We O so SERIOUS members of CC, did Jesus ever laugh or joke?

[RickShafer]

No!
Absolutely not!
Jesus is God!
He never joked! (Couldn't afford to)
He was too busy saving humanity.
- - -Jokes??????? - - - - (Don't make me laugh!!!!!)

(Truthfully, I know God has a sense of humor because He not only made me but He saved me,.....now that's funny!)
- All the good gifts from God come without repentance - - - including humor.
- - Jesus is the All in All.
- - - You might not see jokes in the bible because it has more important things to cover.
To me, there are enough evidences of the great humor, and ever loving kindness of God throughout creation, that life surpasses 'humor' and approaches 'joy'.

 

[JaumeJ]

My only beef is not whether or not Yahweh has a sense of humor, it is with people using base humor, jokes, cartoons, and the like to humiliate the brethren, and as I pointed out earlier, one of our family weak in the faith was driven away by this ridicule.

As for our Father having a sense of humor, I know of one occasion where this may have been demonstrated, and quite loudly. A brother in Yeshua at the U of I where I was attending had an important examiation scheduled for an upcoming morning. He had studied very hard and very late right up to that last night before the examination. He asked the Lord to please be sure he did not oversleep. He lived in a dorm. The morning of the examination the fire alarm went off at 7 AM.

No one was discussing the Gospel of Yeshua, no, this was away from fellowshipping........and there, are you laughing. I thought it was quite humorous. Too bad the enire dorm was awakened, but I am sure the ones who needed were able to get back to sleep.

 

[Praus]

I was just wondering.

I know people get offended sometimes when in the middle of a serious debate someone will come in and start joking. I've read post of people complaining about it.

"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have." --Roger Rabbit (comic genius)

I always viewed it as a way to put things in perspective. to remind people to take a break from arguing their position to remember God's love and fellowship with other believers.

"My whole purpose in life is to make... people... laugh!" --Roger Rabbit

What does the JOy of the Lord mean to you?

Peace of mind and continuing sobriety in Jesus Christ and Bible study with my brethren.

Does God have a sense of humor?
Can you give Biblical examples of when Jesus has laughed or examples of His humanity?

Laughing, not in so many words:

Psalm 59:8 But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations. (NASB)

Humanity:

John 11:35 Jesus wept.

But don't let it stop you from laughing:

Luke 6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

Better than weeping all the time, no?

Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. (NASB)

 

[JaumeJ]

Jesus wept.

 

[reject-tech]

I am absolutely positively sure that He did, and still does.

 

[nathan3]

Not that I'm aware of.. What reason would there be, standing among His children that are is such a sorry state.

 

[Praus]

This must be at my expense, nice wink. Now, when I am away from discussing the Word of Yahweh, Which Yeshua suffered and died to give us, I am perfectly capable of a joke dealing with the profane, but within the context of discussing the Word, I cannot do away with the vanity of so many with their funny posts. You may not believe this, but there are no jokes in the Word.

There is a season for all things, but I am afraid many who think they are walking in the Light are in great darkness.

I'm sorry that mocking idols offends you.

Gen 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

 

[JaumeJ]

You took this as being humor? I sure do not get it....... I never took this story of Rachel on Laban's household idols as being humorous. I must be pretty thick, right?

I'm sorry that mocking idols offends you.

Gen 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. 35 She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

 

[danschance]

God definetly has a sense of humor.

I was working on a large solar project in the desert of California along with 400 other people. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the busses came early to bus us back to Palm Springs. I was excited to go home. Unfortunatly, I got on the bus early and did not think about it all. A general foreman came on the bus and told me "Today is your last day, you are fired". Yet nothing else happened.

I felt awful as I have never been fired before. The entire holiday weekend I was depressed thinking I would be fired on Monday. Monday came and went and I had not been fired. Driving back to Palm Springs I realized it was over and finally relaxed--my job was safe. Then God gave me a vision. First I need to mention this: I have a coined phrase I sometimes tell others who are going thru difficult times. I say "Don't do a Peter and look at the big scary waves. Keep your eyes on Jesus and trust Him to take care of you.

The vision I saw a picture frame. Inside the frame was something that looked like an animated picture. I saw large waves in the background, occasional flash of lighting from a dark cloud filled sky. In the center I saw Jesus. He had long dark hair and the most amazing pair of eyes in a pool of brilliant blue. As I looked into His eyes I felt calm, peaceful and even love. After it was over I felt so peaceful and then it hit me. I had just seen a picture of what I had told others to do. I laughed and realized that God was feeding my own words back at me. I still laugh when I think about this and I hope you see the humor too.

 

[RickShafer]

God gives us joy.
This should always be remembered.
I know Jack and Praus agree on this.
Because without Him we are lost, (of all men most miserable).
That we were accounted worthy to not only be spared from eternal separation from the God of life, but to be consider joint-heirs in the beloved by the blood of Jesus Christ is a grace indeed; and so worthy to be happy about!

