Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

The newspaper cartoon read, "And there was silence in Heaven when God sneezed." After my initial chuckle, instead of dismissing the thought of it as absurd, I pondered: Does God have a sense of humor? And if He does, What makes Him laugh? As the Creator of the Universe and “giver of all good gifts” (Jas 1:17), all of creation is worthy of our praise because it reflects God's infinite goodness and profound beauty. I feel laughter is a reflection God's joy and an integral part of His “personality.” We read in Genesis that when God created all things, He saw that it was "very good," (Gn 1:31). Therefore, if a sense of humor is good to have, and since God is All-Good, then He must have the Best sense of humor---I'm not kidding.

Laughter, like music, has a universal appeal, and, as with music, humor is a matter of personal preference. Just mentioning the name “Charlie Chaplin” is enough to put a smile on the face of almost anyone over 60. However, I hear most women don't find the Three Stooges amusing. The comedic genius of the Marx Brothers and “I Love Lucy” are all-time classics. The irreverent humor of George Carlin and Richard Pryor was descriptive of the rebellious 60s and 70s, and it had an either “love it or hate it” dimension to it. The manic humor of Robin Williams and the mass-appeal of “Seinfield” defined comedy during the 80s and 90s. Most recently, Saturday Night Live gave us Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon just to name a few. God has given us great comics not only to make us laugh out loud, but also to give us a foretaste of Heaven, “Where God will wipe away every tear,” (Rev 7:17).

A lesser-known comic and champion of the poor, Mother Theresa of Calcutta, coined the phrase: "If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” All kidding aside, it makes sense to think God does have a sense of humor, and we can all make Him laugh. All we have to do is talk to Him regularly like our best friend. After all, the joke is not on us, but the Almighty already knows the punchline. By the way, the best thing to do if God sneezes, is laugh it off.