God’s Humor in the Bible
Man was made in God’s image, so we should not be surprised to learn that our Creator Himself has a sense of humor.
The power of comedy
All of history—despite the joys of human life and the remarkable accomplishments of the human race—is one long story of death and destruction. So the claim that the Bible is in any sense a comedy sounds like a joke. But in the Greco-Roman world, any story that had a happy ending instead of a tragic one was defined as a comedy.
The victory of Christ described at the end of the Bible reveals that history is indeed a comedy, at least in that ancient sense. God has told us that those who believe—regardless of how dull, tragic, or short our lives might be—will all be resurrected to enjoy a restored and glorified world, a happy ending only made possible by the work of Jesus.
However, there is also a great deal of comedy in the Bible, the sort of comedy that we encounter in everyday life. Sadly, because we have not been trained to expect any jokes in the Bible, our God’s brilliant humor goes right over our heads. Even worse, we often misunderstand the text because we take seriously what was intended to be a joke.
Now, don’t get me wrong, either. This does not mean that we shouldn’t take the Bible seriously. In most cases, the jokes are deadly serious because they are takedowns of wicked people—tyrants who take themselves very seriously but treat God as a joke.
Because they do not trust God’s promises, they betray and sacrifice other people to bring about their own utopia on earth. In response, God rightly sees them and their plans as a joke.
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. (Psalm 2:1-4)
The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes his teeth at him, but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming. (Psalm 37:12-13)
Keep reading online for free in Theo Magazine #3.
