Humor has a remarkable power to break down emotional barriers created by stress, isolation, and loneliness. When we laugh together, we build fellowship, strengthen social bonds, and find common ground. Wit can disarm the proud and skeptical, while cleverness and humor keep an audience engaged, making messages more accessible with ease and light-heartedness.
Jesus had the entire stage of Israel to deliver His message of seeking sinners and offering salvation. Throughout the Gospels, He is often referred to as “teacher” or “rabbi,” indicating His reputation as a compelling speaker. His message and delivery style must have captivated audiences ranging from twelve disciples to crowds of five thousand, especially considering the cultural and educational context of His listeners.
While the Bible does not explicitly mention Jesus smiling or laughing, it does record that He wept. Modern interpretations, such as the television series “The Chosen,” have portrayed Jesus’s human side—depicting Him as witty, humorous, and relatable.
Jesus delivered serious messages with eternal consequences that provoked varied reactions from peace and joy to anger and hostility. He skillfully employed metaphors, parables, miracles, stories, satire, and visual demonstrations to communicate these truths. Consider His first public appearance at the Jerusalem temple as a twelve-year-old boy. After three days, His parents found Him among teachers, listening, asking questions, and providing answers that proved profound understanding. How did a young boy keep the attention of adult religious scholars without threatening them? Jesus was clearly a gifted communicator.
His metaphors often had humorous elements that highlighted profound truths. “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24) presents an absurd visual image to emphasize a spiritual reality. Similarly, “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Matthew 7:3) uses exaggeration to expose hypocrisy.
Jesus’ interactions with His disciples combined directness with playfulness. One can imagine Jesus smiling as He offered both criticism and assurance, often using powerful visual demonstrations. He rebuked Peter sharply: “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men” (Mark 8:33). He surprised Nathaniel with supernatural insight: “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Jesus assured the disciples of His provision through creative means: “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours” (Matthew 17:27). When Peter saw Jesus walking on water, Jesus’ simple invitation—”Come”—demonstrated His willingness to include others in His miracles.
Jesus’ interactions beyond the disciples reveal His adaptability and insight. He mediated between Mary and Martha about their priorities (Luke 10:38-42). The feeding of five thousand (John 6:1-15) highlights a supply chain from a miraculous provision from a boy’s five loaves and two fish distributing food to an enormous crowd. His healings must have brought smiles and joyful laughter to those who received them!
Many of Jesus’ parables have elements of humor and absurdity that reinforce their messages. The Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) uses a humorous scenario to emphasize preparedness. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) presents a dramatic riches-to-rags-to-restoration story. The Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1–8) shows a nagging mother who refuse to take no for an answer. The Mustard Seed parable (Mark 4:30-34) creates a vivid picture of God’s Kingdom growing from tiny beginnings to offer shelter to many.
Today’s Christian communicators—whether preachers, filmmakers, or teachers—often incorporate humor when sharing Jesus’ teachings and miracles. This approach is particularly effective in our current communication landscape. As Orville Jenkins observes, with the advent of digital media in the 1960s, we entered a “post-literate era.” While much of the world remains in a pre-literate oral communication stage, countries like the United States and Canada exist in a post-literate information age. In this context, learners may possess literacy but primarily learn through oral and visual media.1
Did Jesus laugh? Though the Bible does not explicitly say so, His wit, creativity, and humanity suggest He did. And perhaps when believers are welcomed into their eternal home, that welcome will indeed include joy and laughter with Jesus.
- Orville Boyd Jenkins, Orality and the Post-Literate West, OJTR Articles, last edited December 21, 2007. http://orvillejenkins.com/orality/postliterate.html. ↩︎
