Why.would It Be Funny for a Girl.to Read in.bible Times
Laughter in the Bible? Absolutely!
Robin Gallaher Branch on the lighter side of the Bible
Robin Gallaher Branch November 20, 2021 47 Comments 49771 views
"The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy."—Proverbs 14:ten
"A cheerful heart is a skilful medicine."—Proverbs 17:22
Lighten up! Laughter is an important, and often overlooked, literary element in the Bible. Possibly Vincent Van Gogh's Withal Life with Bible could have used more pigments from his floral paintings? Photograph: Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam/Vincent van Gogh Foundation.
I remember one day resolving to do arduous work in two Chronicles. Studiously plowing through the reigns of Solomon through Jehoshaphat, I came to 2 Chronicles 21:xx and laughed outright. The text reads, "Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became male monarch, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one's regret, and was buried in the City of David, only not in the tombs of the kings" (italics added). Existence a wordsmith myself, I smiled at this bygone scribe relieved at this monarch's death. Obviously Jehoram was not well liked. The editorial statement provides a light touch on—comic relief, if yous volition—to the Chronicler'south normally routine kingship formula.
As I report and teach, I find I read the Bible ever more slowly, and as I do, I grin more and more often. I mind for its humor. My emotions span sorrow, understanding or joy as I empathize with the characters who cantankerous its pages. I chuckle at many passages, even while acknowledging the sadness they may contain. Consequently, I believe it's possible to read many verses, stories and even books through the lens of sense of humor, indeed to see portions of the Bible as intended to exist very funny. An appropriate response is laughter. I've come to this conclusion: Humor is a key sub-theme in both testaments.
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Laughter in the Hebrew Bible
Permit's start with an umbrella poetry, Ecclesiastes 3:iv: "A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance." The Biblical text, always practical, acknowledges human emotions and makes boundaries for their proper utilize.
God'south Laughter in the Hebrew Bible
Let'south look at God's laughter. After all, he'south the creator.
Consider Psalm 37:12-xiii: "The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; only the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming." Laughter hither shows the impotence of the wicked and the futility of their plots and gnashings against the righteous. Why? Because, as the psalm answers, those who hope in the Lord volition inherit the state and the Lord knows the wicked face a reckoning.
God directs the same kind of laughter toward earthly hotshots who call back their power exceeds his. Psalm 2:two, 4 declares that when "the kings of the world take their stand," marshalling themselves "against the Lord … and against his All-powerful One," so "the One enthroned in heaven laughs."
Only Zephaniah iii:17 illustrates joy, a different attribute of God'due south laughter and character, one more consistently expressed throughout the Biblical text: "He volition have great delight in you … he volition rejoice over you with singing." My students often are amazed that the thought of rejoicing carries with it the thought of concrete activity. The poesy presents this possibility: God's please tin can entail joyful songs and public dancing.
Who Is Responsible?
One story that makes me laugh is the conversation taking place somewhere on Mt. Sinai betwixt God and Moses. The recently-released Hebrew slaves are sinning by worshipping a calf made of gold and declaring that information technology, not the Lord, led them out of Egypt (Exodus 32:4-6). Neither God nor Moses wants these rowdies at this moment. Like a hot potato, responsibility for the former slaves passes dorsum and forth between them.
Robin Gallaher Branch has written several Bible History Daily-sectional character studies. Read her commentary on Judith, Barnabas, Anna and Tabitha.
The Lord swaps first, telling Moses the reveling Israelites are "your people" (v. 7) (italics added). Just Moses quickly catches on. He declines association with them. As far every bit Moses is concerned, these people are not his! Morphing into intercession style and speaking in what no dubiousness is a respectful tone, Moses rejoins, "O, Lord, why should your anger fire against your people, whom y'all brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?" (5. 11) (italics added). He reminds the Lord of his hope to his servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel to make their descendants "as numerous as the stars in the sky" (v. 13). This scene's sense of humor softens the chapter, which ends sorrowfully. The Israelites' sin leads speedily to the deaths of many by plague, and thus the affiliate ends (Exodus 32:35). The affiliate'due south structure incorporates dialogue, rebellion, crisis, and punishment.
Biblical Sense of humor Through Innuendo
Consider Genesis 18:10-15, wherein God informs Abraham and Sarah they will take a son past "this time next year" (v. 10). Sarah openly laughs, thinking she is worn out and now will have sexual pleasure again (v. 11). After all, she is about 89! We learn later that Abraham, probably about 99, also idea along sexual lines. He believed God could requite him and Sarah descendants and make them parents fifty-fifty though he—equally a man—was "as good equally dead" (Hebrews xi:11-12). The idea of fathering a child at his age struck him every bit funny.
