Ephesians 5:4
4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.
Humor is a very important thing in my life, but this sentence is making me feel bad me lately. I’ve always liked to laugh at jokes and fictional situations, not the people. This prohibits the jokes and jokes? Which meant originally Greek word? There are examples in the Bible in which celebrate the good humor?
Sopho,
I’ve always understood this to be referring to unkind, uncouth, unbecoming sorts of humor. There’s a lot of that out there, but there is also a lot of GOOD humor. Jesus’ parables are full of humor, but as we aren’t privy to the inside jokes of His culture, we have to have them explained to us by researchers. 
NOT the best way to appreciate a joke!
Humor is such a personal and cultural thing. Many Americans can’t understand British humor at all, and the Brits are probably among our closest cousins culturally. I spent some time in Jamaica and I have to tell you. What they think is funny makes NO sense to me! So it probably wouldn’t do to assume there’s no humor in scripture. It looks that way to us maybe, but we’re not part of the culture to whom scripture was written, nor are we reading in the original language, so it goes right over our little heads. 
Your (inoffensive) jokes are welcome here. We even have a special thread for them somewhere . . . I seem to have misplaced it.
Well I think I know an answer to this one. In Christian tradition laughter has always been hedged around with taboo because the crowd laughed at the foot of the cross while Jesus was in agony. So this is the laughter that we should avoid – the laughter of cruelty that mocks the weak, the oppressed, and the suffering.
The word that Paul uses in Ephesians is ‘eutrapelia’. But what was he condemning in condemning eutrapelia/jesting. Well in Hellenistic culture – and Paul was a Hellenistic Jew – the word has tow meanings; a good one and a bad one. It can mean low buffoonish jesting – Plato speaks of it as the sort of laughter common to a thief who steals meat offering from an altar (the sort of coarse and merciless laughter of the crowd at the foot of the cross). Aristotle speaks of it as a virtue – the salt of wit that a civilised person seasons their conversation with. We can hear echoes of this good meaning of eutrapela in Colossians 4:6 where Paul writes –‘Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone’. So it seems to me that although cruel and buffoonish laughter is condemned, wit is not.
However, there has been a non-Laughing Church. Tertullian stated that our days should be spent in tears and repentance. Pseudo-Chrysostom stated that Christ never laughed but shed many tears, and so should we. Bu the misery guts have not silenced the Church of Laughter. Indeed laughter as relaxation has been commended by many Christians. There is a story in the Paradise of the Fathers that the Apostle John was one day seen laughing and sporting with his disciples. When we rebuked for this he replied that just as an archery bow when being strung needs to be relaxed, so God gave us laughter for relaxation. And joyous laughter here at the fun of life and in anticipation of future joy has been a keynote of many Christian lives. And the tradition of ‘Fools for Christ’ has been a source of merriment.
Jesus words forbidding us calling anyone ‘Racca/Fool’ have again given Christians cause for reflection on laughter. The best Christian comedy should laughter at folly while leaving the butt of laughter somehow still loveable as a schooling in ‘loving the sinner but hating the sin’.
Finally within the scope of Christina laughter we have the tradition of diasyrm or ‘laughing to scorn’. Elijah laughed he priests of Baal to scorn, some of the Psalms laugh enemies to scorn. The crowd laughed at the foot of the cross – and will Jesus laugh the crowd to scorn with his elect on Judgement day? Hmmm – well Jesus asked his Father to forgive them. Colossians 2:15 Paul sees the paradox that Christ leads the Powers in triumph at his crucifixion. A Roman Triumph was a place for scoffing laughter and waging heads at the victims of Imperial conquest. But Paul imagines here that it is the powers themselves – the mechanisms of oppression, death and bondage – that are being laughed to scorn although they know it not, because with the death of Christ they have been defeated. So although some Christians like Tertullian looked forward to a time when he would laugh at the torment of his persecutors – my view is that scoffing laughter at suffering is one thing that was dealt a decisive blow by Christ’s death and resurrection.
So laugh, rejoice and jest with wit – but be kind in your laughter (I do my best to be kind with mine – but we all final from time to time; I can think of at least one instance where St Paul’s wit gets a little rough).
All the best
Dick
Thank you very much for the answers. Your views are very interesting.
