The
past eleven years have been a process of continual transformation of
thoughts, theology, personality and character. During that time, some
of my most challenging and transformational moments occurred during
times of inward and outward expression of humor by myself and from
others I share life with.
Last
years Band of Brothers trip to Big Bend and Carlsbad, NM with 8 other
guys was a humorous adventure. When you combine nine admittedly screwed
up, authentic and expressive men with over 1,500 miles of adventure
into 7 days there is bound to be humor. In that humor, I can honestly
say we were all transformed. I also work with one of my best friends,
Lee Hoy. We share laughs on a daily basis. We laugh at ourselves, each
other, and life. In that humor, we transform, challenge and grow each
other daily.
This got me to look at the Bible and Jesus and explore the humor that it contains. I found a book called Religion Saves and Nine Other Misconceptions by Mark Driscoll,
which answers the top nine questions that his congregation would like
answered. One of these questions dealt with the humor in the bible. Is
it biblical to use humor as a pastor and as a follower to share the
truth?
The
Bible is predominately a serious rather than a funny book. Yet it would
distort the Bible to suppress the humor that is present. Elton
Trueblood also wrote a book in 1964 called The Humor of Christ.
Trueblood says in this book, "There are numerous passages...which are
practically incomprehensible when regarded as sober prose, but which
are luminous once we become liberated from the gratuitous assumption
that Christ never joked... Once we realize that Christ was not always
engaged in pious talk, we have made an enormous step on the road to
understanding."
Trueblood also says,
Christ laughed, and... He expected others to laugh... A misguided piety
has made us fear that acceptance of His obvious wit and humor would
somehow be mildy blasphemous or sacrilegious. Religion, we think, is
serious business, and serious business is incompatible with banter."
Other scholars say, If
there is a single person within the pages of the Bible that we can
consider to be a humorist, it is without a doubt Jesus... Jesus was a
master of wordplay, irony, and satire, often with an element of humor
intermixed."
Jesus
was often invited to parties because people liked him, crowds thronged
around Him, and His fiercest critics falsely accused Him of being
nothing but a party animal and going against the laws. To me , this
suggests Jesus was fun to hang around with.
For
years I have been a person who has bottled up my emotions. I have been
know to be a firecracker when those emotions reach a boiling point.
This is a part of my being that I have thoroughly concentrated over the
past few years. What I have discovered with humor is that it heightens
all other emotions. If I now feel freed up to laugh deeply, I am also
passionate enough to weep deeply. Bottling up emotions to "be strong"
display little if any of the characteristics of their passionate God,
who both laughs and weeps. Laughter enables us to rise above the pain.
Humor is also a missiological ministry tool necessary in our culture. In Corinthians 9:22-23 Paul writes, "To
the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all
things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all
for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its
blessings." We all love to laugh, listen to the most current
comedians, watch the latest hilarious youtube videos, love practical
jokes and enjoy the after dinner sitcoms. As Mark Driscoll says, "To reach people, we need to speak their language, and their language obviously includes comedy."
To
those critics of humor in sharing the truth, I leave you with this
quote from Charles Spurgeon: "Many hearers lose much blessing through
criticizing too much, and mediating too little; and many more incur
great sin by calumniating those who live for the good of others.
Pastors (ministers) have enough of care and travail without being
burdened by undeserved and useless faultfinding. We have something
better to do than to be forever answering every malignant or frivolous
slander which is set afloat to injure us... There are tender, loving
spirits who feel the trial very keenly, and are sadly hindered in brave
service by cruel assaults. The rougher and stronger among us laugh at
those who ridicule us, but upon other the effect is very sorrowful..."
deeper graves