A Few More Fools?

In the royal courts of old Europe, the kings and queens used to employ jesters, or fools, to entertain them and their guests.  These individuals are stereotypically believed to have worn colorful clothing, including floppy three-pointed hats with jingle bells at the endpoints, ringing out a merry sound. And the fool typically carried a fake scepter, making fun of his patron. In reality, there were probably a variety of costumes used by the fools who entertained in the courts.

Fools were either natural-born nitwits, or individuals who were given "license," so to speak, to act like nitwits. There was some sense that a natural fool had been "touched by God," and therefore possessed a kind of wisdom and counsel that others didn't have. The fool didn't care about politics, didn't care about the organized church, didn't care about his own safety, and therefore could be candid. 

We can see in Shakespeare's plays that the whole point of having a fool in the court was not only to amuse the occupants of a room. The fool was also expected to criticize his audience, including the king and/or queen.  It's hard for me to imagine, but one queen is said to have gotten upset when her fool was not severe enough with her. On the other hand, when you're a leader in perilous times, having the direct word of God come through a jester/fool would be comforting, no matter if it were painful.

My young women's Bible study group was meeting at our house this past Wednesday, studying the story of Elijah. We were noticing how Elijah appeared and made pronouncements that nailed people to the wall.  Suddenly Kristin (an English teacher) observed, "Elijah operated like a jester."

I was intrigued as I considered her hypothesis.  This prophet shows up out of nowhere, tells off a powerful king, and disappears again.  He frolics by a brook where he's fed by birds, he demands a widow's last meal and then multiplies it over time.  He revives her son who has died, and then takes off again to engineer a showdown between God and an idol (Baal), with the accursed king looking on.  He seems to have no political sensibilities, uses hyperbole freely, and makes fun of Baal as his priests go into a frenzy, trying to produce rain.  At one point he jeers, "What's the matter with your god?  Maybe he's busy sitting on the toilet."  It really does have the feel of a court jester to it.

Prophets seem to have disappeared over time, as have the court jesters.  We are more civilized folk now, with committees and legislative bodies and policies and laws to tell us when we're headed the wrong way and direct us aright.  It's difficult to find a fool who can use humor and wisdom, who is "touched by God" so to speak, to speak the truth to leaders and followers alike.  Think about it:  do you know any?

I'm wondering if our world could use a few more fools.