Laughter during the Sermon
The Easter Wednesday Gospel, John 21:1-14, the catch of the 153 fish, 1is my favorite of the week. It is my favorite because it is the funniest of the Resurrection appearances. I took on the topic of God’s playfulness in Holy Writ and humor in the latest edition of the print journal Gottesdienst. If you are not a subscriber you could buy a digital copy here. (It looks, however, like the latest issue isn’t up as of 4/4/24). You could also just send me an email and I will send you a pdf of that article. I think it is a neglected topic among us.
Despite my interest in this topic, I was surprised yesterday that the small congregation gathered on Easter Wednesday laughed out loud during the sermon. They laughed at this line: “The only surprise is that John doesn’t jump in after him and race him to shore and then report that he was first.”
I was trying to point out some of the humor in the account, but I expected a smirk not a laugh. I didn’t leave any space for a laugh. I stepped all over it, reading the next sentence without a pause, while they laughed. It was a total rookie mistake.
I don’t think our goal should ever be to make the people laugh in a sermon. That wasn’t my intent yesterday, though I should have been better prepared and reacted better. I should have given them the space to laugh once they did. This has happened to me a few times over the years so even though it is not common, I should learn to react better. I think that if laughter comes naturally from the congregation, is appropriate to what is being said, and what is being said is germane to the text and not simply the preacher’s attempt to yuck it up or to endear oneself to the audience, then it is a good and healthy reaction. It should not be avoided but it shouldn’t be sought either. Our goal is not to make them laugh. If they laugh for the right reasons and the laugh doesn’t distract or draw undo attention to the preacher and his cleverness, then God be praised, but we need to be careful with it.
Back to Easter Wednesday. What was the appropriate reason to laugh at that point? I think they laughed because they know and love both John and Peter. The line struck them as funny because of that. If I had said something like that about Nicodemus or Martin Luther they would not have laughed. They laughed because they recognized their brothers, Peter and John, in the statement and they love those men. They also love the details in Holy Scripture. They are intensely interested in every word that Jesus speaks, in everything that He does, especially in the Resurrection. I find that reality, their piety and joy, their quickness to laugh, quite moving and encouraging.
For what it is worth, here is the sermon:
The account of the miraculous catch is right after the appearance to Thomas. John then states the purpose of his Gospel:
30 And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: 31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
Immediately following this account, Peter will receive the famous three-fold admonition to feed the sheep. All of this serves to demonstrate to us what life is like in the Church after the resurrection.
In the midst of it, Peter decided to go fishing. They fished all night and caught nothing. The Lord instructed them from the shore to try the other side. Even though they didn’t realize that it was Him, they did as He said. The catch was so great they couldn’t pull it in, though after swimming to the shore Peter seems to do it alone.
As is typical, John recognized the Lord first. He tells Peter. Peter acts by covering himself and jumping overboard. We recognize this is also typical. The only surprise is that John doesn’t jump in after him and race him to shore and then report that he was first. In any case, by the time they all get to the shore the Lord already has a fire going. He already has fish on it and bread, replicating the menu from the feeding of the five thousand. The risen Jesus shows up in Eucharistic meals.
He doesn’t need their fish, but they have 153 of them and He asks them to add some to the breakfast. Like the garment the soldiers gambled for, the net is not torn. Unlike the earlier catch of fish, there is no threat to sink the boat and they are not afraid.
Jesus says to them, “Come, have breakfast.” The Lord is risen. He invites them to break their fast. The Bridegroom is alive and with us. How could we not rejoice and feast? In this invitation and eating they know who He is. In Him they also know the heart of His Father and the Spirit who undergirds and inspires the Scriptures.
The Lord is risen and He provides. He is present in the breaking of the bread. There is a time to fast and a time to feast. The Church sometimes works all night and catches nothing, but the Word doesn’t return void. Other times, at the Word of the Lord, a great number come in. The Church’s missionary efforts always bring in the elect even when the accountants in St. Louis can’t count them. None are ever missed. The risen Lord can get his own fish. He doesn’t need us, but He gives us a part in it anyway. Now is the time to fish for men. It is time to preach the Gospel to every creature, to be bold in our witness, because Jesus lives. It ought to feel more like a hobby or a pastime than a job, fishing for fun rather than to stave off starvation. Breakfast is provided regardless of the catch. Jesus doesn’t need our fish and neither do we. But He gives us a part in it that we might share in His joy.