Where is the Joy

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“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.”  – John 16:20

I am a huge fan of sports.  Baseball, football, basketball, soccer and yes even golf.  There is just something about watching two teams competing for a prize that stirs something inside of me.  I find myself pulling for the underdog more frequently than the favored though.  I think this is because it always seems as though they appreciate the victory more.  But, with every victory there is also the bitterness of defeat for the other team.  Seeing the frustration, pain and disappointment in the eyes of the defeated often times pulls on my emotions even more so than the jubilation and celebration of the victors.  During the game these bitter rivals will do anything they can to win.  In some cases victory is snatched away at the very last moment of the game and their excitement and joy is immediately taken from them and displaced with frustration, sadness and emptiness.

Of late though, I have observed something in many events I watch on TV.  After the game is over and two teams have battled fearlessly for hours, many of them come to the middle of the field and kneeling hand in hand lift their praise to God.  This is the real joy.  The victory in the game is temporary and fleeing, but the joy of the Lord is consistent.  Despite their differences, their bitterness towards each other, they recognize something bigger that ties them together, and that is a faith in Jesus Christ.

The disciples of Jesus Christ had to have been taken aback when Jesus was telling them that He must leave.  In John 16:16 He tells them He must leave and won’t be with them anymore, but then He will return after a little while.  They knew Him, had trusted Him and followed Him for 3 years.  They had believed that He was born the Messiah in a small manger for the purpose of restoring God’s Kingdom.  In their minds, it was only a matter of time before they overthrew the Romans and took over.  At that time there were many zealots gathering men in the name of Jehovah to form an army against the authority and power of the day.  Jesus had not demonstrated any of the same tendencies, yet these men continued to follow Him, knowing that He would one day be the King.

With His words, the disciple’s joy was being drained away.  Confusion arose as they tried to comprehend what He was telling them.  How could the Messiah be taken away right in the heart of His ministry?  What were they going to do if He were no longer there to lead them?  What they would discover in the coming 24 hours is the bitterness of their Messiah being arrested, punished and crucified on a cross.  The joy they had relished for the past 3 years would be ripped from their grasp in the final minutes of His life.  Fear, confusion and sadness would overcome them just as He said would happen.  The world around them would cheer and encourage His death in those final moments.  Where only days before the world was cheering and praising His holy name, how quickly they would turn on Him.  The disciples would band together though and continue praising Him even in their sorrow.  Their first hand experience of His resurrection fueled their passion to spend the rest of their lives telling the world of His glory and righteousness.  We find in the New Testament, chapter after chapter, verse after verse of their trials and tribulations for the next 70 (or so) years spent preaching the joy, love and peace of the Savior.

From their joy in Christ, the world has since become knowledgeable and closer to Jesus Christ.  There have been times in history when the majority of the population had a faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  He was lifted up above all others and held in the place of glory and honor, where He should rightfully be.  But in the past 25 years we have seen a repeat of those final days in Jerusalem.  The majority of the world are turning away from Jesus Christ and looking for other answers.  Some statistics would state that as little as 32% of the world’s population would claim to be a Christian, but less than 20% hold true to and believe what Jesus claimed in the scriptures.  Those of us who are bible believing Christians can feel the pressure, the shifting of the tide (so to speak).  In John 16:1-2, Jesus tries to prepare His disciples for what is to come in the future, and I believe His words are just as valid today:

“All this I have told you so that you will not fall away.  They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God.”  John 16:1-2

We must hold true to the joy of the Lord through these hardships and trials in this world.  Hold fast to the peace, mercy and grace of our Savior and know that there will be pain, bitterness and sorrow.  By banding together in love as brothers and sisters in Christ, we will remain strong in our faith and joy in the Lord.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Prayer:
Almighty God,
Thank you for Your word.  Thank You for giving us the peace and clarity in Your plan of salvation.  Through Your Son’s birth and life we find the joy in living out these trials in our lives.  Help us to remain strong, bound by love and faith in Your word, to deal with the world that seems so against it.  Help us to be shining examples of Your love to all that we meet, so that through our joy during trials they come to know You more.  In Your name we pray - Amen

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