Humor is the medium by which people communicate with one another. And I’m not just talking about modern society either. Comedy has been around since humanity was created and will probably be around into all of eternity. Trust me…I’ve got a very good feeling about this one.
Are you aware that God has a sense of humor? He does. He created humor. Now, I know “funny” isn’t a popular thing to attribute to God’s creation, but neither is sex and He invented that too. I’m not sure why we shy away from talking about humor in a serious way because it is (and always has been) such an important part of the human experience. Maybe it’s because we feel childish when we process funny things in an honest and thoughtful way. There’s a constant pressure to “get down to business” and “stop the silliness” when someone wants to be accepted as a mature individual. Heck, even the word serious basically means humorless when you look it up in the dictionary, and the thought of not being taken seriously makes most people feel disrespected. Thus, humor is usually tossed out the window when talk of a serious God is brought up.
But I think God actually does value humor in a way that we might not expect Him to value it. Why do I presume this to be true? Well personally, I don’t need much more proof than the fact that farting is a part of a person’s daily routine, but you might need something a little more concrete than I do. Let me give you a few reasons why I believe God appreciates humor.
1. Humor produces laughter, and laughing makes the soul strong. When I think something is funny enough to produce deep belly laughter followed by tears that I wipe from my eyes, I always feel like I’m experiencing life at a deeper level in that moment. The occurrence is rich and almost adventurous. So much so, that I long to duplicate it over and over again just to absorb the kind of life it gives to me. I literally love to laugh, and I’d be willing to bet that you do too. And since laughter is such a large part of strengthening the soul, it is an obvious indicator that the Creator constructed it as a valuable part of life.
2. Humor can be easily found in the bible. There are tons of examples in Scripture that I find funny, but let me highlight four of them for you.
- I Kings 18:27 – This is the quasi-famous Old Testament example when Elijah is mocking the prophets of Baal as they try to get their god to respond by lighting a fire. Elijah basically says, “Maybe he can’t hear you right now because he’s busy taking a #2…yell louder!” Hilarious, simply hilarious. Elijah may have been the very first stand-up comedian.
- Job 38:21 – Good old-fashioned sarcasm from the mouth of God Himself. God is responding here after Job has questioned where God was in all of his suffering. To paraphrase, the Lord says, “Oh, you know all about everything because you were around when the earth was created…right? Oh wait, you weren’t!” A verbal backhand to the face of Job probably wasn’t pleasant for him, but it sure is funny to the reader.
- 2 Kings 21:23-25 – These verses are so weird that they are funny. Elisha is walking along, minding his own business when some small boys make fun of the fact that he’s bald. Elisha then curses these guys and two she-bears come out of the woods and tear up forty-two of them. The first time I read this, I was like, “What? She-bears?” This story may be bizarre, but you’ve got to admit that it’s funny. Only after I read it again did I commit to never mock a godly bald man with a temper.
- Matthew 7:3-5 – Jesus intentionally uses hyperbole here that undoubtedly produced a snicker or two from the people within an earshot. A log cannot fit into a person’s eye and the visual that I get of a huge chunk of wood coming out of someone’s face makes me laugh.
3. As I mentioned before, humor is the language that people speak. It is the means by which so many people choose to communicate with one another. If two people are very good friends, they often joke with each other pretty frequently. I know that I do with all of my closest friends. Comedy creates a connection between people and bonds them in a way that nothing else can. God obviously values communication and it’s hard to believe that He doesn’t really have anything to do with that kind of joyful connection just because it isn’t “serious.”
4. Humor can break down barriers. Many people know that comedy can be used as a weapon for the wrong purposes, but if it is wielded with godly motivations, it can be a very powerful tool to destroy the walls built up by anger, prejudice, sorrow and hatred. I often employ humor in order to share the gospel with people who have preconceived ideas about what a “religious person” is really like. If someone finds something funny, they will routinely find the willingness to accept whatever message happens to travel on the heels of that humor. It’s an unwritten law of humankind that if you’re smart enough to make someone laugh, you’re smart enough to have people listen to you. God is very much aware of this fact and I have to believe that He wants us to use humor (with discretion) in order to advance His Kingdom whenever possible.
5. Humor has the ability to disarm sin. When something or someone is laughed at, it is partially robbed of its influence. Think about the school bully getting his pants pulled down in front of everyone in the cafeteria—all of a sudden, he’s not so scary anymore, is he? See what I mean? Racism can be stripped of its dominance, idols can be ejected from their thrones, and religion’s leverage to sway people toward activity for salvation can be destroyed…all by humor’s potential. God values disarming the power of sin and if humor can be used to make that happen, employing it properly is a great thing.
The bottom line is that humor can help you get things done. Comedy is a highly effective tool that is often either underutilized (because of “serious” intentions) or cheapened (by foul language and sexual innuendo). But when taken into the hands of godly men and women who want to shine the gospel into the darkest corners of earth, its power can magnify the beauty of salvation’s message.
A friend of mine once said, “Humor has the quality of bringing down walls and defenses so that truth can be clearly communicated.” I couldn’t agree more.
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