NOV 27 | Lesson Followup

GRADES 6-12 | Observational Comedy

Dear parents,

Some of the best comedians point out previously unrecognized absurdities in everyday things. Maybe they just stare at quirky stuff longer than we do, but their observational humor deftly intersects with important themes such as family, relationships, and work.

Maybe that’s why Jesus was a carpenter and lived among humanity for 30 years before beginning his ministry. Author Dallas Willard addresses that in The Divine Conspiracy:

“If [Jesus] were to come today as he did then, he could carry out his mission through most any decent and useful occupation. He could be a clerk or accountant in a hardware store, a computer repairman, a banker, an editor, doctor, waiter, teacher, farmhand, lab technician, or construction worker. He could have run a housecleaning service or repaired automobiles. In other words, if he were to come today, he could very well do what you do. He could very well live in your apartment or house, hold down your job, have your education and life prospects, and live within your family surroundings and time. None of this would be the least hindrance to the eternal kind of life that was his by nature and becomes available to us through him.” [Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (San Francisco, CA: HarperOne, 1998), 14.]

Jesus is part of our day-to-day lives, more than we often realize. This week we looked at how he interrupted Peter in the middle of a workday. A carpenter telling a fisherman how to work has all the makings of slapstick—or a revolution. We know it was the latter because it’s still affecting us. And strangely enough, Jesus is calling us to fish for people, too.

Try discussing these questions with your teenager this week:

• Who are some of your favorite comedians or cartoon characters? What do you enjoy most about their type of humor?
• What things do you find funny about everyday life? Maybe it’s something that doesn’t seem funny until you really think about it.
• Do you think Jesus tends to interrupt people or just wait until they’re ready to hear from him? Explain.

I hope this helps you invest in your teenager. Let me know how we can serve you with this!