Beth HaDerech; Messianic Jewish Congregation, Toronto, Canada

The Jewish Messiah, Never a Christian

The Joke: A Jewish businessman in Chicago sent his son to Israel for a year to absorb the culture. When the son returned, he said, "Papa, I had a great time in Israel. By the way, I converted to Christianity." "Oy vey," said the father, "What have I done?" He took his problem to his best friend. "Ike," he said, "I sent my son to Israel, and he came home a Christian. What can I do?" "Funny you should ask," said Ike. "I, too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. Perhaps we should go see the rabbi." They explained their problem to the rabbi. "Funny you should ask," said the rabbi. "I, too, sent my son to Israel, and he also came home a Christian. What is happening to our young people?" They prayed, telling the Lord about their sons. As they finished their prayer, a voice came from the heavens: "Funny you should ask," said the voice. "I, too, sent my son to Israel..." The truth: Twenty years ago, this familiar story with its unexpected twist gave me a few belly laughs, and I passed it on to friends. When it showed up the other day on its email rounds, I deleted it with a grunt. But the next day I asked for it back. Why did this joke make me laugh?...