 

[Ariel82]

Thank you for your answers.

A reminder the topic is JESUS.

not whatever grudges you have against members of cc who might have a sense of humor.

If you see someone bullying another person and pretending it is "joking" then it should be address to that person.

If you see me doing it, then you can rebuke me for it.

Typically I only joke with those who know I'm picking on them for the same things I would pick on myself for, its part of what I find funny. that there is someone else who shares my flaws and we can both laugh about it.

I will make a note NOT to joke with Jaume.

I found this verse about laughter in the Bible:

Psalm 126:2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

 

[biggiestomp]

I was just wondering.

I know people get offended sometimes when in the middle of a serious debate someone will come in and start joking. I've read post of people complaining about it.

I always viewed it as a way to put things in perspective. to remind people to take a break from arguing their position to remember God's love and fellowship with other believers.

Does God have a sense of humor?

What does the JOy of the Lord mean to you?

Can you give Biblical examples of when Jesus has laughed or examples of His humanity?

I think you might need to explain your post alittle more. I do believe i get what you said. As this post kinda became more serious as you mention how the debates in the rooms become serious and someone enters with a little humor to remind people to take a break from arguing their position to remember God's love and fellowship with other believers.

Heres one, The Lord told man that he would give him a wife who was obedient and submissive and he could find her in the four corners of the Earth. Then the Lord made the Earth round...lol

 

[Ariel82]

I know I joke around with people, but typically I only do it with folks I like an respect. Its not meant to make them feel belittled or stupid.

I guess its an annoy little sister trait I never outgrow.

I like picking on Abiding when he gets super serious, because it reminds me of when we first meet and my questions kind of rubbed him the wrong way and he got offended. Lucky he forgave me and we've been friends since, but I still pick on him to remind him and myself that sometimes we can have moments of miscommunication and not to take offense where no offense is intended.

I do the same thing with a few other people who I know who will understand the message.

I know that the posts of food and drinks aggravate some people and I prayed about it

. I don't mean to aggravate others, but if we were face to face, I would be offering people food and drinks because I always thought that was part of being hospitable.

Plus that is how my mom trained me.

people can't fight if their mouth is full and I hope that it will give them time to calm down and pray about what they say before they something they will regret later.

it might be silly, it might seem foolish, but God often ask us to look beyond our own dignity to deliver His message and teach His lessons.

In the Old testament God asked some of His prophets to cook food over human dung (changed to cow dung) as a sign against the people and their rebellion.

If someone were to do some of the things the OT prophets did today, they would be locked up in a mental hospital.

I'm not sure how to explain my post more.

 

[Ariel82]

Perhaps I should answer my own questions?

Does God have a sense of humor?

yes I do believe He does. I'm sure if we look we can find it throughout the BIble.

What does the JOy of the Lord mean to you?

it is a sense of peace in my heart that no matter what happens in the world, or what goes wrong, the knowledge of God's love and forgiveness causes me to be joyful. its a song within that never stops praising God.

Can you give Biblical examples of when Jesus has laughed or examples of His humanity?

i liked the ones given in the thread so far.

He wept. showing His humanity. He had friends.

I'm sure there are more examples. perhaps others will find and post them.

 

[cfultz3]

As for our Father having a sense of humor, I know of one occasion where this may have been demonstrated, and quite loudly. A brother in Yeshua at the U of I where I was attending had an important examiation scheduled for an upcoming morning. He had studied very hard and very late right up to that last night before the examination. He asked the Lord to please be sure he did not oversleep. He lived in a dorm. The morning of the examination the fire alarm went off at 7 AM.

Gotta love God for that one

 

[nathan3]

You might consider the talking donkey .

 

[directline2iam]

This is quite understandable:

