God and Comedy
by Gary Randolph

When God promised Abraham a son, God said to name him Isaac. That name, Isaac, means laughter. There's more laughter and comedy in the Bible than most people think. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the ridiculousness of the idea that they could have a son at their advanced age. But after God fulfilled the promise, they all shared the last laugh.

Comedic Devices in the Bible

In The Bible and the Comic Vision, author J. William Whedbee notes that Bible narratives often employ standard comedic devices. One of those devices is a U-shaped plot line in which things start out good, head downhill apparently toward tragedy, but then arcs back to a happy ending. Actually a U-shaped plot line is used in many kinds of narratives, including children's stories; but think of the structure of most situation comedy plots, and you'll see it heavily in action there. An example in the Bible is found in the book of Esther. The story first places Esther in the palace as queen. But soon Haman plots to destroy the Jews. Esther and Mordecai must do some serious prayer and fasting plus take dangerous actions before events finally arc back to a happy ending.

A second comedic device used in the Bible is the use of stereotypical comedic characters. Again, in the book of Esther we see a prototypical villain in Haman and a clueless king in Xerxes (Ahasuerus). To say that these people are written as comedic characters is not to say that they are fiction. We have all read op-ed pieces in which real-life politicians are "spun" as either heroes or zeros. Apparently the writers of these Biblical narratives thought that "spinning" these characters this way helped tell a more interesting story or better drove home the points they wanted to make about God.

The third comedic device we'll mention is what could be called the language of comedy: puns, irony, sarcasm, etc. Going to Esther again, we see the king asking Haman what should be done for the man whom the king desires to honor. Haman assumes the king is talking about him and so dreams up an elaborate ritual. Ironically, the king means Haman's enemy Mordecai. So Haman ends up leading Mordecai through the streets and shouting his praises. The final ironic reversal for Haman is when he is hung on the gallows he himself built to execute Mordecai.

All the above examples are from the book of Esther, but many other Bible passages also illustrate the use of these comedic devices. Job sarcastically tells his friends, "If only you would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom." Naomi sarcastically says, "Don't call me Naomi; call me Mara," which means bitter. The first two chapters of Exodus are a series of practical jokes on Pharaoh, first as two lowly Hebrew midwives pull off an outrageous lie and then as Moses, one the Hebrew babies Pharaoh is trying to kill, ends up being raised in the palace. In our sketch, Little Moishe, based on these two jokes, we have one of the midwives declare, "The Egyptians say Pharaoh is a god. But I prefer a God a little smarter."

What Does Comedy Bring to the Table?

The choice of heaven or hell is no laughing matter. So why would a serious book like the Bible use comedic devices? How often have you come home from church remembering the humorous story the pastor told more than the rest of the sermon? Comedy is a valuable tool to any communicator. It is memorable. It grabs and holds our attention.

I often teach adult Bible studies. I find that being aware of the comedy in Bible passages adds another dimension to my teaching. For instance, you can read Jonah's dialogue with a very modern tone of self-indulgence. "Lord, I knew you were merciful and quick to forgive. (I hate it when you do that to people I don't like!)" It is hilarious, and seems absolutely faithful to the text.

Comedy is also an excellent way to make a point. Oscar Wilde, who is rarely quoted in Christian articles, said, "If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they'll kill you." Comedy can make points where direct teaching might offend. Many of our sketches use comedy to address serious issues. Anti-Accountability makes uncomfortable points about materialism. My Two Cents deals with judgmentalism. The Parable of the Workers confronts the negative view that long-time Christians sometimes have of the grace extended to new Christians. Angel on My Shoulder is a funny look at the serious problem of sexual temptation on the Internet. In all these sketches people may be convicted even as they are laughing.

So for us comedy is a tool. We rarely sit down to write a funny sketch or a serious sketch. More often we start with a point that we want to make and then select how we want to structure the piece - comedy or drama - sketch, monologue, responsive reading, or prayer - based on what seems to be the best way to make that point.

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