The Reformed theologian R.C. Sproul, (1939-2017), is quoted as saying:
“… laughter is precisely the kind of thing that will always confound scientists because it is so intensely human. It is that which bubbles up to the surface from the parts of us too deep to fit in a test tube.
“Which is why it’s so funny, and telling, that they try. One of the most common forms of humor is when the prideful take a fall. The Emperor’s, shall we say, exposure, comes from this fertile field. How much more ridiculously prideful can man be then when he thinks he can come to a fundamental understanding of man? How can we not laugh when one of us takes another of us and earnestly tries to squeeze us under a microscope? And when our bellies begin to shake, instead of joining in the fun, the fool scientist sits down to take notes. “
That which bubbles up to the surface, that is to say, laughter, is a gift, and it is biblical. God gave us the gift of laughter. It is a good thing, for example, when we acknowledge something amazingly wonderful with a burst of happiness.
Remember Sarah who, when she became a mother, exclaimed in Genesis 21:6: “God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” Ecclesiastes 3:4 notes that there is a time “to laugh.” Likewise, Proverbs 22:17 notes that a “joyful heart is good medicine.” And Psalm 126:2, one of the songs of ascent, speaks about “mouths filled with laughter.”
There are other instances, but these are enough to point to the fact that laughter, good laughter, is a gift from God and a healthy one. The Holy Spirit deemed Sarah’s laughter of such importance that her burst of joy was written down in Scripture – an illustration that acknowledgement of God’s goodness can be a time of sheer joy. The Spirit also deemed it important that Bible readers know that it is good for one’s health to shake with mirth.
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On the other hand, there are thoughtless words and “bad jokes” which can mock holy things. We have to be extremely careful in discerning what we may laugh at. There is foolish laughter, shallow laughter, and there are times when we ought not to laugh.
Most people are familiar with the Reader’s Digest’s column entitled “Laughter is the Best Medicine.” As a matter of fact, waiting in a dentist’s or doctor’s office, many pick up the magazine and read the amusing stories which these pages relay – stories which cause wholesome smiles. As well, both parents and school teachers, often recount numerous delightful incidents of children redefining words, unwittingly bestowing warped meanings which generate heart-warming chuckles.
Richard Lederer’s book of Anguished English records many funny bloopers and blunders in the English language. Here are some smiles unintentionally created by children during school hours.
- Q: “What is the capital of Italy?” A: “I”
- “Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston in 1809 and was found unconscious. Three days later, he died in 1849.”
- “A liter is a lot of newborn puppies.”
- “Some people can tell time by looking at the sun, but I have never been able to make out the numbers.”
- “The hydrogen bomb is sometimes called the itch bomb. I don’t know why.”
- “Our new teacher told us all about fossils. Before she came to our class, I didn’t know what a fossil looked like.”
Misplaced and strange phrases, as well as grammatical errors, can entirely change meanings. These errors can feed our day-to-day existence with ear-to-ear grins. Newspapers, for example, often contain strange but chortling information.
- “The patient lives at home with his mother, father, and pet turtle who is presently enrolled in day care three times a week.”
- “She was numb from her toes down.”
- “She typed the list of numbers alphabetically.”
- “The patient’s vision was 20.20 in both ears.”
- “He has a long history of a short leg.”
- “The patient was bitten by a bat as he walked down the street on his thumb.”
Norman Cousins, (1915-1990), was an American journalist. He was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in 1964, when he was 49 years old. Things looked so bad for the man that he was told by doctors to put his affairs in order. Upon hearing the diagnosis, Norman left the hospital and decided upon an unusual course of action. Firstly, he began to take an extremely high dose of vitamin C every day, and, secondly, he rented a movie projector and began watching comedies – comedies such as the Marx brothers’ films and Candid Camera reruns. It is recorded that Norman Cousins laughed and laughed until his belly hurt. He later wrote: “I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine laughter had an anaesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep.” Cousins died in 1990, not of a worsening of the Ankylosing Spondylitis condition, but of heart disease.
The aforementioned book by Lederer also recorded guffaws of amusement generated by signs posted on public buildings.
- On a travel office: “Don’t take a chance on ruining your vacation – come to us and be sure.”
- On a barbershop window: “During construction, we will shave you in the rear.”
- On a gas station: “We’re out of Rolaids, but we’ve got gas.”
- On a furniture store: “We promise you the lowest prices and workmanship.”
- On a dry-cleaning store: “Ten-minute parking for cleaning customers only.”
- Outside a country-kitchen restaurant: “Restrooms/Please wait for a hostess to seat you.”
- On an office: “Would the person who took the stepladder yesterday please bring it back, or further steps will be taken.”
- In the countryside: “Quicksand warning! Any person passing this point will be drowned. By order of the District Council.”
- On a store: “This is the back door. The front door is around the back.”
- Outside a pre-school: “Please slow drively.”
Signs in foreign countries, trying for perfect English, have also wreaked havoc with the English language, causing much amusement for tourists.
- On a building in Japan: “Beauty saloon.”
- On the wrapper of a Russian ice-cream bar: “Do not taste our ice cream when it is too hard. Please continue your conversation until the ice cream grows into a softer. By adhering this advisement, you will fully appreciate the wonderful Soviet ice cream.”
- In an ad by an Israeli professor: “41, with 18 years of teaching in my behind. Looking for American-born woman who speak English very good.”
- In a Leipzig hotel: “Ladies, please rinse out your teapots standing upside down in sink. In no event should hot bottoms be place on the counter.”
- In a Beirut hotel: “Ladies are kindly requested not to have their babies in the cocktail bar.”
- In a Shanghai buffet: “You will be able to eat all you wish until you are fed up!”
Earth laughs in flowers. So said Ralph Waldo Emerson. We, however, live in times in which it often appears as if we can see nothing on earth about which we can chuckle or laugh. Rumors of war, economic distress, famines, hatred, a turning away from truth are reasons for sadness. And we do well to know this.
Yet humor and laughter are important to the Christian life. God has created the emotion of laughter within us and, by virtue of that fact alone, we can treasure it. It can be perverted, so we do well to be careful. The preacher, Charles Spurgeon, (1834-1892), rejoiced in birds and flowers and many ordinary things around him. Yet he also often struggled with depression and personal tragedies. He remained, however, a man of great joy and humor, believing joy and humor to be vital in the life of a Christian. He loved to share good jokes with family, friends and colleagues. A fellow pastor and personal friend, William Williams, wrote about Spurgeon:
“What a bubbling fountain of humour Mr. Spurgeon had! I laughed more, I verily believe, when in his company than during all the rest of my life besides. He had the most fascinating gift of laughter – and he had also the greatest ability for making all who heard him laugh with him.”
Things which induce clean laughter or amusement increase our ability to perceive happiness and are a gift of God. Conversely, a somber Christian, one who never smiles or laughs, is often Christian devoid of gladness.
