Did Jesus Have A Sense of Humor?

I am often amazed to see the reaction some people have to the idea of Jesus laughing.  When I showed one of my friends a famous drawing of the laughing Christ, she seemed horrified. "I’m sure Jesus was too holy to act like that," she responded.

But the Bible says that Jesus was both fully God and fully man (Romans 9:5). That means he did the things all people do, just without sin (Hebrews 4:15).  And it’s not necessarily sinful to laugh.  Even God does it (Psalm 2:4).

But the Gospels, the four accounts of Jesus’ life, never say, "Jesus laughed." We do read that Jesus wept (John 11:35), but never that he laughed or even smiled. But does this mean that he didn't? An argument from silence is never very strong. To see how poor that line of reasoning is, consider all the other things one would need to argue that Jesus never did. For example, there is no account that Jesus ever took a bath, washed his hair, or brushed his teeth.

Jesus was a joyful person, continually urging his followers to be joyful. He explains to his disciples, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).

There is a more personal answer to the question.  I believe that Jesus Christ loves me. I cannot imagine that anyone without a sense of humor could do that.  How could he possibly take a look at my life—my foibles and my sins—and still declare that he loves me, without at least a little smile?  So many times he must shake his head now and look ahead to my eternity in heaven, where my own laughter will never cease (Psalm 126:2).  

 

Tags: