The Undiscovered Country

Jesus Laughed

My website

http://www.almarquardt.com

says in part: “Part of my frustration stemmed from many science fiction, and even some labeled as Christian fiction, books writing about a higher power of creation as an ethereal "force" or "universe". I figured if "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8), then there's no reason God would change or disappear into the background in the far future. My books assume God is just as engaged, and even the Bible still exists and is changing people's lives.”

partyof5 commented yesterday: “I can't help but believe, as you do, that writing is supposed to be a part of that marketing for me. I still struggle with the notion that anything I write that's NOT directly about God might not be honoring that, but I think in my heart (and that's a God thing) that I'm wrong in that struggle.”

Based on the excerpt from my website, do I say to partyof5 , “Yes, anything we write that does not directly speak about God dishonors him, his gifts to us, and our faith”?

I turn to Jesus for the answer.

When he preached to the people, he told stories about farmers, shepherds, described relationships between fathers and sons, and the farmer and his land. Why? Because these subjects most people could relate to. The vast majority of people then, and even today, have little to no scholarly knowledge of scripture. To speak religiously and with religious jargon would have met with blank stares. Jesus would not have accomplished what he set out to do - to share the Good News of salvation with the entire world.

Therefore we can also write in parables, to share a message or moral truth through our stories and characters. God doesn’t always have to play a direct role. What matters whether or not readers gain something positive from it that perhaps betters their life in some way.

To take it a bit further, do we have to add a message or truth to everything we write?

Let’s take humor as an example. Not all humor contains a message – a truth, definitely, whether it be the befuddlement of men with regard to women and vice versa, the antics of children and animals, how silly things we do from day to day, the list is endless.

Humor is an integral part of our psyche. Without laughter, life is not worth living.

Some have suggested laughter is not all that important. It could even lead us to sin, because we then belittle God by not taking him and life as serious as we should. After all, the shortest verse in the Bible is “Jesus wept” not “Jesus laughed.”

Did Jesus laugh? I say yes, and here's why:

His first miracle was changing water into wine at a wedding feast (John 2:10). With a little wine, and yes even drunkenness comes much laughter.

If Jesus did not participate in the celebration with laughter, he would have certainly stood out. Being that his “time had not yet come,” (2:4) standing out was not something he wanted.

“One day the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus and asked him, ‘Why don’t your disciples fast like we do and the Pharisees do?’

“Jesus replied, ‘Do wedding guests mourn while celebrating with the groom? Of course not. But someday the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.’” (Matthew 9:14-15)

Jesus was accused multiple times for eating and drinking with so-called sinners. That suggests to me that he enjoyed having a good time.

I think it boils down to this: “So if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand or one foot than to be thrown into eternal fire with both of your hands and feet. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” (Matthew 18:8-9)

As an aside, I’m glad we don’t take that passage literal. If we did, I’d be a blind, deaf mute with no arms or legs.

If whatever we write leads us or others away from God, then we dishonor him. Anything that teaches us more about God, his character and his creation, or simply lightens our spirit for a time when we desperately need it (take the current election season as an example), then it’s honorable in his eyes.

That includes (but is not limited to) humorous pieces, horror, science fiction, fantasy, romance, and scientific essays that explore God’s creation. I’ll even add erotica, because even the Bible contains erotica such as Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon depending upon the translation).

Whether or not our writing meets that criteria is between us and God. As long as the Spirit resides within us, he will tell us if our words glorify him or not.