by Joseph Stoutzenberger
In the early 1970s, a poster of Jesus became popular. It portrays Jesus as a handsome, long-haired young man with his head bent back in laughter. A problem is that nowhere in the gospels is there an indication that Jesus laughed, smiled, told jokes, or in general had fun. Those who defend the laughing Jesus portrait point out that the gospels were focused on the serious message of making the case that Jesus was Son of God and Savior of the world. The culmination of that message was when Jesus was arrested, tortured, and nailed to a cross unto death. That’s no laughing matter. His resurrection soon after is cause for rejoicing, but in the post-resurrection stories he isn’t laughing at what happened; and his closest friends faced the reality that they too had to take up the cross before the joy of resurrection awaited them. Defenders of the laughing Jesus also suggest that some gospel stories imply indirectly that Jesus laughed. Someone who beckons children to come to him and asks people to be like children themselves is certainly advocating for the laughter and playfulness we associate with childhood. They also suggest that some of Jesus’ parables were so outlandish that they would have brought a smile to the faces of his listeners. The image of Nicodemus climbing back into his mother’s womb to be “born again” is, if taken literally, silly. Jesus poked fun at pharisees and hypocrites, suggesting that a humble but good-hearted tax collector was more pleasing to God than a self-righteous, judgmental paragon of power. Nonetheless, it’s safe to say that the message of Jesus is no laughing matter.
By way of contrast, Buddhism has a long-standing tradition of portraying the Buddha as laughing, or at least smiling. Indian statues of Siddhartha often depict him as having a slight smile on his face, as if he knows something that makes him very happy. Anyone who has been inside a Chinese store or restaurant has seen a fat, jolly Buddha laughing heartily, symbolizing that the joy behind the message of the Buddha brings on unabashed laughter. Hadith, stories about Muhammad, recount that the prophet was known to smile frequently but not laugh. He advocated humor if it was truthful, moderate, and kind. His smile communicated to his followers that his message and his movement brought on happiness, something to smile about. Judaism has King David stripping off his clothes, laughing and dancing as the Ark of the Covenant is brought to his city, Jerusalem. Some of the psalms attributed to David talk of singing, dancing, even shouting with joy.
There are Christian saints who recognized the importance of laughter and humor. One who stands out is the sixteenth century patron of Rome, St. Philip Neri. He posted a sign over his door that read “House of Mirth” and played practical jokes on seminarians preparing for priesthood. Once he is known to have attended an important meeting with half of his beard shaved off. He recognized the importance of laughing at oneself and not taking oneself too seriously, even calling himself a “fool.” Hopefully the seminarians he played tricks on learned to lighten up and to find humor and laughter as a fitting entry into the joy of the gospel. One commentator remarked that Philip Neri “laughed his way to heaven.”
St. Francis of Assisi and his early Franciscans were also known for laughter. The lifestyle they chose ran completely counter to the culture of the time, marked by accumulating wealth and grasping onto material things. (It was during this time that a middle class was emerging in Europe, when money and material goods were supplanting the power of the nobility whose status was connected to their land holdings.) When young men who joined Francis ran into each other they would often burst out laughing at the seeming absurdity of the free, unattached lifestyle they had chosen. Francis was all about letting go, what Buddhists would call detachment, and it led him to singing and laughing at the sheer delight he found in it. To him, this was the heart of the gospel message expressed in the passage, “Go, give away all that you have, and come follow me.”
Today, Christians are faced with the question: Is the message of Jesus Good News that brings joy, or isn’t it? Jesus found it to be good news. Early in his turn toward public engagement he told members of his synagogue in his home town that he came to “bring good news to the poor.” He wanted people to be happy despite the trials and suffering that life sent their way. In John’s gospel, as Jesus nears his death, he tells his friends that right now the world laughs at them and they are sad, but in time they will be the happy ones. Through him, they get the last laugh. It’s like childbirth, he tells them. Pain and suffering give way to happiness when a child is born. If Jesus wanted happiness for his followers; then, surely, he experienced happiness himself, despite his torturous final days.
Jesus may or may not have told jokes and been playful with his friends. He may or may not have thrown his head back in uncontrollable laughter. But his life was a crusade to heal people from suffering, calm their fears, be at peace, feel loved, and give them reason to be happy. That’s good news, deserving of smiles and a good laugh.
Joseph Stoutzenberger 