Did Jesus laugh?

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I was in a Protestant bookstore and couldn’t help but notice nearly all the pictures of Jesus had Him smiling, laughing, and giving hugs.

Now, I’m a firm believer in rejoicing in the Lord and, quite frankly, since I’ve become a Christian, I’m HAPPY!

That being said, it’s also true that Scripture emphasizes Christ’s suffering. Scripture says He was hungy, thirsty, angry, in pain, shedding tears for Jerusalem, etc.

The one event having most chapters written about it is His last week in Jerusalem, the events leading up to and including His death.

Now, my question: Is the Protestant emphasis on His resurrection (empty cross with no corpus, for example) biblically accurate considering the Bible emphasizes His sufferings?

1 Cor 11:26–“Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.”
 
The Bible, reflecting Truth and Catholic Theology, focuses on the suffering of Christ. We preach Christ crucified for in Christ’s suffering comes power. (I’m not much of a theologian, so refer to more learned and intelligent sources than myself for an accurate commentary on Salvific suffering please).

With that being said, I think I can say simply from logic, that Jesus would have had to be a “happy” person, and my own personal opinion is that He was probably quite jovial and personable. First of all, He shared in the Beatific vision, since he was God. If the Beatific vision did not produce joy beyond human comprehension, what would possibly be the incentive to eternal life ? From a more human approach, it just doesn’t make sense that Jesus could be the sort of leader of people that He was, and could not have possibly influenced masses of people to associate with Him if He were somber and “dour” all of the time. People would not follow someone like that !

Just an opinion of course…
 
scriabin said:
I was in a Protestant bookstore and couldn’t help but notice nearly all the pictures of Jesus had Him smiling, laughing, and giving hugs.

Now, I’m a firm believer in rejoicing in the Lord and, quite frankly, since I’ve become a Christian, I’m HAPPY!

That being said, it’s also true that Scripture emphasizes Christ’s suffering. Scripture says He was hungy, thirsty, angry, in pain, shedding tears for Jerusalem, etc.

The one event having most chapters written about it is His last week in Jerusalem, the events leading up to and including His death.

Now, my question: Is the Protestant emphasis on His resurrection (empty cross with no corpus, for example) biblically accurate considering the Bible emphasizes His sufferings?

1 Cor 11:26–“Whenever you eat this bread, then, and drink this cup, you are proclaiming the Lord’s death until He comes.”
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First - of course he laughed. He was as human as he was divine. He had a family who loved and who raised him well. He was a child.

I take some minor issue with your description that the Bible emphasizes his sufferings. The Bible TELLS of his sufferings. And it makes a specific point to do so, because those sufferings were a part of the plan he was sent here for. The Bible doesn’t emphasize the 32+ years prior to his sufferings. But it doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. It was just his life 🙂

But look at the time span covered. We are told of his being in the temple. Betcha he enjoyed that - maybe even laughed some while he was at it! Betcha he played games and played pranks with his buds in Nazareth. You don’t REALLY think he sat around glum and worried about Gethsemane all his life, do you? I hope not!👍

SURE Jesus laughed. He didn’t come to show us misery. He came so we could have life, and have it more abundantly. Looking at a timeline of his life, you can bet he spent more total time happy, doing the work he was called to do - than he did feeling miserable and suffering.

Brings to mind a discussion of happiness - from which laughter springs. Happiness isn’t what happens to you from the external world. Happiness is a decision you make and comes from the inside out.
 
Of course he laughed. He didn’t laugh because he was human, we laugh because we are made God’s image, which includes a sense of humor IMO.

I am reminded of the time he appeared to the disciples after his resuerrection, and the apostles were out fishing. He called from the shore, “Did you catch anything?” knowing well they had not. I think that is kind of funny. I can just see him asking them the question wryly, just waiting to see them half fall out of the boat when they realized it was him…

(I hope I am remembering that right.)
 
shirleytowers said:
Of course he laughed. He didn’t laugh because he was human, we laugh because we are made God’s image, which includes a sense of humor IMO.

