The Laughing Christ

Once while inside a bookstore, browsing through books, I happen to wander to the post card isle and saw an interesting image of a laughing Jesus. Not the kind one would normally see, depicted in paintings and pictures, of a serious and almost sad Jesus. The one I saw was laughing.

The picture of a laughing Christ reminded me of a book I read, awhile back, regarding the humor of Christ. Jesus, according to that book, on occasion, engage in wit, irony and satire. Just like any of us would.

We rarely think of laughing when we think of being spiritual. Is that what God wants? Is laughter theologically incongruous? Is it presumptuous to suggest that Jesus Christ laugh? Will knowing that Jesus Christ laugh make us less awe of Him? Is it not true that man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter? Is it not also true that we are made in the image and likeness of God? If we can laugh, why can't God? Is creating us not an evidence of the Almighty's humor?

The image of the laughing Christ should be a reminder of the blessing of laughter. Laughing also has health benefits. We must always laugh when we can. It is said to be the best medicine and among those things in life which are still free. Laughter has a spiritual side. No man who truly believes can say, in all honesty, that laughter is not God-given. Absence of laughter renders life impossible. Surely, such is not the intention of our Maker.

The human race have every reason to be cheerful, afterall, human beings are made in the image and likeness of God. Not only that, the human bodies are also believe to the temples of the Holy Spirit. Ergo, humans have more reasons to be of good cheer.

Of all humans, Christians should be always of good cheer. Cheerfulness should be the mark of all Christians, so that non-Christians will also be encourage to follow Jesus Christ. Not complain like that great man of peace, Gandhi, that : although he like our Christ, he does not like us Christians...it is always sad when that happens.

So, fellow Christians, let us take time to look for causes to laugh each day, shall we? So, by being cheerful and happy, we will be likeable... just like Christ.