Word & World

Volume 32, Number 2

Spring 2012

Humor in the Bible

MICHAEL ROGNESS

H ow do we define humor? What is humorous or funny depends as much on

the listener or viewer as the situation or humorist, so an exact definition is
impossible. Defining humor is much like Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart
trying to define obscenity in a 1964 case before the court (Jacobellis v. Ohio). He
wrote, I shall not today attempt further to define the kinds of material I under-
stand to be embracedbut I know it when I see it. An adequate definition of hu-
mor is impossible, but we know it when we see it.
The ancient Greeks speculated considerably on the nature of comedy. They
considered irony to be the highest form of comedythe dramatic twist or effect
caused by events or people who act differently than one would suppose. The actual
word humor entered the English language only in the 1600s. According to the Ox-
ford English Dictionary the word humor arose from the consideration of the various
humors that might affect a persons temperament. Since then, the meaning of
humor has broadened to encompass the whole range of what we deem funny
slapstick, comedy, jokes, farce, incompetence, foolishness, irony, and more.
Is there humor in the Bible? Philosopher Alfred North Whitehead didnt see
any: The total absence of humour in the Bible is one of the most singular things in
all literatures.1 Dorothy L. Sayers thought the opposite. She imagined, for exam-
ple, how the tax collector Matthew might have heard Jesus parables:
1Quoted in J. William Whedbee, The Bible and the Comic Vision (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002) 1.

The Scriptures are rich with humorpeople acting in foolish ways, the irony of
people acting differently than one would expect, the sudden twists in a story to il-
lustrate a meaning. The Bible is about human lifeall of ithow could it not
contain humor?

Copyright 2012 by Word & World, Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. All rights reserved. 117
Rogness

He has gleefully thrown away all his worldly goodsbut, all the same, his pro-
fessional instincts are shocked by financial stupidity and appealed to by finan-
cial astuteness. He thinks the Parable of the Unjust Steward is a frightfully
funny story.2

Thomas Cahill wrote about the wry and smiling Jesus and his laughing victory
as he disputes with the religious authorities. 3
I first realized that the Bible could be funny when I heard Professor David
Rhoads from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago recite the Gospel of
Mark. When you hear the story told aloud, it becomes so clear how the disci-
plesthose destined to become our great heroes of the faithfail to catch on to
who Jesus is. They have witnessed stupendous miracles, yet they are scared to death
in the boat as Jesus sleeps during a storm (Mark 4:3541). Jesus tells the disciples
that to be great is to be a servant (Mark 9:3335) and that the kingdom of God be-
longs to those who are like little children (Mark 10:1316), yet soon after that
James and John have apparently missed the whole point and ask to sit at Jesus
right and left hand in glory (Mark 10:3540). Nor do the townspeople of Jesus
hometown of Nazareth, who have known him the longest and who have no doubt
heard of the unbelievable miracles he has performed, grasp who he is: Cant be!
We watched this man grow among us (Mark 6:16). One cant help but smile at
the rich irony in scenes like these.

For our purposes here let us define humor as those situations,

comments, or stories that would cause us to smile, chuckle, or even
laugh. It helps to put ourselves in the place of those first listeners or
participants of these stories.

In looking for humor in the Bible, we are not referring to buffoonery, such as
the pie-in-the-face kind of Three Stooges humor. We are also not thinking of the
humor as from a stand-up comedian or the wise-cracking of Alan Alda as Hawkeye
on M*A*S*H. The Bible does, however, tell of humor at the expense of others. No
doubt Israelite children whooped with laughter hearing the story of Samson tying
torches to the tails of three hundred foxes, who ran and set afire the Philistine
fields of grain and olive groves; but the Philistine farmers didnt find it so funny
(Judg 15:4, 5). The pompous platitudes of Jobs comforters are laughable, but they
were spoken in the midst of Jobs sufferings. The Jewish Purim festival is a
light-hearted observance of the rescue of the Jews in Babylon by Queen Esther and
Uncle Mordecai, celebrated with masquerades and Haman cookies, even though
the story ends grimly with the hanging of Haman.

2Dorothy L. Sayers, The Man Born to Be King (New York: Harper & Row, 1943) 100.
3Thomas Cahill, Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus (New York: Anchor,
2001) 280.

