Did Jesus Laugh?
At my small group the other night, one of our members questioned, “I wonder if Jesus ever laughed.”
That got me to thinking (not an easy task!). Did Jesus laugh while he was here on earth?
Nowhere does the Bible say, “Jesus laughed.” But Jesus was both God and man, according to Romans 9:5 (“Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all”). Accordingly, he did all the things that we do, but without sin (Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet was without sin”).
And we do have record that God laughs. In Psalm 2:4, God laughs at the nations, much as a parent laughs at a child who tries to beat him in a race.
Some say that, because it is never mentioned in scripture, Jesus did not laugh or smile. But since he was God in human form, we must assume that he did many things that aren’t mentioned in the Bible, such as bathe, brush his hair, etc. The Gospels were not meant to record Christ’s every move, but serve as a record of his mission to us, his saving grace, and his teachings.
Additionally, Jesus wanted his followers to be joyful, telling his disciples in John 15:11 “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
And there is much evidence that Jesus was fun-loving. In Luke 15, every single parable ends with a party. In Luke 7:34, the Pharisees criticized him for being a glutton and having a good time. And his standard greeting when meeting friends was “Rejoice.”
So my interpretation is, of course Jesus laughed! Everyone laughs, and he was no different. Sometimes we get so bottled up in the “religiosity” of faith that we fail to see Jesus as doing the things that we all do, short of sin.
And haven’t most of us, at one point or another in our lives, said “God must really be getting a kick out of that one!” Well, if God knows joy, if God laughs, and if God made us in His own image, are we to believe that when He sent His own son down to live as man among us, He would send him minus a sense of humor?
I doubt it!
Also read:
God’s Top Five Practical Jokes on Women
All scripture is quoted from the New International Version (NIV)
May 15th, 2008 at 1:54 am
[...] So many times religion is so serious… we can’t see the humor for the stained glass, as my childhood preacher used to say. I even wrote about it in a blog the other day (Did Jesus Laugh?) [...]