Laughter and the Last Laugh
Laughter. I love laughter. I like Monty Python, standup comedians who aren’t too vulgar, Garrison Keillor makes me chuckle, and I will laugh out loud sitting by myself watching a Looney Tunes cartoon. “I say, I say boy… I don’t think the elevator goes all the way to the top if you know what I mean” (Rooster Foghorn Leghorn in case you forgot or somehow have not enjoyed him). I don’t enjoy cruel laughter. You know what I am talking about: laughter at the expense of others. Laughter at something that is actually cruel and real. I’m not talking about a harmless joke. I’m talking about when people laugh at something in real life, that concerns real people.
The other day, I heard such laughter in the background of a White House meeting between the president of El Salvador, Bukele, and President Trump and his officials. Most people are aware that “we” (we elected him, we own him) have sent people who have been designated “illegals” to a notorious super-max prison in El Salvador. One of them, Abrego Garcia, who does have a substantial criminal past and documented ties to gang activity, has been ordered by the Supreme Court to return to Maryland, where he lived for 15 years. The Supreme Court. This order is being “defied” or at least avoided. Instead, President Trump talked to Bukele about “building five more units”, five more super-max prisons for more Americans, and even talked about shipping not “illegals” but “violent criminals” from America.
And here, those around him laughed. Laughed.
Can this be funny? Even if you support our president (we elected him, we own him) in many areas, even if you are thrilled that his tough approach has reduced the flow of people over the border to a trickle, even if you believe that somehow those people with certain tattoos are violent criminals, how can anyone but anyone agree with the notion of shipping American citizens, even those who commit crimes to foreign prisons, without due process?
By the way, the Declaration of Independence includes in its complaints against the crown:
“For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world. For imposing taxes upon us without our consent. For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury. For transporting us beyond the seas to be tried for petty offenses.” Just saying.
And before you say, surely, he is bluffing, that is what we said about tariffs, and ICE round-ups. Now they have gone after students for writing articles that supported Gaza Palestinians (not Hamas). Now they want to punish “60 Minutes” for a less-than-flattering segment. What’s next? I know. They will go after even laughter. They will go after Saturday Night Live, John Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and others. They will demand the shutdown of anyone who makes us laugh at this.
Maybe they are right. Because none of this is funny. It is cruel.
Jesus didn’t tell many jokes. Some of his parables undoubtedly made people laugh because of how ridiculous they were, you know, a father welcoming a son home without question, a farmer sowing seed everywhere, even among the weeds, and more. The most laughter in the Gospels probably occurs at the cross, by those who derided him, saying: “Save yourself if you are the King of the Jews.” The soldiers and Herod probably laughed at him, in the purple robe they put on him and the crown of thorns on his head.
On Easter, God had the last laugh. Not everyone got the joke. They still don’t. It is my prayer, my hope, my longing, my belief, that in the end God will have the last laugh. God says, “blessed are those who weep, for they shall laugh” and “woe to those who laugh, for they shall weep”.
Easter is God’s victory over even cruel laughter. Over my cruel laughter at times. Over my desire to punish those who laugh. Over my failure to do more. We cannot seek to respond to cruelty with cruelty. We did not elect the God of the cross. Christ has chosen us, all of us. We did not elect him, but God still owns us. All of us. And that is no laughing matter.
-Pastor John Trump
