Pranks, Lying, God and April's Fool

 Pranks, Lying, God and April's Fool

by Matthew Michael (1 April, 2020)

 I don't normally wade into the controversies of God and theology in online discussions--but I'll make exception for this. I think there is a difference between lying and playing pranks. Culturally, April fool is rooted in the desire to play pranks--and have fun among friends. Prank is defined as "a practical joke or mischievous act" which is not intended to cause harm. Similarly, it could also be defined as the act of  "playing trick on someone with the intention to be funny and not to harm a person." There is nothing wrong in enjoying a healthy sense of humor; the God of the Bible is a serious deity but he is also a deity full of humour--and at times plays humourous pranks himself too. 

Modern studies have shown several humorous literary devices employed by God and biblical writers in conveying their messages. For example, the humour over the wordplay surrounding the names of Isaac--(laughter)--because his mother and father laughed at God's promises before his birth.. David's feigning madness before king Achish of Gath (1Sam 21: 15-16) in possible imitation of the crazy king Saul; Elijah's pranks and humours on the prophets of Baal. In fact, Elijah joked that Baal has either travelled or visited the toilet (1 Kings 18:27).  Similarly, the humorous conversation between Balaam and his donkey (Num 22:21-30)--or the witty conversation between the serpent and Eve (Gen 3). There are hyperbolic exaggeration with humorous intentions in the Bible too. Space and time will not allow me to indulge in them here (see Bullinger, E.W. (1968 reprint), Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker). One of the course, I taught last semester was on literary trope of hyperbole in the Old Testament. I've taught this course for three years now--and it is interesting to see humour presented in hyperbole.

In addition, prophets dotted their messages with humours, jokes, satires, parody, drama, and ironies to pass God's messages to their audience. Jesus himself was a humorist of the highest order; his parables and wise saying are filled with a touch of humour,  wittness and jabs. The popular one--is the laughable funny saying of Jesus--that it is easier for a camel to enter the eyes of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God (Matt 19:25; Mark 10:25).

I think we should guide against jokes, pranks or tricks that could lead to physical harm, social and verbal demeaning of others in a derogatory sense. But I also think that playful pranks among friends should not be deemed unchristian or unwarranted. However, it should be done in the spirit of mutual respect, love, and recognition of the dignity and worth of the object of one's jokes or pranks. In this sense, we must not embark on pranks that could hurt or harm others but on pranks and jokes that could edify or even critique our individual and collective idiosyncracies. I think April fool should not be seen from the perspective of lying but the human enjoyable culture of playing pranks on each others. While the Bible encourages soberness and discourages inordinate jesting but it does give room for friendly sharing of humours or even laying the grounds for pranks or stuff of comic nature.

Admittedly, many Christians see the Bible from a hyper--serious perspective, I think the  world of the Bible could be seen from the point of view of humours. For example, the book of Jonah is entirely structured on the motif of humour; the laughable story of a prophet--trying to run away from God. This is hilarious! or the laughable plight of a prophet who is angry at God because his enemies have repented and escaped divine judgment? While I respect the view of hypersensitive Christians on the seriousness of the Bible in matters of salvation, faith and practice, there is still the humourous dimensions of these biblical worlds that allow for joke, humour and pranks. I think we should place April Fool banters and jokes-in this sphere rather than in the serious spaces of lying and ethics. I also think that Christians should still be ethical in their jokes and pranks; but Christians should still enjoy the fun and joy of jokes and pranks too. Several modern studies have been done on humour in the Bible in recent times (For the study of humours in the Bible see Brenner, Athalya, ed., Are We Amused?: Humour About Women In the Biblical World. Library Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. New York and London: T & T Clarke, 2003; Hyers Conrad. "And God Created Laughter: The Bible as Divine Comedy." Atlanta: Westminster John Knox, 1987; Radday, Yehuda T. and Athalya Brenner, eds. "On Humour and the Comic in the Hebrew Bible." Bible and Literature Series 23. Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990; Whedbee, J. William. "The Bible and the Comic Vision." New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998).

I once again reemphasised that I respect the position of hypersensitive and serious Christians who deemed jokes and pranks as ungodly or sinful--but I think there are basis in the Bible to engage in laughable jokes and even pranks. Significantly, reality in my own experience--is often a succession of divine pranks--and looking back at my life now-- I think that God himself in many amusing ways--is the prankster of all times.