"That's not funny!" Most of us will have heard that said at one time or another. Perhaps we have said it ourselves in response to someone's attempt to tell a joke. It might be said because the joke was a dud. Some people just don't know how to tell a good joke. However, those words are more common in situations where the supposed joke actually causes pain or embarrassment. Some situations come to mind.

Various Situations⤒🔗

First, it is more likely that people will say, "That's not funny" because the joke pokes fun at them. No one likes to be the brunt of the joke. We don't mind laughing with others but we do mind being laughed at. To be sure, we will all have those moments when we set ourselves up by some awkward action or poorly chosen words. At times we accidently reverse the first letters on words or mispronounce a word or make a statement which can have a totally different meaning than we intended, a meaning picked up immediately by those to whom we are speaking. Such occasions ask for a humorous response. We should be able to take that on occasion. It gives reason to laugh together. It is different when we end up being insulted or humiliated.

A second example is an old joke that we are just tired of hearing because it was not really funny in the first place and really is insulting. As an example of this, I have lost count of how often I have heard the supposedly humorous remark, "Ministers only work one day a week." It makes one wonder, "Does the person really think that lowly of the task of a minister?"

A third example is from those occasions when we expect funny remarks and laughter, such as at weddings and anniversaries. What are supposed to be jokes can makes us feel uncomfortable because they cross the line. Who has not been to a wedding where much of the supposed entertainment consisted of derogatory remarks about marriage? Some of the jokes, for example, can give the impression that the groom has made the biggest mistake of his life. What should be a time of rejoicing about the new marriage is portrayed as the beginning of a punishment.

While on the topic of weddings, there is also the entertainment that focuses on incidents in the life of the bride and groom that were not necessarily the most edifying, indeed, outright humiliating. Again, there will have been humorous events in life that can be shared, but too often the focus falls on activities one later would wish to forget. Some of the events mentioned can make the audience quite uncomfortable. At times, one can see a forced smile on the face of the bride and the groom as they are roasted, rather than toasted, on the occasion of their wedding.

As a fourth example we can think of all the jokes that have sex or race as their subject. So much supposed humour is filled with sexual references, either directly or indirectly, that at times we might not know where to look. With respect to race, it is all very funny until someone makes a joke about your own race.

Redeemed Humour←⤒🔗

Now all these remarks are not to be seen as an attempt to take all the fun out of life. Personally, I like to hear a good joke. I enjoy fun with a good pun. The point is that we need to let the redeeming work of our Lord Jesus Christ shape our sense of humour. There are a number of passages in Scripture that give us direction in this regard.

First, we can think of Paul's words as we find them in his letter to the Ephesians. He instructed his readers that they should no longer live as the Gentiles. They were to put off the old self and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Among the details of this new way of living he said, "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouth but only what is helpful for building others up..." A little further he said, "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality ... Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving." A little further in the same passage he wrote, "Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil." In the conclusion of that section he wrote, "...be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs..." (Ephesians 4 and 5).

We can also think of Paul's words to the Colossians. He wrote, "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone" (Colossians 4:5, 6).

These words of Paul address the subject matter of many jokes. When we keep them in the back of our mind, we will often find ourselves saying to ourselves, "That's not funny." Oh yes, it will be funny to the way of the old self, but not the way of the new self. In our telling of jokes and our response to jokes we have opportunity to show that we belong to Jesus Christ.

Beside this, we can also think of the second great commandment, namely, that we should love our neighbour as ourselves. This is also expressed in what we call the Golden Rule, "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and Prophets" (Matthew 7:12).

It was mentioned earlier that there are times when we set ourselves up by our choice of words. In lively and healthy interaction with one another, you can have some good fun with those situations. At the same time, we do have to be sensitive to each other to ensure that we truly laugh with each other and not at each other. This same principle is to be carried through on such occasions as weddings and anniversaries. Again, there will be events to laugh about, but effort should be made that the evening will be pleasantly memorable. That means, toast the couple, don't roast them. Give them happy memories.

And then there are racial jokes. Sad to say, even as redeemed people we are not innocent in this regard. It may be put politely, for example, by saying that "if you ain't Dutch you ain't very much," which amounts to a boasting about your own race as if it is superior to other races. Ironically, many may not realize that the original version was different, that the joke really was on the Dutch. The original seems to have been a slight on Irish and Dutch immigrants to the US, "If you are Irish or Dutch, you aren't very much." Over against racial jokes, we need to remember Paul's words, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Galatians 3:28, 29). When we remember that we confess a catholic church, made up all tongues and tribes and nations, we should instinctively flinch at racial jokes and think, "That's not funny."

Challenge←⤒🔗

Let us reflect on our humour, whether it reflects we have been redeemed and are being renewed. The gospel is reason for great joy. We can be assured that when we let that permeate our humour, no one will be embarrassed, no one will be hurt, but we will have plenty of good laughs and be able to say, "Now that was really funny."