Cindy: the context of the letter speaks of the behavior of believers. I think like you that this refers to behavior that may injure your neighbor, for talks shortly before the greedy, idolaters, etc …
Sobornost: Wow, thank you very much for all the info. It is very interesting to know what is meant by original Greek and history of the “Church of laughter.” I believe Jesus also uses irony in the Gospels.
“For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’34“The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’35“Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children.”
Hey Cindy - what’s this about a British sense of humour 
Hi Sopho - here’s something I’ve posted elsewhere about humour and Jesus; yes Jesus does use irony there, elsewhere and all over the shop 
:
The Bible is full of irony, wit, double entendre, paradox, epigrams, incongruity, hyperbole, absurdity, verbal subtleties, indirection, clever turns of phrases, and pungency of speech. The Bible says God laughs (Ps 59:8) and we can be sure that the Son in his image did as well. Many have bought into the false stereotype of a Jesus who was always sorrowful, pious appearing, mild in manner, endlessly patient, grave in speech and serious almost to the point of dourness. In fact, he lost his patience when put past his limit when tolerance ceased to be a virtue (Mt 17:17; Lk 13:6-9); and there was nothing mild about his teaching which at times excited listeners to want to kill him.
While his last weeks of ministry reflected his sorrowful anticipation of suffering and leaving his friends and family, the rest of his ministry is characterized by his joyful interaction with people. The pious Pharisees accused him and his disciples of being party animals—lots of banqueting, laughing, eating and drinking. His first miracle at a wedding wasn’t turning the party into a wake, but pouring kegs of new wine into it to keep it going. Do we suppose Jesus and his fellows were invited because they were wet blankets sure to dampen or sour the festivities?
Jesus lets Levi throw him a huge banquet with all Levi’s tax-collector buddies invited (Lk 5 27-39). The happy party causes the Pharisees to criticize, posture and talk of fasting and prayer. Jesus responds with humor, sarcasm, a parable, and then a sigh that despite his presentation of truth they, like fools, will stick with their old ways.
Jesus’ humor could be sharp and earthy at times like when he said, and this is a Westby paraphrase, “the lawyers and Pharisees are full of crap!” Check out the setting in Mark 7. Jesus is speaking openly of the fact of evacuation and that what come out of the body after eating is what is unclean. Unrepentant men are full of spiritually unclean stuff that comes out of them like bowel movements. Jesus taught in figures and parables nearly all the time and approaching them with a prosy literalism misses his sly or wry humor.
Nearing the end of his ministry, Jesus renamed Simon with a nickname which would translate today to “Rocky.” At the time it was like nicknaming a fat guy, “slim.” You could see the disciples smiling. The event took place at Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:13-20) and Peter was then anything but a “Rock” Just moments after Peter’s profound insight that Jesus is “the Christ” he proceeds to rebuke Jesus on another matter forcing Jesus to now call “Rocky” “Satan” for becoming an adversary. Peter would, in spite of his bravado, later prove himself both a coward and a liar—a flip-flopper and anything but a steady “Rock.” Nevertheless, what seemed a humorous, incongruous nickname, became for Peter in the days following a renaming to live up to and a critical role to assume in the nascent church. With God’s help he did live up to his name and became the rock Jesus knew he could. There was purpose to Jesus’ wit.
In his book, The Humor of Christ, Dr. Elton Trueblood examines in detail thirty humorous passages in the Synoptic Gospels. I had looked for this old book for years finally finding a copy and giving two messages on the topic over the Virtual Church network. There are a several other books and scholarly articles on biblical humor, but his focuses just on Christ.
You and I know that the speakers we most like to listen to are those who have weighty things to say and can say them in ways that rivet our attention, reach both our intellect and emotion, and can season their words with appropriate humor. Jesus must have been a very effective, captivating speaker yet we have nothing that he actually wrote. Nevertheless, his disciples could recall his stories, parables, and teachings with such vivid clarity they could reconstruct his message from memory. Amazing. And I think his various uses of humor helped imbed his teachings in their minds. Good preaching is memorable.
Even John Calvin had to admit in his Institutes of the Christian Religion (III: 19:9): “We are nowhere forbidden to laugh, or to be satisfied with food, …or to be delighted with music, or to drink wine.”
Humor celebrates the goodness of God, the world God created, and the life God gives. It is an accepted fact of medicine that humor is good for our physical health and is usually the best way in coping with the trials and disasters that come our way. A guy feeling frustrated over his family’s financial troubles joked that “it seems the only ones who can make a deposit on a new car are the pigeons.” If we aren’t careful we can let circumstances suck the joy right out of us. Humor can lighten the load.