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Psalm 126:2 describes the laughter of joy, but in Psalm 2:4, 37:14, and 59:8 we
read of the laughter of derision. When Jesus announced that the rulers little girl
was not dead but sleeping, the people laughed at him (Matt 9:24; Mark 5:40; Luke
8:53). At his trial and crucifixion Jesus was mocked, derided, and scoffed ata
grim sort of humor (Matt 27:2931; Mark 15:29; Luke 23:35).
For our purposes here, however, let us define humor as those situations,
comments, or stories that would cause us to smile, chuckle, or even laugh. It helps
to put ourselves in the place of those first listeners or participants of these stories.
We are so accustomed to hearing them that we barely realize the impact they
would have had upon those who were there.

THE UNEXPECTED TWIST

All throughout the Scriptures God acts in unexpected ways. We expect one
thing, but God turns our expectations upside down and surprises us. We cant help
but smile at this flagrant irony.
The best known instance where the word laugh occurs in the Bible is with
Abraham and Sarah. God promised them a son, but Sarahs biological clock had
run well past midnight, and they had given up hope. Yet, when God assures them
that indeed Sarah would have her son, they each laughed for surprise and joy. In-
deed, Abraham laughed so hard that he fell on his face with laughter (Gen 17:17;
18:1215).
The most beloved of Jesus parables is the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke
15:1132). We do not think of it as a funny story, but imagine the reaction of those
standing around Jesus listening to it for the first time. First, the younger son asks
for his inheritance. Cant you imagine the listeners nudging each other, thinking,
What cheek! This teenage kid asking for all that money! But then the situation is
compoundedto the surprise and raised eyebrows of those first listenerswhen
the father gives it to him. What sensible father would ever do that? As they hear
how the son wastes the whole sum and ends up in the pigsty, the listeners smile and
nod to each other, No surprise there! We knew it would end that way. The son
comes home and appropriately asks only to be a servant. Listeners probably as-
sume the father will take the boy back, but of course make him work to make up
for all those losses. But no, the father takes him back with no consequences at all.
Then comes the one sensible person in the whole story, the faithful, hardworking
elder brother, and hes rebuked! Imagine the reaction of those first listeners. We are
amused at the young sons exorbitant request, surprised at the fathers giving in,
gratified when the elder brother brings a sensible note into the story, then brought
to realize that all along Jesus was describing Gods extravagant mercy dealing with
us. The humor and huge irony of people acting so illogically and incongruously has
set us up for the unexpected, surprising, and astonishing good news of Gods grace
and acceptance.
One of the most genuinely humorous stories in the Bible is buried in 2 Kings 6,
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once again with a totally unexpected twist. The Syrian army comes to capture the
prophet Elisha. When God answers Elishas prayer to strike the army blind, the
prophet leads them to Samaria, where the Israelite king can easily kill them. But
Elisha says no. So what shall we do with this enemy? Feed them, Elisha says,
theyre hungry! So the king, no doubt puzzled by all this, gives his enemies not a
sack lunch with some potato chips and a pickle, but a great feast, and sends them
on their way. The story ends with the comment that the Syrian army no longer
came raiding into the land of Israel (2 Kings 6:23). What a twist! Violence usually
escalates into more violence, but heres an instance where a totally unexpected re-
sponse of nonviolence and even hospitality defuses what could have been a bloody
outcome. I wonder if Martin Luther King Jr. ever preached on that text.

PEOPLE ARENT SUPPOSED TO ACT THAT WAY

Role reversal is a standard element of humor and comedy. In the TV series
Frasier, the brothers Frasier and Niles Crane are highly trained Harvard psychia-
trists yet bumble their way ineptly through various domestic situations. On a larger
scale, sensible persons would not dare argue with the sovereign creator God of the
universe, yet Abraham does. When he hears of Gods plan to destroy the cities,
Abraham plays Gotcha! with God, goading God, as it were, to act according to
Gods own standards: I cant imagine you would do such a thing, killing the righ-
teous people along with the wicked. Come now, a righteous God cant do that!
(Gen 18:25, paraphrased). Then, in a scene that resembles the dickering over prices
at a Middle Eastern street bazaar, Abraham negotiates the rescue of righteous peo-
ple from the soon-to-be-destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, all the while acting def-
erential, presumably to avoid angering God: Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I
speak just once more Yet in the end Abraham has to admit there may not be
anybody righteous in those two cities, except for Lot and his family (Gen 18:32).
How can anyone help but smile at that exchange?