I am reminded of the time he appeared to the disciples after his resuerrection, and the apostles were out fishing. He called from the shore, “Did you catch anything?” knowing well they had not. I think that is kind of funny. I can just see him asking them the question wryly, just waiting to see them half fall out of the boat when they realized it was him…

(I hope I am remembering that right.)
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I agree, shirleytowers. And whenever there were people around Jesus there were always children among them. Who cannot smile, laugh and be happy around children?

Charlye 🙂
 
Everyone wanted to be near him, particularly children. I think that says it all.
 
The Gospels don’t tell us the kinds of things about Jesus that modern biographers might have. The authors’ purpose was to tell us about his birth and it’s importance, his mission and it’s importance, his death and it importance, his resurrection and its importance, and his ascension and its importance.

Sorry to be pedantic, but I repeated the phrase to emphasize that the Gospels were not meant to tell us about Jesus’ likes and dislikes or his moods, although some of these details were slipped in. We know that he was a dynamic personality that both attracted and repelled people. The kind of person whom one either loves or hates.

He was a complete human being with all the characteristics of a complete human being, so we can assume he laughed and sang and did the sorts of things most men of his day did.
 
It’s hard to imagine that He lived with the apostles for three years without laughing at them on occasion. :rolleyes:
 
Children aren’t generally attracted to people who have no sense of humour, and similarly neither do gloomy people generally enjoy being around children, yet we know Jesus loved them and they seem to have loved him too.

One episode of rather dark humour, but humour nonetheless, would be when he went to Jairus’ house when his daughter died, and said ‘she isn’t dead, just sleeping’ :bigyikes: I think anyone who’s seen Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch can relate to this.
 
shirleytowers said:
Of course he laughed. He didn’t laugh because he was human, we laugh because we are made God’s image, which includes a sense of humor IMO.
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Excellent point!

And there’s the old saying about “If you want to make God laugh, just tell him your plans.”
 
LilyM said:
One episode of rather dark humour, but humour nonetheless, would be when he went to Jairus’ house when his daughter died, and said ‘she isn’t dead, just sleeping’ :bigyikes: I think anyone who’s seen **Monty Python’s Dead Parrot sketch **can relate to this.
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Please don’t mention something like this without a link.

Hint. Hint.
 
scriabin said:
I was in a Protestant bookstore and couldn’t help but notice nearly all the pictures of Jesus had Him smiling, laughing, and giving hugs.
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regardless of the denomination of the people that own this bookstore, the works of art they display are created by artists, each using his own unique vision. The artist may or may not have a sound grounding in theology that colors what he produces. It is hardly fair to critique Protestant theology, then, in the light of such artworks.
 
Servant1 said:
I take some minor issue with your description that the Bible emphasizes his sufferings. The Bible TELLS of his sufferings. And it makes a specific point to do so, because those sufferings were a part of the plan he was sent here for. The Bible doesn’t emphasize the 32+ years prior to his sufferings. But it doesn’t mean they didn’t happen. It was just his life 🙂
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Perhaps you misconstrued my point…I was pretty much trying to say what you were able to more concisely…we’re on the same page here. many thanks.
 
shirleytowers said:
Of course he laughed. He didn’t laugh because he was human, we laugh because we are made God’s image, which includes a sense of humor IMO.

I am reminded of the time he appeared to the disciples after his resuerrection, and the apostles were out fishing. He called from the shore, “Did you catch anything?” knowing well they had not. I think that is kind of funny. I can just see him asking them the question wryly, just waiting to see them half fall out of the boat when they realized it was him…

(I hope I am remembering that right.)
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Love that one! Or when he appeared to His followers on the road to Emmaus and asked them what they were talking about? Like He didn’t know…:rolleyes:

How about the wedding at Cana? They ran out of wine! I imagine everyone was laughing during that celebration.
 
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