“Why don’t animals in the jungle play cards? Because there are too many cheetahs.”
Ugh. Some jokes are so bad, they’re good. They are so corny they make you groan, but then sort of force you to crack a smile, maybe out of sympathy for the teller if nothing else.
“Why did the employee get fired from the calendar factory? She took a day off.”
RELATED: Check out more stories on faith and culture from Ken Lass.
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It’s a positive thing to make someone smile. A smile is good for the soul. It’s difficult to dwell on the adversity of life when someone makes you smile. If only for a moment.
“Why do seagulls fly over the sea? Because if they flew over the bay they would be bagels.”
It’s interesting to note that the Bible says Jesus wept; Jesus was angry, sympathetic, focused and calm. Maybe even worried and afraid, like the garden of Gethsemane when He prayed to the Father about His impending crucifixion.
But Scripture never mentions that Jesus laughed. Which is curious, because you know this holy man had a huge sense of humor. You can’t tell me Jesus didn’t flash a smile and giggle a bit at the reaction of the servants when He changed water into wine at the wedding. Or when He was walking on top of the water and saw Peter clumsily get out of the boat and try to do the same thing, only to sink like a rock. Or at the astonishment of the fishermen who had caught nothing all day, then were told by Jesus to cast their nets one more time and hauled in so many fish their nets were bursting. Or the amazement of the crowds when He turned a handful of bread and fish into enough food to feed thousands.
Surely the Savior must have taken enormous delight in making folks laugh and smile.
‘Brighten someone’s day’
We can brighten someone’s day. Sometimes a clean, corny old joke is just the right way to break the ice. God wants us to laugh. The book of Job tells us, “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.”
“My doctor told me I had the flu. I said I wanted a second opinion. So he told me my nose was too big.”
I see you smiling. Feels good, doesn’t it?
EDITOR’S NOTE — Ken Lass is a retired Birmingham television news and sports anchor and an award-winning columnist for numerous publications and websites.
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