Hi Carole,

You said:

• What is the significance of St. Paul and other New Testament writers describing Jesus as Lord?

The significance is that writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, these authors are identifying Christ as Lord. Seeing they were almost all Jews, with the exception of Luke, they would not give that title to anyone else but God Himself.

You said:

• What are the Old Testament roots of that title?

In the Old Testament the Lord (Adonai) was the word they would use when reading the word for God, so as not speak God's name. Usually this was used for the Word Elohim, which means "mighty one" (a plural noun used to describe a singular God).

When reading the word Yahweh or Jehovah, (the same word put pronounced differently), they would say HaShem meaning the name. Again this was done in order not to speak God's name.

You said:

• How would most first century Greeks or Romans respond to the statement:

  "Jesus is Lord"?

Well, the word means — ruler. It is a title which on one level could be used or given to any ruler. So a slave might call his master lord. The local ruler could be called lord, but in context it is title that challenges the rule and alleged divinity of Caesar.
Hope this helps,

You said:

• Finally, in what ways does the Incarnation reveal a "divine humor" and "sacred jest"?

One can easily read through the Gospels and see how Jesus manifests His true union with humanity in and through the Incarnation.

He shows a full range of human emotions. Some of these may be lost on us 2,000 years later because we aren't familiar with the customs and times during which Jesus lived, therefore we are apt to miss some of the word play, which may only be accessible in the original language.

To answer this question, you need to take a graduate level course on the Incarnation.

John