Sense of humor in the Gospel

[nyrunskitx]

I’m currently taking a philosophy course on Language and Knowledge in college, and have an assignment on Freud’s The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious. The professor wants us to develop this assignment based on previous assignments, and I have used the Gospel for a large amount of my previous arguments. My question is, did Jesus or any of the writers of the New Testament use jokes? Or are there any examples of Jesus having a sense of humor?

Thanks and God Bless!
Alex

 

[Bastoune]

I thought this article was pretty good on the subject, but I would certainly like to hear some thoughts from others on these forums. I will think a little more on the subject and get back to you as well:

bobhostetler.com/writing/favorite008.html

I think we have to recall that the sense of humor back then was not quite as ours is nowadays, but there were some funny things in the Bible – even the scene of Elijah versus the prophets of Baal is comedic in many respects (1 Kings 18:20-40 – see also 2 Kings 2:23).

And even Paul was trying to be funny when talking about the Judaizers who wanted to impose circumcision: “I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!”
(Gal 5:12)

 

[Bastoune]

And I cannot tell if this is intentionally supposed to be funny but the fact that Eutychus in Acts 20 falls asleep during Paul’s preaching, then falls three stories to his death, only to be resurrected and go eat something (much to the relief of the others) makes me ROTFLMAO!

On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
(ACTS 20:7-12)

 

[txstm]

I think the book of Jonah is hilarious. Here we have a rightous Jew, Jonah, who hates the Ninevites, and God tells him to go preach to them telling them he is going to destroy them. Jonah wants nothing to do with that because he wants them destroyed, so he tries to flee on a ship to Tarshish, but God has other plans and has a large fish swallow him.
Jonah finally goes to Ninevah and tells them God is going to destroy them, hoping they don’t listen. But when he was only one days journey through the city, everyone from the King down listened to Jonah, put on sackcloth and sat in ashes begging God for Mercy.
You know the rest of the story–God forgives the Minevites, and Jonah is none too pleased with that–he was looking forward to seeing them perish.

 

[Watchman]

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus didn’t smirk at just how dense the apostles were at times.

In Matthew 16, Jesus wants to warn the apostles not to be misled in any way by the Pharisees because a little error goes a long way. He tells them to beware the “leavening” (or yeast) of the Pharisees and Sadducees. The apostles, confused, begin whispering among themselves. “Leavening? Were we supposed to bring bread?!” “Oh, great! Who forgot the bread?” “He never said one word about bread today until this very moment” “Well, I’M not going back for it…”

Jesus has to explain, “Guys. We don’t lack bread. Remember the loaves and fishes thing? I’ve done it a couple of times now. Remember? How long have you guys been with me? Seriously.”

He then went through it agin to explain.

 

[Eucharisted]

I thought this article was pretty good on the subject, but I would certainly like to hear some thoughts from others on these forums. I will think a little more on the subject and get back to you as well:

bobhostetler.com/writing/favorite008.html

I think we have to recall that the sense of humor back then was not quite as ours is nowadays, but there were some funny things in the Bible – even the scene of Elijah versus the prophets of Baal is comedic in many respects (1 Kings 18:20-40 – see also 2 Kings 2:23).

And even Paul was trying to be funny when talking about the Judaizers who wanted to impose circumcision: “I wish those agitators would go so far as to castrate themselves!”
(Gal 5:12)

The link dosen’t work, Bastoune.

 

[NotWorthy]

I’m currently taking a philosophy course on Language and Knowledge in college, and have an assignment on Freud’s The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious. The professor wants us to develop this assignment based on previous assignments, and I have used the Gospel for a large amount of my previous arguments. My question is, did Jesus or any of the writers of the New Testament use jokes? Or are there any examples of Jesus having a sense of humor?

Thanks and God Bless!
Alex

Of course Jesus had a sense of humor! When He named Simon “Rock”, it was because He recalled Simon’s inability to walk on water. When he tried, Simon sank like a Rock!!! A lot of people don’t realize this fact.

Also, how else could Jesus put up with Moe (aka Peter), Larry (James), and Curly (John)!

But the funniest scene, to me, comes from the biggest understatement in the Bible. In Acts 15, the Antiocheans are happy to find out they don’t need to be circumcised - When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation. Something tells me that they were more than just “delighted”. I get the feeling that this celebration is actually the origins of Mardi Gras!!!

 

[Harri_Laaksonen]

When I was in Seminary (Lutheran) I had a course on the parables. Our professor was working on a book regarding irony in the Gospels, especially in the parables.

When one takes them “with a grain of salt”, they can be pretty witty even in English and much more so in Greek.

A number of proverbs are also quite witty.

 

[Evan]

Of course there is always Jesus’ first pun

He said to the fishermen, I will make you fishers of men (HA HA)

 

[CHRISTINE77]

Of course Jesus had a sense of humor! When He named Simon “Rock”, it was because He recalled Simon’s inability to walk on water. When he tried, Simon sank like a Rock!!! A lot of people don’t realize this fact.

Also, how else could Jesus put up with Moe (aka Peter), Larry (James), and Curly (John)!

But the funniest scene, to me, comes from the biggest understatement in the Bible. In Acts 15, the Antiocheans are happy to find out they don’t need to be circumcised - When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation. Something tells me that they were more than just “delighted”. I get the feeling that this celebration is actually the origins of Mardi Gras!!!

I thought it was because Peter was dense like a rock. Not too bright. But solid.

Also he called James and John sons of Thunder because they were really loud, and Simon the Zealot because he was really avid.

I think he liked to have fun. He liked to drink wine and tease the poor Pharisees.

 

[Robert_in_SD]

I’m currently taking a philosophy course on Language and Knowledge in college, and have an assignment on Freud’s The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious. The professor wants us to develop this assignment based on previous assignments, and I have used the Gospel for a large amount of my previous arguments. My question is, did Jesus or any of the writers of the New Testament use jokes? Or are there any examples of Jesus having a sense of humor?

Thanks and God Bless!
Alex

How about at the wedding feast of Cana, when Jesus turned water used for ceremonial foot washing into wine. The servants sat back and waited to see just what sort of commotion would break out when the headwaiter tasted the “foot water” only to be amazed at the result. There is definitely some humor in this recounting as well.

 

[SHW]

God’s sense of humor:

Paul was persecuting persons who followed/who were of the “Way.” [John 14:6, Acts 9:2] God strikes him down and blinds him in order to get his attention. Then He commands Paul to go to the street named “Straight” [Acts 9:11] in order for Him to have his physical blindness healed by the power of God through Ananias and also for him to get spiritually healed by Baptism and onto the “Straight Way” so that he could eventually inherit eternal life when he died! [Luke 3:4 ,Hebrews 12:12-14]

 

[Jacobus]

After Nathanael said, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?”, Jesus said, “Behold, a true Israelite, in whom there is no guile!” Jesus was saying with a smile and a twinkle in his eye, “Behold, a typical Jew, who says exactly what is on his mind!”

I agree that the Book of Jonah is hilarious.