Chuck Shepherd oversees the Web site News of the Weird that reports all the strange, unbelievable stories crossing the newswires. Shepherd’s site will leave you scratching your head at the improbable or ludicrous happenings. The site boasts the tagline: “Proof that true stories are weirder than made-up stories.”
Often, people put God’s words in the same category. Are you kidding me? That sounds preposterous. Can’t be true. God offers a new way to live, a new way to see and hope and love; and His kingdom often seems entirely out of touch with the world we know.
When God came to Abraham (old, withered, 99-year-old Abraham) to tell him he would father a son, Abraham couldn’t help himself: “He laughed to himself in disbelief.” And He chuckled in amazement, saying, “How could I become a father at the age of 100?” (Genesis 17:17).
Abraham’s wife Sarah, “long past the age of having children” (a kind way of saying Sarah was older than dirt), had exactly the same response (18:11). She laughed (v.12). The notion was comical.
“Why did the two . . . laugh?” asked Frederick Buechner. “They laughed because they knew only a fool would believe that a woman with one foot in the grave was soon going to have her other foot in the maternity ward.” But 9 months later, Isaac arrived. And, appropriately, his name means “laughter.” This was a different laughter, an irrepressible laughter of joy and beautiful hope-come-true.
Perhaps this is a good sign that we’ve heard God correctly—we laugh at the seeming impossibility of it all. God says we are forgiven and loved, that He will make our world right, no reason to fear—and we can hardly believe it. Without God, it is impossible and laughable.
More:
Eight days after Isaac was born . . . Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:4-6).
Next:
What God-words have seemed impossible to you? Where have you seen God make good on His preposterous truths?
cspevacek on May 14, 2010 at 7:05 am
Yes God does have a sense of humor, but just like some of my family members I think that it is a dry sense of humor. A sense of humor that is appreciated by those who know and love Him. He certainly knows and loves us. It would certainly make the day go easier if we could see it the way He intended for us to see it.
rrkelkar on May 14, 2010 at 8:42 pm
We know of at least one specific instance when Jesus wept and of the many other times when he wept in the spirit. But there is no clear mention in the Gospels about Jesus having ever laughed heartily. However, Jesus must have been a fun person. Otherwise how could he have been invited to dinner parties by all kinds of people? And how could he have made the kids happy?
At his crucifixion, soldiers and passers-by laughed at him and mocked him, but Jesus sure had the last laugh!