Tears and Laughter

What do people always say? “If you don’t laugh, you cry.” Laughter comes from that same place that tears do, that soft spot deep down inside where our own humanity lies. But so often, when we hear the Gospel, it doesn’t reach down as far into our humanity as it should. We don’t get the joke. We have too much difficulty seeing ourselves as the poor wretches to even crack a smile when the unexpected good news comes in and turns the world upside down. You know the end of Toy Story 3 when all the toys are about to be incinerated at the landfill, and they realize that there’s nothing they can do to save themselves? Then what happens? 

The little green aliens use “The Claaaaaaawwww” to rescue their friends from their fiery fate. The first time I watched that, I was on the floor with laughter. Yes, it’s a great example of Deus ex Machina, but it’s just so unexpectedly funny that it’s perfect. Until that point, this movie was looking pretty tragic. That’s how it is with the Gospel. Everything looks hopeless as we realize our brokenness and feel the depths of our hopelessness, then the unexpected good news rushes in and turns tears to laughter and back into tears of joy. But we have to realize our tragic situation before we really get the joke. If the toys weren't in any danger, the aliens scooping them up with a giant claw wouldn't be half as funny or meaningful. We have to understand the setup before the punch line makes us laugh, and laugh we will.