Did Jesus of Nazareth laugh very much?

[lightbulb27]

And why or why not?
I don't see a lot of laughter from Him.

Like... you don't see: "Jesus was in good spirits today and was telling jokes, laughing. He's such a kidder. I asked a question... and he laughted and cried for an hour". Doesn't happen in the Bible. He talks of joy, love, peace.

Is the issue that laughter is in essence a defense mechanism against other emotions? Love is not a defense.

Joking in a way, can be sarcasm, avoidance. Which is lying?
Is laughter in many ways (when response to a question) a slap in the face?

Is God fundamentally... not very funny?

[DJB72]

That's the problem with text. Take the story of where He says to the woman it's not right to take the children's food and give it to the dogs. Sounds horrible if you don't see her reaction in her answer. She replies even the dogs eat the crumbs fallen from the table.

If you can't see that their must have been a twinkle in Jesus's eyes for her to have been able to reply like that then you've missed the whole point of the story.

Proverbs says a merry heart is good like a medicine. How could Jesus NOT have had a sense of humour?

He's described as a winebibber and a glutton at one point. Drunks are usually prone to excessive laughter. After Pentecost when the Holy Spirit falls, Peter says that they aren't drunk, just filled with the Holy Spirit - which is exactly what Jesus was.

Read "Beautiful Outlaw" by John Eldredge. He explains far more eloquently than I can.

Honestly, if you can't see the humour in the Bible there's something wrong.

Look at the Old Testament too. At one point God literally talks through a donkey to admonish his own prophet, Balaam.

I never met anyone truly at Peace in their Spirit with God who doesn't laugh so hard and often it's embarrassing if you're not at their level.

[lightbulb27]

thought provoking. Laughter feels great, it's a release.
I remain challenged on if there is good laughter and bad...

[DJB72]

As I said, Eldredge puts it far more eloquently than I can

[NamerOfStars]

Not what's in the book, no- but then, He didn't bother to write anything down (good planning there, Lord!), and those who were around with him didn't either. The surviving Gospels (save Judas, if you count that) were all written long after the fact, by people working from second- or third-hand information (the Judean revolt forty years after Jesus' Ascension didn't help matters, either; more might've been written, but didn't survive. The Christianity of the time was an Apocalypse cult; not an atmosphere very conducive to humor.

My theory is that it was in the quiet moments, in particular those when He told His followers to leave Him alone for a while, that the laughter came. I imagine it's rather difficult to get the seriousness of your important message across when you have to struggle to keep from laughing.

[lightbulb27]

the times I see recorded when Jesus snuck away, there was no laughter. I would wonder if in that time, they recorded laughter. He did speak of Joy frequently... but that seems something else.
Maybe their lives were much different than we can relate, living in day to day struggles...

[NamerOfStars]

When He snuck away, no one knows what He did- he'd snuck away. The authors of the Gospels don't claim omniscience.

[lightbulb27]

agree, in the next world... if it turns into this mess again, I've already requested the Lord be more clear in communications... if they would please. unfortunate, because they had scribes and such to record all this and not mess it up, oral history... but it's still not clear. But maybe it's enough to form the picture for most.
Best communication was "writing [the law] on your hearts".

[purplepoppy]

There's loads of laughter in the bible, as God himself says you can't spell slaughter without laughter and god loves a good slaughter.
As for laughing well the bible is pretty clear on that,
Pamper a child, and he will terrorize you; play with him, and he will grieve you. Do not laugh with him, or you will have sorrow with him (Sirach 30:7-13)

I will put an end to the happy singing and laughter in the streets of Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 7:32-34)

I will take away your happy singing and laughter. (Jeremiah 25:8-11)

[lightbulb27]

very interesting verses... you shock me you quote these. all Old testament before Jesus showed up. kind of affirms what I was thinking, don't be laughing about your "sins", go the other direction or else. sirach=discipline. This where gotta be careful translating for without love at the heart, the book becomes terror.

[PinkFlour]

Yes Jesus had a sense of humor

[ChrisMaster69]

He was a huge comedian

you just need to look for it.

Who says Jesus couldn't perform miracles? He managed to find mates named Matthew, Mark, Luke and John hanging around in the Middle East.

Jesus walks into a bar with his disciples. "Thirteen glasses of water please," Jesus said to the barman, winking at the others.

