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| April 4, 2010 | Did Jesus have a sense of humour? | |
Washington:Scholars, pastors and bloggers are mulling over Jesus' sense of humour. Robert Darden, associate
professor of journalism at Baylor University and author of the book "Jesus Laughed:
The Redemptive Power of Humor", said: "If we agree that Jesus was human and fully
divine, he must have had a sense of humor. I've never met a human who didn't have
a sense of humor." From Scripture, Darden pointed out, we know that Jesus wept
at least once - when he heard news that his friend Lazarus died - and got angry
at least once, at the dishonest moneychangers at the temple. Darden said: "I think
He could be silly when He wanted to be, angry when He needed to be and everything
in between." However, scholars rarely suggest that Jesus used thigh-slapping jests
in his ministry. "Even when they do, their claims are frequently overstated,"
noted Dr. Bruce Longenecker, a Baylor professor of religion, who wrote the article
A Humorous Jesus? Orality, Structure and Characterisation in Luke 14:15-24, and
Beyond, which appeared in Biblical Interpretation: A Journal of Contemporary Approaches
in 2008. Those who compile anthologies of humour bypass Jesus and his followers
- and with good reason, he stated. Texts about them deal with life-and-death matters.
Yes, Jesus told riddles and used wordplay, made points with hyperbole and irony
- often at the expense of pompous Pharisees, which would have amused those who
were not fond of the religious leaders. Longenecker wrote: "But it is clear that
they are not classics of comedy from one of the greatest wits of all time. "They
simply embody biting criticism by way of ridicule." Some speculate that the humour
may be lost because the context has changed in the modern world. Readers might
not "get" inside jokes. And writers in gospel times did not use "LOLs" and emoticons.
Then again, perhaps the debate continues because humour, like beauty, is in the
eye of the beholder. Darden's finds the coin-in-the-mouth fish tale is particularly
funny. He said: "Heck, Jesus could have pulled it (the coin) from behind someone's
ear. But by using something silly like a fish to make a serious statement, Jesus
makes every moment a teaching moment." Rev. Brett Younger, associate professor
of preaching at the McAfee School of Theology at Mercer University in Atlanta
, said: "I don't think Jesus was a stand-up comedian, but I think he used humor
to make a point, and exaggeration was humorous. "He doesn't do a lot of it, but
it's significant." |
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