My take: Reclaiming Jesus’ sense of humor

Editor’s note: James Martin, SJ, is a Jesuit priest, culture editor of America magazine and author of "Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life," from which this article is adapted.By James Martin, Special to CNNHere’s a serious question about levity: The Bible clearly paints a picture of Jesus of Nazareth as a clever guy, but he never seems to laugh, much less crack a smile. Did Jesus really have no sense of humor; didn't he ever laugh?Well, one difficulty with finding humor in the New Testament is that what was seen as funny to those living in Jesus' time may not seem funny to us.For someone in first-century Palestine, the premise (or “setup” as a comic would say) was probably more amusing than the punch line. "The parables were amusing in their exaggeration or hyperbole," Amy-Jill Levine, a New Testament scholar at Vanderbilt University, said in an interview. “The idea that a mustard seed would have sprouted into a big bush that birds would build their nests in would be humorous."People in Jesus’ day would probably have laughed at many of his intentionally funny illustrations: for example, the idea that someone would have lit a lamp and put it under a basket, or that a person would have built a house on sand or that a father would give a child stones instead of bread.But contemporary Christians may be missing the humor that Jesus intended and that his audience understood.Father Daniel J. Harrington, SJ, professor of New Testament at Boston College, agrees. "Humor is very culture bound," he told me. "The Gospels have a lot of controversy stories and honor-shame situations. I suspect that the early readers found these stories hilarious, whereas we in a very different social setting miss the point entirely."Let’s repeat that: hilarious.Or maybe we just know the stories too well. Too many Gospel stories have become stale, like overly repeated jokes. "The words seem to us like old coins," wrote Elton Trueblood, a 20th-century Quaker scholar, "in which the edges have been worn smooth and the engravings have become almost indistinguishable."In his book "The Humor of Christ," Trueblood recounts the tale of his 4-year-old son hearing the Gospel story of seeing the speck of dust in your neighbor's eye and ignoring the log in your own and laughing uproariously. His son recognized the humor that someone else, who might have heard the story dozens of times, might miss.There are other indications in the Gospels that Jesus of Nazareth had a lively sense of humor. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is castigated for not being as serious as John the Baptist. "The Son of Man came eating and drinking," Jesus said, "and they say, ‘Look, a glutton and a drunkard.’ ” In other words, the Gospels record criticism of Jesus for being too high-spirited."Jesus and his disciples," said the Rev. Richard J. Clifford, SJ, a biblical scholar at Boston College, "are criticized for living it up!"After his time on Earth, some of this playfulness may have been downplayed by the Gospel writers, who, scholars say, may have felt pressured by the standards of their day to present a more serious Jesus."There were probably things that were compressed and shortened, and some of the humor may have been leached out," Clifford said. "But I see Jesus as a witty fellow, someone who is serious without being grim. When the disciples argue among themselves, Jesus brings wit into the discussion."Jesus also embraces others with a sense of humor. In the beginning of the Gospel of John comes the remarkable story of Nathanael, who has been told by his friends that the Messiah is from Nazareth. Nathanael responds, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"This is an obvious joke about how backwards the town was; Nazareth was seen as a backwater with only a few hundred people.And what did Jesus say in response? Does he castigate Nathanael for mocking his hometown?Jesus says nothing of the sort! Nathanael's humor seems to delight him."Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit," Jesus said. In other words, here’s someone I can trust.Nathanael then became one of the apostles. Jesus’ welcoming of Nathanael into his inner circle may be the clearest indication that Jesus had a sense of humor.Besides, what kind of a person has zero sense of humor? I asked Eileen Russell, a clinical psychologist based in New York who specializes in the role of resilience, how she would describe the psychological makeup of a person without a sense of humor.“A person without a sense of humor would lead to that person having significant social problems,” she said. “He would most likely have difficulty making social connections, because he wouldn’t be able to read signals from other people, and would be missing cues.”That’s the opposite of what we know about Jesus from the Gospels. Yet that's just the kind of one-sided image that many Christians have of Jesus. It shows up in Christian books, sermons and in artwork. It influences the way that Christians think about Jesus, and therefore influences their lives as Christians.If part of being human includes having a sense of humor, and if Jesus was “fully human,” as Christians believe, he must have had a fully developed sense of humor. Indeed, his sense of humor may be one unexamined reason for his ability to draw so many disciples around him with ease.It’s time to set aside the notion that Jesus was a humorless, grim-faced, dour, unsmiling prude. Let’s begin to recover his humor and, in the process, his humanity /QUOTE​

 

[RedTent]

I have been absolutely fascinated with reading about people who through the ages and today are trying to live all the directives for living given, especially in Deuteronomy and Leviticus into a lifestyle. More interesting than any works of fiction, so help me.

One of the results they all talk of is joy. One book gave a sort of minute by minute account of a Friday night supper, with the singing and praises and what they talked about.

Even our Christmas celebration is fun, but often has stress of overspending and missing family. Perhaps they also have stress they don't write about, but the picture they give is pure fun and joy. Our Christmas often forgets it is Christ centered, every part of theirs centers on God, even if they have a warped idea of who God is. Ours sometimes forgets scripture, theirs has scripture at the very core in every act. It makes you want to pour into their hearts that Christ WAS the Messiah, and into ours that our very being is centered on God and that is FUN!

 

[unclefester]

..............

 

[Praus]

You took this as being humor? I sure do not get it....... I never took this story of Rachel on Laban's household idols as being humorous. I must be pretty thick, right?

Rachel gives a model to all of us how to treat idols--with chutzpah and lots of it!

chutzpah (noun, slang) - Nearly arrogant courage; utter audacity, effrontery or impudence; supreme self-confidence; exaggerated self-opinion;

Etymology - Originated 1890–95 from Yiddish חוצפּה (khutspe), from Mishnaic Hebrew חֻצְפָּה (khutspá), from חָצַף (khátsaf, “to be insolent”). Ultimately from Aramaic חוצפא (ḥuṣpāʾ), חֲצַף (ḥaṣap, “to be insolent”).

chutzpah - Wiktionary

Here's another joke, it's more subtle:

Jonah 4:11 "Should I not have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know the difference between their right and left hand, as well as many animals?"