Theme: “And They Laughed at Him”
4th Sunday After Pentecost
June 28, 2009
St. Andrew Presbyterian Church
Denton, Texas
Rev. Paul R. Dunklau
+In the Name of Jesus+
As you all surely know by now, America lost three famous celebrities this past week: Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon. I don’t know about you, but the one I think I’ll miss the most is Ed McMahon. He was one of those rare individuals that, without even seeing him, you knew who it was when he was speaking. He had a one-of-a-kind baritone voice. For years he was the spokesman for Publisher’s Clearinghouse advertisements. He hosted the television show “Star Search.” He also served as the announcer for Jerry Lewis on his Labor Day telethons for muscular dystrophy. But beyond a doubt he will mostly be remembered for being Johnny Carson’s sidekick and second-fiddle on NBC’s “Tonight Show.”
For decades, all by himself, the late Johnny Carson was a comedic genius. But, when he was “ham and egging” with Ed McMahon, well, the laughs went beyond genius. There was an unscripted spontaneity to the humor that often would make you laugh so loud and hard that your sides hurt. And there was a certain consistency to their togetherness that made you look forward to hearing – every weeknight at 10:30 pm -- that “Heeeere’s Johnny” from Ed McMahon and the opening monologue from Johnny Carson. And the humor was often self-deprecating. They had no problem poking a little fun at themselves. There was little if any of the predictable sarcasm and cynicism that passes for humor today.
People who are in recovery from chronic alcoholism take solace in humor. In the AA literature, they have what is called “Rule #62” which says: “Don’t take yourself too
According to our friends at HowStuffWorks.com, there are at least five kinds of laughter: etiquette laughter, nervous laughter, pigeon laughter, silent laughter, and belly laughter. Belly laughter, which is often spontaneous and unscripted, I’ve already described. Etiquette laughter is done for social propriety; you start chuckling because everyone else is and not necessarily because it’s funny. Nervous laughter, basically, comes about as an attempt to take the edge off an unpleasant situation. Silent laughter is the kind where you try to hold it in; sometimes you’re successful and sometimes you’re not. Pigeon laughter is basically laughter at someone else’s expense. Personally, I prefer the belly laughter and the silent laughter.
As a candidate for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, I have looked over a number of what they call CIFs or Church Information Forms. One of the qualities that nearly every church wants in their minister is a sense of humor. So we might say: Was Jesus Christ a funny guy? Did He possess a sense of humor? Did He have a little bit of the comedian in Him? Could he make people laugh? Based on my study of Scripture, I would contend that the answer is a qualified yes. To the extent that laughter is related to joy (and surely it is), then Jesus had to be one of the funniest human beings that ever lived. For example, in the fifteenth chapter of John we hear Jesus say: “Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” C.S. Lewis once remarked that “Joy is the serious business of heaven.” Later in the New Testament, St. Peter declared of Jesus: “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”
In the Old Testament, no less a figure than Job – who was stricken with illness, lost his earthly goods, and lost his family members only to have it all restored – said: “He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting.” God is in to joy and laughter.
But what kind of laughter is it? Which definition will we use? Laughter is mentioned in our reading for tonight. Speaking of Jesus, the text says that they “laughed at him.” Oh, so Jesus was a funny guy! Was it a belly laugh? Was it an etiquette laugh? Was it a pigeon laugh? Was it a silent laugh? Was it a nervous laugh?
Actually, it didn’t completely fit any of the previous definitions. This was different. This laughter was not funny. This laughter was derisive. Behind this outward laughter is an inward thought that says: “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Is this some kind of sick joke? You’ve got to be kidding.” Add some anger and bitterness and profound grief to those thoughts, and you get the idea.
For you see, the child was dead. They had pretty much all signed off on that. To use the medical language of today, the child had “coded” and had “flat-lined.” Pull out the tubes. Turn off the monitors. Announce the time of death, and call the medical examiner. We were past the point where CPR and/or defibrillation would do any good. There was no use bothering Jesus with it any further. Jairus, the synagogue ruler, knew his little girl was in dire straits, but he hoped for a miracle. He begged for one. Jesus had gone along with him. Hurry up! Don’t delay! But celebrity Jesus was swamped by the crowds, and there were no Pinkerton guards to clear his way like Tiger Woods has.
Finally, some folks from Jairus’s house came and said that Jairus’s daughter was dead. Jesus heard that, and He said (only to Jairus): “Do not fear, only believe.” Then he banished the crowd; “bye-bye, paparazzi!” And He, along with Peter, James, John, and Jairus, went to the house.
Upon arriving, there was much commotion and deep grief. But Jesus, not to be deterred, assumes the freedom of the house, enters in, and says: “Why do you make a commotion and weep? The child is not dead but sleeping.”
“And they laughed at him.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing we’ve ever heard. What is this, some kind of sick joke? You’ve got to be kidding.”
Jesus, for His part, did not speak. Instead, he put them all outside. After that, he took mom and dad and the three disciples and went to where the girl was. “He took her by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha cum’, which means, ‘Little girl, get up.’” And she did. And she began to walk about. And they were overcome – not with fits of hilarity but rather with amazement. He ordered them not to say a word and then told them to give her something to eat.
When I served as a chaplain at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas, I was there with parents on what was – surely for them – the worst day of their lives. On some occasions, I escorted their children to the morgue and then, eventually, the surviving parents and family members out to their cars.
To say to them “Your child is not dead but sleeping” would be, to me, about the most inappropriate thing I could think of to say. To begin with, it’s dishonest. It paints this picture of a sleeping child who will eventually wake up like any other morning. But that’s not true. The child is dead; arrangements have to be made; a service needs to be conducted; the disposition of the remains must take place.
To us, “Your child is not dead but sleeping” seems to be cruel and unusual verbal punishment. But we must remember that, in this week’s Gospel, they are the words of Jesus. And that makes everything different.
The crowds may have deterred Jesus, but not death. For the raising of Jairus’s daughter happened on Jesus way to His own death. There upon the cross, He died for the sins of Jairus’s , the sins of Jairus’s daughter, your sins, my sins, and for those who think His love is a big joke.
Now, risen from the grave, He lives to give us that joy, that laughter, that even death cannot extinguish. Tonight, hear Him whisper to you what He once said to Jairus: “Do not fear, only believe.”
An old friend of mine once said something I’ll never forget: “Every day is an adventure as hell itself is put to flight by that holy laugh borne of Christ’s forgiveness.” Happy, joyous, forgiven, laughter-filled, summer days! Enjoy them all for Jesus’ sake. Do not fear, only believe. Amen.
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