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The Last LaughNinth Sunday after Pentecost

Genesis 18:1-14

July 21, 2013

So tell me, does God have a sense of humor?

I know, question of the ages, right? The one thats plagued

mankind since beg. of time the proverbial !theologians cross."

#$, well, ma%be it isnt that&as a matter of fact, its not even one

of the '() questions our confirmands have to learn the answer to in

*uthers Small +atechism, but it isa question I seem to get asked

more than most- !oes God have a sense of humor?"

I think all here would agree that God is loving, but does /e laugh?

Is there an%where in the Scriptures where we see/im laughing?

I mean, its not as if laughter is !evil".

It can certainl% be used that wa% to mock, scorn, 0 ridicule.

1ut it can also be used in a God2pleasing wa% to celebrate.

3s read in 4cclesiastes time for ever%thing, even time to laugh.

3nd as see in other poet. bks of #T laughteris a gift from God.

/e brings us laughterof 5o% with /is ama6ing grace.1ut does God /imself laugh? 3ttmpt to find answr in toda%s t7t.

In our te7t, we read abt ' m%sterious strangers coming to visit 3be.

Two of them were angels who would go on to Sodom 0 Gomorrah

immediatel% after the% visit 3braham to rescue his nephew *ot.

The other, our t7t indicates, was none other than 8ahweh /imself.

The purpose of this visit was to tell 3braham the events that wouldsoon take place which included the event of Sarah having a son

!ill surely return to you a"out this ti#e ne$t year and Sarah

your !ife !ill ha%e a son&'

9ell it 5ust so happened that Sarah was listening at the entrance to

the tent when the *ord spoke these words and couldnt help but

laugh.

1ut this wasnt laughter ofjoy the t%pe of laughter that Goddesires, this was laughter of unbelief or doubt the t%pe of

laughter that God detests a laughter of mockery0 scorn.

3nd so /e asks, (hy did Sarah laugh)'

9ell God, being God, obviousl% knewwh% Sarah laughed.

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To Sarah, this promise of pregnanc% seemed utterl% ridiculous.

Sarah was :;, going on ;( wellpast the age of childbearing,

even b% 3((.

Its enough that hes even aliveSo Sarah retorts, Shall really ha%e thispleasure&!4den" little

slice of heaven?no! that a# !orn out and #y #aster is old)'

In Sarahs mind, this wasnt even fathomable, so didnt believe.

Gods promise brought laughter, but not the goodkind it

brought laughter of unbelief rather than laughter ofjoy.

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It 5ust cant be. Too good to be true. Sure doesnt feelthat wa%.

1ut then we come to our te7t where we are faced with the same

question God faced 3braham 0 Sarah with- s anythin. too hard

for /ah!eh)'!v. 14".

Is there evera time when %our troubles are too bigfor God?The answer we learn from our te7t toda% is a resounding, !#$"

God canand doesdo all that /e %romisesto do.

/e is able to turn our laughter of unbelief into laughter ofjoy.

3braham 0 Sarah are the perfect e7ample.

Tho the% were faithless, God was faithfuland kept the promise /e

made to give em descendants from their own flesh as numerous asthe stars in the heavns 0 sand on the seashore !Ge. 15:5; 22:17".

1% power of the /S, Sarah was finall% able to believethat promise.

3s the writer of ebrewssa%s !11:11", yfaith, e%en Sarah

herself recei%ed the a"ility to concei%e, e%en "eyond the roer

ti#e of life, since she considered i# !ho had ro#isedfaithful&'

/ow was that again? &y faith'

&y faithin the promise of God, promises /e alwa%s keeps, 3be 0Sarahs laughter of unbelief was changed to laughter ofjoy.

=or we read three chapters later &Gen. 21:17 that 3braham 0

Sarah laughedforjoywhen their son finall% wasborn.

So wh% is all this important? 9ell, the fulfillment of thispromise

was the first ste%in the fulfillment of Gods plan for whole world.

8ou see, t7t is abt morethan 5ust Gods promise for 3be 0 Sarah.

Its abt Gods promise for all mankind the promise of salvation.

3s we read in Ge. 1(:3, through 3braham 0 his descendants, all

nations on earthwill be blessed.

1ut in order for that blessing to take place for worldwide salv.to

take place, a son needed to be bornB that would be the firststep.

The laststep would be the birth of anotherpromised Son a Son

whose birth would alsoinvolve the unbelievable, indeed, the

seemingl% impossible a virginshall concei%e .i%e "irth'3nd, of course, 5ust as the coming of 3be 0 Sarahs son brought

about laughter of unbelief, so also would thisSons coming.

Ceople would laugh at the thought of a virgin giving birth.

The%d laugh at the thought of God taking on flesh to suffr 0 die.

The%d laugh at the thought of an insig. man like Desus being God.

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Indeed, the%d laugh in unbelief, scorn, and mocker%.

8et, as was the case with 3be 0 Sarah, though man is faithless,

God is faithful, and /is promises stand firm.

(hen the fullness of ti#e had co#e, God sent forth is Son, "orn

of !o#an, "orn under the la!, to redee# those !ho !ere underthe la!, so that !e #i.ht recei%e adotion as sons'&Gal. 4:45.

In that Son, Gods Son, all nations are blessed.

In /im, salvation has come.

3nd by faithin those promises of God, promises /e continues to

keep, wereceive that promised salvation, and ourlaughter of

unbelief changes to laughter ofjoy&5ust like 3be 0 Sarah.

This brings us back to orig. quest.- does God have sense of humr?

9ell notice how after 3braham laughedat Gods promise, God

told him that the son born to them was to be named !Isaac."

/ere is where we see Gods sense of humor shine through, because

the /ebrew name, !Isaac," is lit. translated, !he laughs."

9hile on the one hand, this name served as a lawful reminder to

3braham of his faithlessness, laughingat the promise of God, italsoserved as a Gos%elreminder of Gods faithfulness and, for

that matter, Gods sense of humor as /e /imself would get the

lastlaugh when /ed fulfillthat promise.

8es, 3be laughed and Sarah laughed, but God laughed last.

3nd %ou know what the% sa%, !/e who laughs last, laughs best."

#f course, the difference with God)slaughter is that it isnt done

in mockery, it is done injoy, for the ver% purpose of /im

fulfilling /is promises is that our5o% ma% be full &!n. 1":24.

Thus, God never laughs atus, /e laughs withus, as Sarah herself

recogni6ed when Isaac finall% was born- God has "rou.ht #e

laughter, and e%eryone !ho hears a"out this !ill lau.h #ith#e&'

Toda%Aand everyda%, God invites us to laugh with/im injoyas

we remember 0 celebrate the fulfillment of /is promise to send

/is Son to save us 0 all the world from everlasting condemnation,andas we celebrate, in faith, the continual fulfillment of /is

promises to provide for all our needs &both spiritual 0 ph%sical

and to work all things &both good 0 bad for the good of those who

love /im. In Desus