A little bit of humor from JC

¹One day as he was teaching the people in the temple courts and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, together with the elders, came up to him. ²"Tell us by what authority you are doing these things," they said. "Who gave you this authority?"

³He replied, "I will also ask you a question. Tell me, ⁴John's baptism—was it from heaven, or from men?"

⁵They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' ⁶But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet."

⁷So they answered, "We don't know where it was from."

⁸Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

Luke 20:1-8

I've heard this story many times before, but yesterday when I was reading it, I decided to pause and imagine myself in the situation. During a recent sermon on the Parable of the Mustard Seed (Luke 13:18-21), Pastor Dave made the observation that we read the few verses one right after the other, but maybe Jesus asked his question, "What is the kingdom of God like?" and just waited for an answer. None of the disciples knew what to say, and maybe shuffled their feet, because they knew that whatever answer they would give would show their ignorance.

I think something similar happened when Jesus' authority was questioned by the priests. Except this time, I can see Jesus letting out a little laugh when he answers. I think that sometimes we imagine Jesus as more serious than maybe he really was. But don't you think there was some humor in this? How often do we talk about God having a sense of humor when He works in our lives? Don't you think Jesus had a sense of humor too? Imagine the priests huddling like they are on Family Feud, weighing their options and wanting to pick the right answer so that they don't get their third strike. Then Jesus asks, "What's your final answer? Don't expect me to spill my secret if you're not going to share yours." And then he laughs as he shakes his head and walks away.