in a scene that resembles the dickering over prices at a Middle

Eastern street bazaar, Abraham negotiates the rescue of righteous
people from the soon-to-be-destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, all
the while acting deferential, presumably to avoid angering God

The story of Jonah is not only humorous, but the humor is compounded as
the story unfolds. Jonah tries to run from Goda futile gestureand ends up in
the fish. In the fishs belly, he prays a lengthy prayer for deliverance. Arriving fi-
nally in Nineveh, he preaches (somewhat grudgingly, we suppose) the shortest ser-
mon in the Bible: eight words in English, only five in Hebrew, no gospel, only
threatand this results in the Bibles most successful sermon! Was Jonah happy
about this? Quite the opposite. He pouts in anger, consoled only by the shade of
the bush God provides. Then God sends a worm to destroy the bush, and Jonah
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pouts even more. We can imagine God looking down as a parent and wanting to
laugh at a child pouting in foolish, exaggerated self-pity. The story ends as Jonah
learns about Gods vast willingness to forgiveor at least the reader does.

GOTCHA!
Hoisting someone on his own petard is a standard element of humor. For
example, when the Israelites complain of hardship on their exodus journey, God
angrily threatens to strike them with pestilence and disinherit them (Num
14:12). Moses intercedes, first reminding God that Gods reputation will be sullied
as other nations conclude that God cant rescue the people as planned. Then Moses
reminds God of the promise to be slow of anger and abounding in steadfast love,
forgiving iniquity and transgression (v. 18). If youre so loving and forgiving, Mo-
ses argues, then nows the time to be what you say you are. Gotcha, God! Imperti-
nent, yes, and humorous too (Num 14:1319; see also Exod 32:3034; 33:1215).
We are appalled at how callously Jesus treats the Canaanite woman who
pleads for healing for her daughter in Matt 15:2128. Yet she doesnt back down,
but turns the table on Jesus by pressing on and reminding him that even dogs get
crumbs from the table. Jesus is astounded at her faith, and her daughter was
healed instantly. Who doesnt smile or cheer at the mothers persistence?
Imagine the onlookers listening to Jesus contend with the Pharisees and law-
yers as they try to incriminate him with tricky questions. How humorous it must
have been when Jesus stymied them by asking them if Johns authority came from
heaven or not. They were baffled, because either answer would have caused trouble
for them (Matt 21:2327). Finally, they thought they had Jesus trapped by asking,
Is it lawful to pay taxes or not? One answer will anger Jewish patriots, the other
will incriminate him with the secular authorities. When Jesus showed them a coin
with the emperors image and said, Give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God
what is Gods, they were again baffled and left Jesus alone (Matt 22:1522). Got-
cha! Again and again in those confrontations between Jesus and the religious lead-
ers following Jesus entry into Jerusalem, the audience must have found it highly
amusing as Jesus outwitted them.

IMAGINE IT ON FILM
For the traveling troupes who performed mystery and morality plays from
town to town in the Middle Ages, biblical scenes were stock repertoire. Think of
the Bible stories that become humorous when we visualize them. Think of them on
film.
Pontius Pilate was the most powerful man in the Gospel stories, the represen-
tative of the mighty Roman Empire. Yet, picture the scene described in John 18
when Jesus is brought before himbeaten, bleeding, and half-naked. Does Jesus
cower in fear before the mighty Pilate? No. When Jesus is brought before him, Pi-
late tries to send him back to the Jewish authorities. They wont take him. He ques-
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tions Jesus, who calmly answers, until Pilate throws up his hands and asks, What
is truth? knowing that he is being cleverly manipulated (v. 38). He goes out and
announces to the temple authorities that he finds no case against Jesus, and offers
to release him. But Pilate is thwarted by the authorities, who ask for Barabbas in-
stead. Even Pilates wife pleads for him to release this innocent man (Matt 27:19),
but Pilate is hemmed in by circumstances. He goes back and talks to Jesus, and
again tries to release him, but continues to be outmaneuvered. Matthew adds that
Pilate saw that he could do nothing (Matt 27:24). Picture the scene: Jesus re-
mains calm; the mighty Pilate appears frazzled, outwitted, and helpless. Irony is a
form of humor, and what more ironical scene is there in the Bible?
Another story in the Bible which is humorous to read, but would be down-
right funny to watch on screen is the account of Manoah and his wife in Judg 13. A
man of God appears to her and informs her that she will bear a son and then
gives her instructions about the boy: Dont cut his hair; he will be a Nazirite and
will deliver his people from the Philistines. She runs to tell her husband, who is ap-
parently miffed that the man of God appeared to his wife, since he is the head of
the household. So he prays that God will send the man again, this time to him, with
instructions about the new child. God answers his prayer, but sends the man of
God again to the wife instead of to Manoah. This time, his wife is out in the field, so
she tells the man of God to wait so she can fetch her husband (would a filmmaker
portray an angel leaning on a fencepost as he waited patiently out in the field?).
Manoah arrives and asks the man of God if hes the one who spoke to his wife, as if
hes offended that a strange man would so inappropriately talk to a woman alone.
The man of God says, I am he, so Manoah asks to hear the message, even though
his wife has already told him the whole story. Then they invite the man of God to
lunch; he doesnt eat, but mysteriously ascends to heaven in the cooking smoke.
We readers knew all along the visitor was an angel, but the story says that only at
the end did Manoah and his wife realize it was indeed an angel of God.

