The Last Laugh

It’s amazing how some religious people have absolutely no sense of humor. Actually, it makes me sad.

I’ll never forget a quote I read from one religious leader regarding humor…

“There are no jokes in our faith. There is no humor in our faith. There is no fun in our faith. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious.”

That religious leader was the Ayatollah Khomeini speaking about his version of Islam. Sounds like a fun guy to invite to parties, right?

But to be fair, I’ve known my share of Christians who are just as bad. They think being holy means being serious all the time. If anyone’s having any fun, they’ll be the first ones to find something wrong with it.

Funny, that’s more like the Pharissees in the Bible and nothing at all like Jesus!

Humor’s kind of a big deal to me – you could say I’m pretty serious about not being too serious. I use humor as often as possible. It puts people at ease and breaks down barriers.

It’s also a good tool to get across a point. For instance:

When my wife has spent the whole day working and wants to go out to eat, I’ll joke, “No way! Get in the kitchen, woman, and make me a sandwich like you’re supposed to!” 

Am I really that much of a jerk? Of course not. That’s called irony. And my wife knows that I’m really saying, “Of course we can eat out. It’s not your responsibility to cook all my meals. That’s a privilege I enjoy thanks to your kindness and skill!”

Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t see my wife for a while. And then, I’d start to see her out of one eye, once the swelling went down (insert “rim shot” here).

I understand you can’t joke about everything all the time. There are limits to what’s appropriate. Although your motives must be clear to the listener, I’ve found that humor almost always brings people closer together…

Except today. Right now, everyone is eager to be offended.

I believe being offended is our new national pastime. Even comedians like Jerry Seinfeld have spoken up about how hard it is to do comedy anymore. Everyone has a chip on their shoulder. We used to be able to joke with friends about our differences, and that showed we didn’t take those differences seriously.

Now, we walk on eggshells, afraid of stepping on everyone’s offense.

The fact we live in an age of ad hominem attacks means there is a daily onslaught that threatens our joy. Those attacks are most obvious in the political arena. 

There’s an old story about a lady from the upper classes arguing with Winston Churchill. When she could no longer think of something intelligent to respond, she remarked, “Mr. Churchill, you’re a fat slob!”

Without a second thought, he replied, “Yes, and you’re ugly as sin. But I can lose weight!”

While some of these attacks are funny, they lack the healing power of positive humor. If you respond to them and attack back, you risk losing something very valuable: your joy.

That may sound insignificant to you. But it’s actually devastatingly strategic. That’s because “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).

Really, it is.

Joy is a precious fuel that empowers your day. It results from a confident, thankful heart that trusts God to see us through any trial or obstacle. That joy keeps you trudging through the muck and mire, trusting there’s something good just on the other side.

But without that joy, you lose hope. You give into despair. You give up. And your destiny goes unfulfilled.

I believe joy is a precious resource you should protect and preserve. You may need to change the channel, or even avoid several office conversations. Sadly, you may have to avoid some toxic people. Remember, whatever you focus on fills your mind. People can only steal your joy with your permission.

Some of the greatest joy thieves are social media accounts. People take themselves and their opinions so seriously. If they decide to eat only banana chips for the next 3 months, you’d better respect that. And they’ll proudly post pictures of those banana chips three times a day.  

And they will demand you respect what they say, even if what they think is ludicrous. You absolutely must agree with all their opinions or else you’re branded as evil. There is no mercy for dissenters!

That self-righteousness was so perfectly displayed by the Pharisees in the Bible. This group of religious party-poopers seemed to follow Jesus around just for the fun of being offended by Him. And He appeared to get particular satisfaction from occasionally poking their sacred cows with a stick. 

The Pharisees were used to people agreeing with them out of fear. Their strident, humorless demeanors had taught people to always acquiesce. But Jesus was bold enough to call out their endless rules for what they were – idols built to themselves.

There’s no joking allowed in their sanctuary, and you’d better bow to their “frowny-faced” idol.

You see, pride always demands to be taken seriously. The pharisees are affronted when Jesus minimizes their strict adherence to codes of conduct. He focuses on their hearts instead, and that not only insults their meticulous system but convicts their motives.

Maybe that’s why a Jewish comedian like Mel Brooks wrote The Producers instead of Schindler’s List. He thought the best way to attack the atrocity of Nazi fascism was to ridicule it. For Brooks, taking Hitler seriously gave him more respect than he deserved.

Sometimes the best way to fight a monster is not with a sermon, but a laugh.

A sense of humor – humor about ourselves especially – is a sign of true humility. But anyone who can’t laugh at themselves is no one I’d want to be around. There are just way too many sacred cow patties to step over.

The good news is nothing’s funnier than someone who’s full of themselves. Pride begs to be made fun of. The hobo slipping on a banana peel is not half as funny as the guy in the tux taking the spill. Life has a way of humbling the proud without any help from us.

Be sure to protect your joy and value a good sense of humor. It’s a sign of true spiritual health and humility. And in this life, you’re going to slip on your share of banana peels. So you’d better be sure you can take a joke.

Or else, the joke will definitely be on you.