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth." - Ecclesiastes 7:4
What is mirth?
MIRTH - noun: "amusement, especially as expressed in laughter."
Now this is not to say that we can't laugh or shouldn't ever be happy. But you must look at the context of what is being said here. It is referring to jokes, comedy. Back in medieval times and during the renaissance, kings sometimes had what were called "fools", also referred to as the court "jester". Interesting that the jester was called a "fool". People often say that we "shouldn't take life too seriously all the time". Well in the scope of things, there is a lot to consider and quite a lot to be taken seriously in this life. Knowing that every little thing you do, say and think literally effects the outcome of your very fate doesn't leave much room to sit back and "have a laugh", now does it? Again, the Lord doesn't take issue with us laughing. It is a natural expression of joy, which is another thing the Lord wants us to experience. Context is everything though. If you have children and one of them eats chocolate or something very messy and it gets all over them, you often find it adorable. And their messy smile may cause you to laugh. This expression of joy is very different than when you laugh at a "two dudes walk into a bar" joke. It is the nature of the humor that changes things. Again, laughter is an expression of joy, yes? Well if you take joy in your child, that is perfectly okay. But if you laugh at jokes about sex, drugs, or any other type of blue/white collar humor, you are condoning and taking joy in what is being said. This is where it becomes a problem. If God were sitting right beside you in a comedy club, (aka a literal house of mirth), would you be more conscious about what you laugh at? I think you would. And that right there should just show you where the issue is and what it is. It is often said, but nobody ever really seems to consider, "what would Jesus do?" Sorry, but I don't think you'd ever find Christ anywhere near ridiculous, useless office jokes around the water cooler. These men are jesting. Something that was suggested in the Bible to be a thing we ought to refrain from.

I understand that when it comes to humor, the tendency to respond is to default to rounding down rather than up. My experience from sharing thought provoking clean jokes with unbelievers usually ends with them telling their dirty jokes. Sharing them with Christians is more complex. However I believe it would be much better to challenge people on these forums to find humor in the Bible, give people something where they can figure things out for themselves rather than telling them what they should believe. I would also add that when it comes to humor, it can also be difficult to identify when dealing with older generations, it's no simple one answer fits all.

A_Thinker · Feb 3, 2018

God says that LAUGHTER is GOOD for the heart, ... thouhg, like any gift of God, we can take it and misuse it.

Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Psalms 126:2

“Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

For this reason, I believe that Jesus had to have, at least, a measure of good humor.

I was trying to think of some examples ... the closest I could get was His nicknaming of John and James as "the sons of thunder" ...

Here is something I found at beliefnet.com

Did Jesus Laugh?

A Gallup poll found that half of all Americans thought that Jesus was not fun-loving. But Jesus loved a good party. He performed his first miracle so that a wedding party could continue. In Luke 15, every parable ends with a party. His famous story of the prodigal son ends with a party, and the older son who would not attend the party is portrayed as the one with the problem. In fact, the picky people around Jesus criticized him for being a glutton and having such a good time (Luke 7:34). His long list of friends included people from every strata of society.

Jesus must have been a warm teddy bear on occasion because the children loved him (Matthew 19:13-15). Children are never attracted to solemn, always serious people, but the children must have loved the sparkle in Jesus' eyes, his warm open smile, and yes, his ready laugh. They clamored to be with him, even trying to find ways to get around the blockade of the disciples, who thought Jesus had more important things to do than hold a child on his lap. But Jesus, who was calling the shots, gave a reassuring smile to the children and said, "Let the children come to me, and don't hinder them" (Matthew 14:19).

tulc · Feb 3, 2018

Sebastian Michael said:
Which part was funniest talc? The savage whipping and beating Christ received? the spitting in the face? the mockery? or just the crucifixion itself? Perhaps it was the hilarious moment with the money changers where Christ was offended at how wicked men had turned his Father's house into a den of thieves? All the philosophical parables he told as a forewarning of the impending doom that was to become of the world? The weeping and gnashing of teeth? I fail to see humor in anything the Bible goes over. None of the prophets came laughing and yucking it up. And I highly doubt the Son of God came down here for a festive bonfire and a few beers with the bros. It is not impossible to laugh without telling a dumb joke. I know, I've done it before. I apologize if I'm coming off as a little volatile, but the only thing I find myself doing when reading scripture is sighing heavily in depression, anxiety and sorrow. I find myself weeping and shedding tears in heartache over all the people that live their lives without any regret or understanding. I weep for those that hate God and for those in my own life who I've wronged and only turned away from God. I have been told that I'm a very funny guy and that I "always know what to say". But I want to put joking to bed now that I know what life is about and what is going on here. I could waste my time talking about a bear in the woods, a midget and a pony, or I could be focused on what really matters.

If you want to do that I have no problem with you doing so. Just please don't pretend you're somehow more use to anyone because you're depressed then the people who are actually helping to make the people around them less so. You want to wallow? I say go right a head, I'll be over here enjoying hanging out with people.

That is my take on life.

and that's fine. I wont try and cheer you up. I'll tend to focus on what was purchased (me and the people around me being saved from hell) rather then dwell on the cost. It seems a little ungrateful to sigh and cry and gnash our teeth when the whole point of His suffering on the cross was to save us from, you know, weeping and wailing and gnashing our teeth.

If the last words I uttered on this Earth were a wise crack, you can throw me in the fire.

I suspect you don't need to worry about that being a problem.

What an embarrassment I'd be.

I'm thinking the real problem is going to be when you stand before the Lord and He tells you to sit down and there's a whoopee cushion on the chair He tells you to sit on, you're going to think: "I have made a very serious error in my life."

Hate to sound young right now but every time I see a commercial for the "hip new comedy of the summer!", I want to vomit.

...maybe you should spend less time watching tv instead of trying to be serious all the time? Just a thought.

It's all cancer to me.

Ok, I'm sorry, but that one was funny.
tulc(can't be sad since discovering God invented coffee)

Francis Drake · Feb 3, 2018

tulc said:
Ok, I'm sorry, but that one was funny.
tulc(can't be sad since discovering God invented coffee)

Yes, he invented coffee, sunsets, thunder, and beer.

But here's one thing that convinces me God has a real sense of humour.
The humble fart.

No matter how high and mighty we think of ourselves, God has a way of bringing all men down to the same level.

~Anastasia~ · Feb 3, 2018

Francis Drake said:
No matter how high and mighty we think of ourselves, God has a way of bringing all men down to the same level.

That of an 8-year-old boy? Sorry, just teasing a bit. It's a running joke in our family. Seems the men of any age still find flatulence jokes amusing, so the women tend to consider it something held over from their boyhood they never seem to grow out of.

Did Jesus have a sense of humor?

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