Humorous Books in the Hebrew Bible
Whole books in the Hebrew Bible have strong elements of humor. An ongoing humorous element in the Volume of Esther is the number of banquets it mentions. At that place number at least 10, thereby forming the volume's structure and carrying much of its activeness. One wonders: Do these rulers do anything except dine and wine and plot and whine?
We are meant to laugh and learn throughout the Volume of Jonah. Yes, nosotros tin can laugh at Jonah's open defiance of going westward to Tarshish when God commands him to go northeast to Nineveh (Jonah one:1-3); at Jonah'southward "time out" to recall nigh things in the belly of the great fish (1:17a); at his pouting, obstinate silence for three days while being digested (1:17b); at his being vomited by the keen fish on dry land—somewhere probably in the Mediterranean world (ii:10); at his terse, vii-word sermon to Nineveh (iii:4); at his anger over the success of this sermon, the repentance of the entire urban center (four:i). Only the laughter is sometimes tinged with sadness, for Jonah's anger prevails and he never understands God'due south compassion for those who practice not know him and for their cattle (four:11). Indeed everything in the Book of Jonah—the sailors, body of water, big fish, gourd vine, hot wind and the Ninevites—obeys God. Everything and everybody except ane: Jonah. God shows his colors of compassion and mercy—and Jonah disdains them.
Sense of humour in the New Testament
The New Attestation, similarly, abounds with laughter. Jesus must have been a compelling personality to continue the attention of crowds for days and the steadfast loyalty of at to the lowest degree twelve disciples for three years. In improver to beingness a riveting instructor whose words brought life, he was likely the kind of personality that was just fun to be around.
For example, a oversupply numbering near five,000 men followed him to a alone place (Mark half-dozen:30-44). Jesus' teaching evidently made people forget to eat, bring food or worry most work.
In his classic work The Sense of humour of Christ, Elton Trueblood lists thirty humorous passages in the Synopic Gospels. In one way or another, they're all i liners, parables or stories Jesus told. Trueblood thinks Jesus' audience would accept laughed at the image of those who loudly proclaim their righteous actions to others (Matt. 6:2) because it was all too prevalent. An audition would have plant the idea of rulers calling themselves benefactors ludicrous (Luke 22:25)—considering the working folks knew all too well it wasn't so. No doubt the audience chuckled when Jesus commended the vociferous, obstreperous widow for her persistent pestering of the unjust judge and cited her as a successful model of prayer (Luke 18:one-viii).
Read Robin Branch'southward Bible History Daily characteristic "What's Funny About the Gospel of Mark?"
Paul employs sense of humor in his alphabetic character to the new church building in Corinth (i Corinthians 12:12-27). He addresses several issues reported to him. The problems—pride, exclusivity and attitudes of "I don't need or desire you"—could destroy the new church, for they counter the love Jesus taught. Instead of singling out past proper noun troublemakers in Corinth, he allegorizes the state of affairs in a humorous, not-threatening, open up manner: "The center cannot say to the hand, 'I don't need you!' And the head cannot say to the feet, I don't demand you lot'" (five. 12:21). Paul affirms the need of all parts, and their need to function in unity, in the Body of Christ.
In the dwelling of Jairus, a synagogue ruler, Jesus uses applied knowledge to interruption a tense state of affairs. Jairus' twelve-year-old daughter just died. Jesus, three of his disciples and the kid'due south parents fill the room (Marker 5:twoscore). Jesus goes to the trunk, picks upward the girl'due south hand, says to her, "Talitha koum!" which means, "Little girl, I say to you, get upward!" (v. 41). The girl immediately gets up and walks around the room (v. 42a). Mark records the reaction of those in the room as "completely astonished" (v. 42b); in other words, they're probably stunned and silent. Jesus responds with something applied: He tells them to give her something to eat (v. 43). A natural human reaction—when grief is turned to unexpected joy as when a expressionless daughter is brought back to life—is something loud like laughter or shouting. Here, Jesus cracks a joke by reminding everybody that a girl who has been sick, experienced death, and is now live is hungry! Of course she needs to eat! All twelve yr-olds have ravenous appetites! This practical, timely and kind statement from Jesus breaks all the tension, pent-up grief and amazement present in the room among the girl'southward parents and Jesus' 3 disciples. I read this scene equally Jesus' cracking a joke. And the proper appreciation of a joke is laughter.
This Bible History Daily feature was originally published on August 21, 2013.
Robin Gallaher Co-operative received her Ph.D. in Hebrew Studies from the University of Texas in Austin in 2000. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for the 2002–2003 academic twelvemonth to the Faculty of Theology at Northward-West University. Her most recent book is Jereboam's Wife: The Indelible Contributions of the Erstwhile Testament'due south Least-Known Women (Hendrickson, 2009).
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Source: https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-topics/bible-interpretation/laughter-in-the-bible-absolutely/
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