Jesus saw a woman being stoned and rushed to protect her. He shouted to the crowd, "Let any who is without sin cast the next stone." A single stone smacked Jesus on the back of the head. He turned around and yelled, "Fuck off, mother!"

Jesus and his disciples walk into a bar and the landlord says, "Oh, it's you again, well water is now ten pounds a fucking glass. "

[lightbulb27]

ok the "stone" one was funny. And now I feel like I did wrong because Jesus did what Kyle Rittenhouse did, put his life on the line to protect another and in this case, noone else would have saved such a wrech... but he didn't kill anyone in the process. Jesus was very smart... emotionally overcoming the others hatred. So I don't feel right laughing at Jesus. We don't laugh at medal of honor recipients.
See my point... laughter can be a double edged sword of mis truth:)

Yea, I wonder how they came up with those names... and why was there no Ringo?

[BCRanger10]

There's no reason to think that He did not. We are told that He was like us in all things but sin. He wept, He got angry, He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue, and He occasionally required solitude.

As for humor, I would point to the fact that He nicknamed the Apostles John and James the "sons of thunder".

Something else to consider is that in His parables, He sometimes employed hyperbole and exaggeration. The purpose is not to deceive, but to emphasize the urgency of a given point. How often do you see someone hacking off an arm of a foot when they commit a sin?

[lightbulb27]

good points. That would be a figure of speech to get a point across. I guess it's sarcasm, but don't see evidence he was laughting.
The other emotions in first sentence, are full emotions. I could see laughing with joy at a wedding. But don't see that recorded.
I wonder if laughter is "avoidance" and deflection of underlying emotions. e. g. It feels good, but maybe it isn't.

[BCRanger10]

Are you relying primarily on the Bible for this assessment?

[lightbulb27]

I'm drawing out of my mind, of perceptions, not just the bible. So maybe the issue is... dare I say... me? That's why I ask though, not clear to me he was a laugher... but more heart felt serious, truth was the dividing line.
Like... when he said "you will reject me 3 times"... no evidence he laughted. He was serious, he didn't deflect the pain or fear of reality.

[BCRanger10]

I understand. It is true that not much is told to us about His personality or temperament. However, as I said before, we're often told that He was like us in all things except for sin.

And if I may say so, I don't know what the foretelling of Peter's denial of Him has to do with a sense of humor. Christ had already declared that "my soul is sorrowful unto death". He knew what was about to happen to Him, so in moments like that, there really is no cause for laughter and joking, especially when telling a dead friend that he will deny Him.

[lightbulb27]

true, good points.

[jaybee281]

I mean I understand you're very young to have been able to meet him and know - But we ain't that old either - Jokes aside - Those books were written 100 years at least after he was on earth - During a time where religion was no joking matter - Like literally check how these societies lived and you'll know there is no room for sexual innuendos and fat jokes and calling peter gay just because he accidentally walked in on John taking a shower.. But if we have to take everything into account - the guy told his mom to shut up so he could turn water into wine - I need friends like that

[Dargil]

Jesus was not a dour ascetic. Part of his mission was going to parties to witness, where he imbibed a little. Like the time he turned water into wine. If you want to feel a manifestation of Jesus as I view Him, look at the movie 'Jesus', starring Jeremy Sisto. I l look at it every Easter.

[jshm2]

You're confused.

The Jews were under subjugation by the Romans and defecting from the faith. They were losing their identity and making a mockery of their religion.

There was nothing for Jesus (or anyone) to laugh about, back then.

[lightbulb27]

are you saying He didn't laugh because there was nothing to laugh about? I figured there was always something that could be interpreted as funny.
What I started thinking is... laughter in a way, is a deflection... avoidance. So he chose not to laugh, but only see the seriousness of the situation.
The judge in the Rittenhouse trial tried to make a funny, and it didn't go well. made me wonder how they handle boredom and stress...

[exitseven]

I suspect there was not much to laugh about in Biblical times. Besides, they didn;t have cable.

[GaGirls]

Isaac

[nawtee_me]

Jesus was a man just like any other except that he knew no sin. Laughter is not a sin so I am sure he laughed...

[Wise4myage]

I don't know, I'm guessing he was a pretty serious dude, but he probably smiled as a child.

[Paris13]

Smile Mild Child. xx

[Julious0202]

Jesus rejoiced, smiled, but didn't laugh

[GaGirls]

Isaac