Too many religious folk are so sober and sour they repel people rather than draw them. Legalists have a great eye for criticism, but a dull ear for wit. Because humor requires a somewhat “playful” disposition and a willingness (at least temporarily) to suspend all seriousness, many people—especially those with strong and well-defined religious beliefs—may be reluctant to give up their trademark seriousness.
The New Jerusalem Bible translates Colossians 4:6: “Talk to them agreeably and with a flavor of wit (“seasoned with salt,” RSV), and try to fit your answers to the needs of each one.” Greek comic writers used the verb artyo, meaning “to season,” as seasoning with the salt of wit. Of course humor can get too “salty” and like other good things become degenerated. Funny need not be filthy.
When times are tough, Paul says stand firm and “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! (Phil 4:4). Humor is a key component of joy. Jesus said to stop dwelling on the evils all around and borrowing potential troubles from tomorrow (the normal daily dose is quite enough, he wryly observed), rather borrow hope and joy from seeking the Kingdom of God (see Mt 6:33-34). The Christian walk should be a joyful one.
There is plenty in life to smile and laugh about. A forgiven man walks lightly upon the earth and with childlike freshness is quick to smile, quick to see and think the best of others, and easily brought to laughter. He is hopeful of the future, confident of who he is, and able to lift up and bear the burdens of others.
Our lives are made better by genuine religion and genuine humor. In the teaching of the great Rabbi from Nazareth, the two forms are conjoined.
–Ken Westby
hy do church services seem so devoid of humor?
Why are religious people so often (fairly) characterized as gloomy?
In short, when, why and how were joy, humor and laughter removed from religion?
There are several theories about why humor may not be valued as it should be in religious circles. But ultimately, joy, humor and laughter are spiritual gifts that we ignore at our own peril.
Much of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry were about joy. But as the Quaker author Elton Trueblood points out in The Humor of Christ, because of the need to explain the suffering of Jesus, the sad parts can overwhelm the happy parts. The Gospel of John admits, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book.” In other words, the absence of many stories about Jesus joking or laughing is not proof that they did not occur. Most likely, Jesus laughed. To deny this is to turn Jesus into a wooden stick.
Table fellowship
Let’s look at one distinctive feature of His ministry, what scholars call “table fellowship,” that is, dining with friends. Jesus frequently called together His disciples, His followers and often strangers to dine with him. It doesn’t take too much imagination to picture these as joyful events—just think of enjoyable dinner parties and celebrations in your own life, full of laughter and good cheer, everyone delighting in one another’s company. There is a reason that one enduring image of heaven is a banquet. Maureen O’Connell, an assistant professor of theology at Fordham University, says, “At my house, we often laugh ourselves sick around the dinner table. Isn’t this the point of dinner parties?”
The Gospels reveal Jesus as a man with a palpable sense of joy and even playfulness. You can catch glimpses of this in His interactions with the men, women and children of His time as well as in many of the parables.
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine a good storyteller who doesn’t know the value of humor. Jesus probably knew that He had to “grab” His listeners. His stories were often sharp and provocative. After all, He was an itinerant preacher and so needed to attract His listeners quickly through a funny story, a clever parable or a humorous aside. Also, the constant themes of His preaching—love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you; forgive someone seventy times seven times; the kingdom of God is at hand—were so ridiculous, so incongruous, that they may at first have seemed humorous to listeners.
A sense of humor
Jesus also embraces others with a sense of humor. In the beginning of the Gospel of John, for example, comes the remarkable story of Nathaniel, who has been told by His friends that the Messiah is from Nazareth.
Nathaniel responds, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”
This is a joke about how insignificant the city was. Nazareth was a backwater town where only a few families lived.
Nathaniel’s humor doesn’t bother Jesus at all. In fact, it seems to delight him. “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” says Jesus. In other words, here is someone I can trust. Nathaniel then becomes one of the apostles. Jesus’ welcoming of Nathaniel into His circle is perhaps the clearest indication that He had a sense of humor. (Other than the other men He chose as apostles.)
When I imagine Jesus, it is not simply as a person who heals the sick, raises the dead, stills the storm and preaches the good news. It’s also as a man of great goodwill and compassion, with a zest for life, someone unafraid of controversy, free to be who He knows Himself to be and brimming with generous good humor. Full of high spirits. Playful. Even fun.