would a filmmaker portray an angel leaning on a fencepost

as he waited patiently out in the field?

All throughout the Scriptures we find passages that are humorous.

Can we fail to smile at how Adam and Eve point the blame elsewhere after their
transgression: She gave me the fruit; The serpent tricked me (Gen 3:1213)?
How foolish is it to try to build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens
(Gen 11:4)?
Consider the scheming that that goes on between Jacob and Laban. I remem-
ber how in Bible camp we repeated the Mizpah benediction to each
otherThe LORD watch between you and me when we are absent, one from
anothernot realizing that what these two connivers are really saying is,
God had better keep an eye on you when Im not around (Gen 31:49).
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Descriptions that might sound normal in Hebrew, a language accustomed to

similes and metaphors, sound comical to us in English, such as comparing
the attributes of a beautiful woman to doves, goats, pomegranates, towers,
fawns, and towers in the Song of Solomon (4:15).
We wouldnt dare read the story of Balaam and his talking donkey in church,
knowing people would laugh (Num 22:2235).
Think of all the gentle humor in the Book of Proverbsthe fool who thinks
he can buy wisdom with money (17:16); a man too lazy to lift food to his
mouth (19:24); the foolishness of not hiding from danger (22:3); the futility
of speaking wisdom to a fool (23:9); and many more.
The spectacle of the chief tax collector climbing a tree to see Jesus must have
struck onlookers as funny (Luke 19:4).
There is a touch of comedy in people who do something clearly foolish and
have to pay the consequencesan architect who launches a building project
without counting the cost (Luke 14:2832), a man who builds on a flimsy
foundation of sand (Matt 7:2427), the young women who failed to bring
sufficient oil for the wedding feast (Matt 25:112), or the rich man who built
bigger and bigger grain bins but neglected his own soul (Luke 12:1621).
At the wedding in Cana, even after Jesus rebukes Mary when she tells him
about the wine shortage, saying, What does this have to do with me? we
can detect the twinkle in a mothers eye when she turns to the servants and
says knowingly, Do whatever he tells you (John 2:111). Mothers do know
best!
So, is there humor in the Bible? The more appropriate question would be
how could there not be humor in the Bible? Humor is created by surprising end-
ings, unexpected events, people doing foolish things, incongruities between what
people appear to be and really are, crafty motives, misidentifications, misunder-
standingsall the stuff of human life, and all of it is in the Bible. The Bible is by its
very nature inevitably humorous, because the message of the Bible is that humans
do evil and foolish things, but God creates unexpected endings. God acts in unex-
pected ways, and peoples lives change in surprising directions. Anything out of the
ordinary can be humorous, and the purpose of the Bible is to jar people out of the
ordinary and change life in new directions. The Bible is, after all, about human life,
and the whole spectrum of human life is thereincluding humor!

MICHAEL ROGNESS is a retired professor of homiletics at Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Min-
nesota. He is the author of Preaching to a TV Generation (CSS, 1994) and Lord, Help My
Unbelief (Resource Publications, 2009).

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