The God Who Births Laughter

There is something about the belly laugh of a child. Infectious at its very nature, you join in even before you know the reason for their laughter. Soon your sides ache and tears cascade down your cheeks. Those moments are pure gold.

Children laugh with abandon and little provocation. Yet as adults we view laughter as silliness, or worse, as an immature waste of time. Indulging at rare intervals and with careful boundaries, we quail as if laughter, like alcohol required disciplined restraint.

I wonder if Jesus welcomed the little children (Matthew 19:13-14) more for their propensity towards easy laughter than their guileless ways?

“Then people brought little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked them. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Matthew 1913-14-NIV

This seems more to the point when considering the reasoning of the disciples preventing the children from coming to him. Why do we keep children out of “adult” gatherings? Because children are at times “silly” and as adults we have serious business to conduct.

I can’t help thinking Jesus enjoyed a good laugh. Growing up with his own siblings and cousin John close to his age, had to include boyish fun and foolishness. We know Christ in his humanity was sinless but was he also humorless?

Even when he began his public ministry and surrounded himself with twelve men who ate, slept, and travelled with him as he taught them about the Kingdom of God, was he all business?

When was the last time you observed or were with a group of men where there was no good-natured ribbing or outright chicanery?

Are we to believe Jesus sat solemnly by, shaking his holy head at their immature antics? While I am not implying Jesus was foolish or immature, I am saying I believe he enjoyed laughter with the rest of the guys.

We see throughout the gospels his use of hyperbole and sarcasm as in (Matthew 19:24) where he says it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to get into heaven. Or the time he illustrates the presence of a judgmental attitude as having a log in your own eye, while trying to remove a speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:5) My children laughed uncontrollably at this absurd, though accurate metaphor.

But he didn’t stop there, he further compared the hypocrisy of the pharisees to straining out a gnat from their water while swallowing a camel. (Matthew 23:24)

Think about that picture, if you have a Jewish friend, they will tell you this is humor at its best.

Not confined to the New Testament and the person of Jesus Christ, God’s humor is also found throughout the Old Testament. The most well-known passage leaps from the pages of the Book of Numbers (Numbers 22:21-39) with Balaam’s talking donkey; the punchline for me is Balaam talking to the donkey as if this was a normal occurrence.

Then we have sarcasm at its absolute best in the story of Ahab and Jehoshaphat discussing the battle at Ramoth-Gilead. (1 Kings 22:1-28) After Ahab parades all his prophets before Jehoshaphat with their approval of the battle, Jehoshaphat asks if there is yet another prophet to consult. Ahab reluctantly calls Micaiah, who he says hates him and never prophesies anything good concerning him, and the entire exchange drips with God’s dry wit. It’s Monty Python at the palace.

And who can forget God visiting Abraham and telling him once again he will beget an heir from Sarah’s womb. (Genesis 18:1-15) Sarah in a nearby tent, “laughs” and when God calls her out, in good adult fashion she denies it. But God knows what he heard. And with that confirms within the year she will give birth to a son. In a stroke of sheer genius God tells Abraham the child’s name will be “Isaac”, which means “laughter”.

“So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’  Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But God said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Irony? Sure. But more than that, God births laughter. Because the only way that old couple would conceive and bring forth a son from a dead womb was through divine intervention.

Of all the names God could have chosen, he chose laughter. I believe this reflects God’s sheer delight in his creation. Created in his image, we inherit his humor. God wants us to laugh—great big, side-splitting belly laughs.

I see this in my own life as I move through a healing journey from long standing trauma and abuse. One of the first things to return was my laughter. As God heals the wounded places of my soul, he rebirths laughter. Imagine the God of the Universe dancing as he expresses his love and delight as he JOYS—laughs over us with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

“The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17-KJV

I may be wrong, but I believe heaven rings with laughter. Because there is no joy without laughter, and there is joy forever more in the presence of God. (Psalm 16:11)

But we need not wait for heaven to find pure joy. While we yet journey here on earth, we can behold God beholding us in an infinite circle of delight-filled laughter.

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