DID JESUS LAUGH OR DOES GOD HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR?

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27).

The short answer is yes, even though the Bible does not speak of Jesus, God become flesh, as laughing. In the New Testament Jesus wept, but it does not say, "Jesus laughed." In the Old Testament it is recorded that God laughs, but it is a laugh of derision, not a belly laugh of humor.  So how can I say that Jesus did laugh and that God does have a sense of humor?  First and foremost, human beings have a sense of humor and laugh.  I believe because human beings are created in the image of God, I infer from that truth that because humans have an innate sense of humor and laugh, then the God who created us in His image, must have a sense of humor and laugh too.  How could we survive in this sinful world without humor?  A lot of humor comes from the shared experience of the struggle of living in this world.

All of us laugh.  If we do not laugh then we are struggling with twisted theology or mental illness because clean joking and laughing are hallmarks of health.  I know that in the world of theology there are those who believe the fall of Adam caused the total depravity and that depravity completely obscures the image of God so that what is seen in the natural man is only depravity; even if a natural person does something apparently good it was from an evil motive.

I believe in original righteousness, not in original sin.  There is no question that the fall of Adam does obscure the image of God in our lives, but not completely.  God's image, original righteousness, does shine through the clouds once in a while and allows people to do noble things, to cheer each other up, and to laugh.  I wonder if when Jesus was eating with sinners or hanging around children he told a joke or two and laughed.  There are some stories in the New Testament that, I believe, cannot be properly interpreted without the humor factor.

It is interesting that hell is described as a place of weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth, and it is never said there is laughter there.  In contrast, it is said that in Heaven there are no tears, grief, pain or death, but it does not say laughter will be taken away!  It appears to me that Heaven will be a place where there is lots of love and laughter.

Our Father's Blessings,
Tom