Heresy?
Let me be more provocative and suggest that thinking about Jesus without a sense of humor may be close to heresy.
In the early church (and this is a simplification of a devilishly complex history), two camps sprang up. On the one side were those who believed that Jesus only appeared to be human. Those groups are generally called Docetists, from the Greek word dokein, meaning “to appear.” On the other were the Adoptionists, who believed that Jesus was simply a human being, not divine at all, merely the “adopted” son of God.
Frankly, I think that more than a few contemporary Christians are still “closet Docetists.” That is, although they buy into the idea of Jesus’ humanity, they are still inclined to think of Him as God simply pretending, or playacting, at being human. But if we accept the idea of Him as a human being, we must accept all human attributes for him—laughing as well as suffering.
To put it another way: What kind of a person has zero sense of humor? That’s a robot, not a person. Yet that’s the kind of one-sided image that many Christians have of Jesus. It shows up both in books and sermons and in artwork. And it has an effect on the way Christians live their lives.
Jesus must have been a clever, witty and even funny man. His humor nearly leaps off the page in some of His highly original parables in His zippy asides to the Roman authorities, in His tart replies to the scribes and the Pharisees and even in His off-the-cuff remarks. If we look at His human side, it’s hard to imagine someone being able to put up with the often spectacularly obtuse disciples without a sense of humor. If we look at His divine side, it’s hard to imagine God not smiling at some of the absurdities of the world.
So let us set aside the notion that Jesus was a humorless, grim-faced, dour, unsmiling prude. Let’s begin to recover His humor and, in the process, His full humanity.
Adapted from BETWEEN HEAVEN AND MIRTH by James Martin, S.J. Copyright © 2011 by James Martin, S.J. Used with permission of HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Cindy
You of all people ought to know that nobody likes a good joke more than us Brits. Except maybe the Irish. And the Jews. Oh yes and the Norwegians, mustn’t forget them. And of course the Aussies, they’re famous for it. Then there’s the Dutch - big jokers all, and the Italians. Well, I suppose they have to laugh with Berlusconi as Prime Minister. And the French. Mustn’t forget those cheeky little francais! Actually, on reflection, most people like a good joke more than we do. Maybe.
P&L
Johnny
Dick thanks for those 2 posts on Jesus’ humor. Those were fabulous.
Okay, I think you boys are joking with me, but just in case, I don’t want to offend. I don’t mean that Brits aren’t funny – it’s just that a lot of Americans don’t think so. Now me, I think you’re hilarious. No, really! (teasing)
I actually do enjoy a lot of British humor – Terry Pratchett, for example. But I can read my husband a passage I think is great and he doesn’t even have a clue WHY I think it’s funny, let alone crack a smile. He just looks puzzled. It’s an acquired taste, I suppose. I, on the other hand, often can’t stand Seinfeld (a classic comedy show here). It’s not that I don’t understand why hubby thinks it’s funny; I do understand. I just find it more irritating than humorous. To each his own, I guess.
Cindy, we never joke. I mean, the country that produced Peter Sellers, Fawlty Towers, Charlie Chaplin, Benny Hill, Monty Python, Stan Laurel and Tony Blair. The very thought!
Actually, Sopho has raised a very important point here, one which has been illuminated very well both by Dick and your good self. I’m saddled with some vaguely atavistic notion that faith and worship ought to be ‘sincere’ and ‘reverent’ and ‘respectful’ and stuff like that. Which of course it should. But that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t also be full of joy and fun and laughter. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that if you don’t at least smile a few times in Church of a Sunday you might want to think about changing your pastor. I hear that Mark Driscoll does a good line in absurdist humour .
I think you make an excellent point about cultural differences. One has only to marvel at the fact that you Yanks laugh at Adam Sandler while us Limeys, Lord forgive us, laugh at Mr Bean to realise how wide and deep are cultural differences in humour - even among close cousins, as you say. To think that we could connect directly with the humour of first century Palestine and its people, and that because we don’t (by and large) it therefore means Jesus never cracked a joke, is crazy. Personally I’m in no doubt he would have slapped John or James - his “thunder boys” - on the back every now and again, leaned in and said “hey lads, have you heard the one about the exploding gourd”. Or something.
