Reading… and Thinking

After John’s messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”

— Luke 7:24-26 (NIV)

I’m going to suggest that you look at this passage in a way you may never have thought of it.

Imagine these sentences being in the form of a script, and being handed to a comedian. How would he deliver these lines? Read the verses again, and imagine them being delivered from the stage.

Think about the first question posed by Jesus. Would anyone go way out into the country to watch a reed blowing in the wind? You would never go out of your way for something so trivial. It’s absurd. In fact, it’s funny.

Now the second question. So would you go out to see somebody dressed up fancy? Imagine the body language that might accompany this question. The question is ridiculous! Especially since they knew what Jesus was getting at, and knew that John dressed in the exact opposite of palace finery.

Jesus is inviting audience participation here, right? You can see the smile on his face, hear voices from the crowd answering: “A prophet! We went out to see a prophet! ” He engaged his audience, drew them into the lesson.

Irony, which is evident here, is the foundation of humor. These lines, given by Jesus, are funny! He was cracking jokes, and I’m pretty sure that people laughed. As we might expect of the Lord, these jokes are not at anyone’s expense – no one is humiliated, and there is nothing tasteless. He was having good, clean fun. With a purpose, of course.

The Creator made us with a sense of humor. Like everything God has given us, people have corrupted humor. We need to steer clear of the corruption, but we don’t need to turn down the gift. Recent medical science has proven what people have known intuitively all along: laughter is good medicine. It relieves stress, it makes us feel good, it reduces tension. It’s good for us, both in body and in mind.

We should not think that the Lord Jesus was a humorless man. And remembering that we are made in the Creator’s image, we shouldn’t assume that our Father is without humor. The Bible obviously deals with the most serious subjects there are, so it’s not packed with jokes. But there is enough for us to realize that the Creator also has a sense of humor. (Why else make a platypus?)

Jesus had a purpose in joking with the people about why they went out into the wilderness. He used humor to get their attention, and to make them think: why did they go out to see John? They perhaps hadn’t seriously thought about the implications of having a prophet in their midst. It is another bit of irony that one way to get people to think seriously is to provide a little contrast with some humor.

There are absurdities in several of Jesus’s parables. I think that when he told them, he made them funny. Why? So they would be remembered! And in remembering the joke, the serious point would also be remembered. Jesus never just entertained – there was always a point that was to be taken seriously. We know he was a marvelous storyteller. I believe that, like any good storyteller, he was also really funny sometimes. His standards of behavior, his devotion to God, his mastery of scripture, were amazing. People were, very naturally and very rightly, in awe of him. Yet for all that, in every way, he was also a great guy to be around.