Is This A Joke?
Genesis 18:1,10-12 –
‘The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby…
Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”
There’s a beautiful little moment hidden away in the Old Testament where God tells a joke. Let me tell you the joke.
God wanted to create a special nation, his own people whom he would love so...God walked into a bar. He looked around the bar and thought, “Everyone in here looks too young and virile.” So God walked into a retirement home and found the oldest couple in there. They were lying in bed and he said, “No, stay there because I’m going to give you children!”
Now material like this clearly isn't going to get me to the Hammersmith Apollo but you get the picture. God in the persons of three angelic beings visits a very old couple, Abraham and Sarah and tells them a child will be born to them. It’s a ridiculous proposition, so ridiculous that when she hears it, Sarah laughs. Her initial laughter is one of doubt as she mocks the probability of it. But as God is so inclined to do, he redeems even her laughter. A year later, this elderly, wrinkled woman is sitting with a newborn baby in her arms. She names him Isaac meaning ‘laughter’ and says, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” (Gen 21:6)
She finally got the punchline to the joke and generations later she invites us to laugh along with her. Sarah’s laughter is now one of joy and satisfaction at seeing the goodness of God play out.
The promise of God was literally born into laughter. Joyously it burst forth with a smile. Perhaps today God is inviting you to laugh. To see the joy in his faithfulness. To chuckle at how the obstacles in your life were no match for his promises.
Prayer – God remind me to smile today. Show me your funny side.