Dick is spot on on saying how much wit and humour is in the Bible. Some of us might not get all of it. I certainly don’t. But then of course I have absolutely no sense of humour. And anyway, when was the last time anyone wet themselves reading Plato or Horace or Juvenal or any of those ancient comics?
Sopho, you sound like the sort of person I’d like to share my communion chalice with. I think we’ll find some good jocular company in heaven. CS Lewis and GK Chesterton for a start. And Dick and Cinders of course. And yes, even Mark Driscoll.
Puritanism? Just say no!
Cheerio and toodle pip
Johnny
Thanks Jeremy - that’s very kind. So glad you like them - and it’s great to hear from you. The first post contains a couple of original ideas from me– but it’s mainly a very brief summary of a book that I love entitled ‘Laughter at the foot of the cross’ by M.A, Screech. And the second post is just a summary of a book by an American Jesuit who is talking good sense. So I’m not going to get a swollen head.
And Cindy, my remark was purely a tease - I wouldn’t have put a ‘laughicon’ by it otherwise (that always, always means a shared joke for me)
Now I think you get British humour very well in indeed - I’ve been a complete pain in the bottom imposing it on you for at least a year and a half. You have adelightful and generous sense of humour.
Since we are on the subject – I had no idea that Terry Pratchett was funny (I should read something by him and give it a chance then?). American Humour – well Top Cat (based on Sgt Bilko understand), the Flintstones, the Jetsons (much loved –I still sing ‘Meet George Jetson, his boy Elmroy, daughter Judy, Jane his wife’ to myself on a rainy day) etc – these kept me very happy in my forgotten boyhood. And I love American Jewish humour! Absolutely!!!
And we both know about how a lot of Jesus’ humour rests on poking fun at Honour Shame taboos and prescriptions - yep, its’ a cultural thing is humour
Hey Johnny – regarding Mark Driscoll, if you want to see and hear an Englishman giving a hellfire sermon in sober, mature and public school tones (sounding a bit like a Hollywood Villain) check out David Pawson at -
youtube.com/watch?v=-OoV8abiPek 
Now that’s chilly and good cause for Brit humility
love to all
Dick
And what about foolush talk? I like to have non-sense conversations who not offends the other interlocutors. I love the absurd. If some say me what Paul wanted to say when he talks about foolish talk I will be happy.
I think foolish talking means rash and foolish prattling ( that is according to M.A. Screech) - this could include slander, arrogant boasting, careless breaking of confidence, needlessly hurtful comments etc. I don’t think it includes playful use of language.
Now here is something thoughtful about the English sense of humour, written by a rather famous Irishman
“The Temptations and Risks of Sinning Through Humour” - C.S. Lewis through the persona of Screwtape
But back to Paul – I understand/know that his lists of vices are not unique to him. They are the stock in trade of Roman moralists of his day. So how is he different? Well I’ve been helped here by a reading of Richard A. Burridge’s study – ‘Imitating Jesus’. He writes –
‘Jesus’ all demanding ethic contains an element of hyperbole, with no one really suggesting that people should pluck out eyes or cut off hands to enter the kingdom of God. Something similar seems to happen with Paul’s vice lists since those who are ‘rebellious to parents and foolish’ are not usually lined up for the death penalty in church (se Romans 1.30-32). Like Jesus’ preaching Paul’s lists of those who will ‘not inherit the kingdom of God’ are meant to spur us all on to respond in love and live to that response more worthily ourselves, rather than to single people out for especial condemnation.
In seeking to follow Jesus, we are called not merely to obey his (and Paul’s) serious ethical demands in the pursuit of holiness, but also to imitate his deeds and words which call his hearers to be merciful, reflecting the mercy of God, as revealed in Jesus’ won merciful and loving acceptance of sinners without preconditions. So Jesus and Paul teach us the best morals to bad company and thus schools us in the need of forgiveness for ourselves and for others.
Tim Vine via Marcus Brigstocke on the BBC just now:
A man goes to heaven, and God shows him a picture of his life as two sets of footprints on a beach. The man notices that at the darkest periods of his life there’s only one set of footprints. He says to God, why did you abandon me in my darkest hours?
And God says no, you’ve got it all wrong, I didn’t abandon you. It’s just that during those dark times I thought it would be more fun if we hopped.
J
That was great, Johnny. I’m still chuckling.