Nonsense of Humor

(Proverbs 26:19 KJV)  So is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

What is the dividing line between genuine, acceptable humor and deceit?  We often are the target or the protagonist of practical jokes.  They usually involve some kind of misdirection or deliberate misunderstanding.  We have all heard that sarcasm is the lowest form of humor.  I usually hear that from people who have no sense of humor so it is like someone who can’t carry a tune telling me I need to get into the contemporary worship experience. 

There is a line and I think it is one of those things that is hard to define but we know when we have crossed it.  I was once a part of a teaching team of four teachers.  Three of us were clowns and one had no sense of humor.  We found that we had to regularly say, “Joke, Irene, Joke.”  She would get a puzzled look on her face, think a moment and nod.  We need to be careful that we are not deceiving people.  We need to make sure our motives in humor are right.

So?  Be alert for people with no sense of humor.  They have other qualities and you need to be a better person.