That's Not Funny - Ecclesiastes 2:1

"…Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?" Ecclesiastes 2:1.

Solomon also wrote, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine… (Proverbs 17:22).” He wasn't a killjoy and laughter is not evil, it's a God given grace for our good and happiness and  praise God for it! Solomon gave himself over to mirth and pleasure because he thought that laughter was enough to satisfy his soul. He would anchor his soul and devote himself to mirth as the reason for living. He found it was ultimately vanity to live for laughter. I’ve read biographies of comedians and was surprised how angry, bitter, and unfulfilled they were. These men dedicated their life to making others laugh, saw the world as meaningless, just like Solomon said.

A good humorist sees the world as it is and points out little absurdities in life, or to think of inconsistencies in life or language. I considered writing a book on comedians, but it was too difficult, so I tried writing on paper instead. It’s funny to imagine someone using another person as a canvas instead of paper. The joke plays on the imprecision of language and thinking about someone doing something wrong. In the famous I Love Lucy episode, where Lucy and Ethel  take jobs at a chocolate factory (Google it kids), we laugh when the boss threatens to fire them if one piece of chocolate gets past them without the wrapping. Chocolates speed down the conveyor belt too fast for them to keep up. They try everything they can think of to not let the chocolates pass. It’s not funny to get fired or be in over your head. We have all been in some situation where life is coming at us so fast it’s all we can do to keep up. Lucy took a universal experience of stress and anxiety and then acts it out in a ridiculous, over the top scenario. It’s cathartic and funny to watch someone else in such a silly situation trying to crawl their way out. We laugh because of the absurdity of something being broken, but also because we can relate. Life's hard. Why did Solomon say it was vanity?

Mark Twain was a brilliant humorist, but an angry and bitter man. He said, “Everything human is pathetic. The secret source of humor itself is not joy but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.” Twain gave his life to wit and humor, devoting himself to mocking what is good. He lived as a scorner and mocker with no hope. God’s people are joyful in Christ, and can see the humor in life and rejoice in God's goodness, laugh at life's absurdities, and in humility remember we are all but dust. We can laugh because we know that our Lord will eventually set all things right. Without Christ, the broken things just aren't funny anymore.