The idea of a punch-line in comedy is to take the listener by surprise. Last Sunday I talked about Jesus using the typical 3-part joke structure with some of his parables. The eye of the needle parable for example. The setting of the ‘story’, the ‘story’ itself and the punch-line. Here’s an example of the structure at work:
A barber is sitting in her shop when a priest enters. “Can I have a haircut?” the priest asks. “Of course,” says the barber. The barber than gives the priest a haircut. When the barber has finished, the priest asks “How much do I owe you?” “Nothing,” replies the barber. “For you are a holy man.” The priest leaves. The next morning, when the barber opens her shop, she finds a bag with one hundred gold coins in it. A short while later, an Imam enters the shop. “Can I have a haircut?” he asks. “Of course,” says the barber, who gives the Imam a haircut. When the barber has finished, the Imam asks “How much do I owe you?” “Nothing,” replies the barber. “For you are a holy man.” The Imam leaves. The next morning, when the barber opens her shop, she finds a bag with a hundred gold coins in it. A bit later, a rabbi walks in the door. “Can I have a haircut?” the rabbi asks. “Of course,” says the barber, who gives the rabbi a haircut. When the haircut is finished, the rabbi asks, “How much do I owe you?” “Nothing,” replies the barber, “for you are a holy man.” The rabbi leaves. The next morning, when the barber opens her shop, she finds a hundred rabbis.
Now, why is that funny? Some might say it is anti-semitic because it taps into an erroneous stereotype. Others might smile at the idea of a priest leaving a 100 gold coins; not likely! And, that the idea of 100 holy men queueing for a haircut is the more likely outcome; miserly mob. Another question is: did the priest tell the Imam, who then told the rabbi about a free haircut? Or, is this a parable about interfaith relationships? Hang on, surely it’s just a joke!
But the point is that the joke structure sets up both the expected and the unexpected outcome, depending upon our own experiences and prejudices. The same is true for the parable.
Jesus used this structure to great effect. Take the story of the good Samaritan, it’s not all that different to the barber shop joke. It’s designed to make you think. It turns the expected and the unexpected upside down. It invites us to place ourselves inside the story and to see ourselves within it, and then ask ourselves certain questions: What would you do after being given a free haircut? What would you do on the Jericho road?
