April Fools for Christ

April opens with one of the most fun days of the year. Today is April Fools’ Day, and although I’m not much of a prankster anymore, it did get me thinking about the pranks that I’ve pulled on others and the ones that they’ve pulled on me. I think the one that sticks with me most involves the treachery of my father.

My brother and I were either just entering or just shy of our teenage years when this story occurred. Our dad woke us up in the morning with a twisted tale and the promise of wealth beyond our wildest dreams. By the way, if you’re planning to pull a joke on someone today, that’s totally how you should do it. No one suspects anything sinister the moment they first open their eyes. The brain hasn’t quite oriented itself yet; it’s a perfect time to slip in the seeds of an epic prank. 

Well, that’s exactly what my father did. We woke up to him telling us about a wallet full of money that was found in the attic of our grandparents’ house. Inside the wallet was a whopping $1,500 in cash, and wouldn’t you know it, our generous grandparents had decided to give it all to the both of us. All that’s left to do is go collect it from them!  Mind you, my father has a flair for the dramatic, so he’s really selling the story. Needless to say, on that day, we became April fools.  

We got dressed, piled into the car, and started driving towards their house. On the ride over, my father had the audacity to ask us how we were going to spend the money. My brother says one thing, and I say another; we were lost in the possibilities. When we pulled into their driveway, they were already at the front door waiting for us with big smiles on their faces. We gave them hugs and asked that fateful question: “Where’s the wallet?”  

What happened next is the reason that my brother and I still remember this story, even so many years later. Our grandparents’ happy smiles turned into confused squints, but still, it hadn’t dawned on us. We turned back towards our father for his help in explaining. Needless to say, there was no help coming. He was pointing at us with both of his hands and, for some reason, was also in the athletic stance. Half-squatted and with his arms fully extended, he bellowed the words we’ve all said to another but never want to hear ourselves: “April Fools!” 

After reminiscing on the chagrin of our humiliation, I began to wonder why foolishness is celebrated on this pseudo holiday. If you ask me, being a fool is a pretty weird thing to revel in and enjoy. However, perhaps it’s making a fool of somebody that’s truly celebrated; that seems more fitting. Nevertheless, I must admit that I didn’t actually know what started April Fools’ Day. So, I looked up its origin story, but turns out, it’s more of an origins story (plural) than an origin story.¹

Europe and parts of the Middle East have long-standing customs for this day, but what started it all is still a mystery. Some believe the first reference dates back to 1392 and came from a story in Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Others see it as a French dispute over the date of New Years as being the first public mentioning of an “April fool.” The English believe the celebration originates from a prank on April 1st in 1686 where people were duped into believing that they could go see the palace lions get washed at the tower of London. Lastly, there’s a comical reference to a 1769 quote that insists Noah was the original April fool for sending out the dove before the flood waters receded. Although I think this last example is laughable, I think it’s pointing to something interesting; namely, the Bible might be the true origin of April Fools’ Day. 

This April Fools’ Day is a somewhat rare one. It’s not like most of the others; this year, it falls on the day after Easter instead of sometime before it. Even rarer, about once per decade, the traditional date for Easter falls on April Fools’ Day. If I remember correctly, I believe the next time this happens is in 2029. I hope you’re beginning to see the irony, but if not, the rest of this article is for you. 

When we celebrate Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are celebrating something that seems absolutely foolish. It’s antithetical to our predispositions and common sense in general; people don’t come back from the dead. In the case of Christ, the foolishness is amplified. Not only do people not come back from the dead, but they certainly don’t also roll away a boulder-sized stone after being scourged and crucified in the most brutal form of execution known to man at the time. Easter sounds foolish. 

This is something not lost on the Apostles, especially Paul. The same man who once persecuted Christians for their foolish belief came to adopt it as his own and later wrote about its foolishness. We’re lucky enough to have that letter in the New Testament. In 1Corinthians 1:18-25, he writes this: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what is preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength” (1Cor 1:18-25, NIV). Amen. This is the word of the Lord; praise be to God.

So, here we are on April 1st, reveling in the foolishness of God. Here we are, one day after Easter, reveling in the resurrection of Christ. In His foolishness, God made foolish the powers of darkness. In the biblical story, God’s the one pulling the prank through the death of Christ, but the plan itself sounds so counterintuitive. It reminds me of the funny phrase we’ve all heard in some slapstick comedy somewhere; after a particularly foolish idea, they exclaim something like, “That’s just so dumb it might actually work!” Well, fast forward three days later, and it did indeed work.  

So, when it comes to today’s origin story, it just may indeed date back to the Bible. The story about Jesus Christ sounds so foolish, but to us who are being saved, it is the very power of God. In fact, there’s so much circumstantial evidence in favor of the resurrection, we see unbelievers as the real foolish ones.² It just goes to show, whether we’re believers or unbelievers, we’re all fools to some degree. 

Happy April Fools’ Day. Until next time, may God bless you abundantly.