That we may be filled with joy

“Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king!” These lines from the well-known Christmas song remind us that joy is linked to the coming of Jesus. From his very conception and birth, joy has been associated with Jesus. Wherever Jesus went, joy was sure to follow him.

Now as a grown man praying for the last time with his disciples before being betrayed and arrested, we find that the theme of joy continues In John 17:13, Jesus prayed to his heavenly Father saying, “13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

In our Easter series this year, we are looking at Jesus’ priestly prayer in John 17 and asking the question, “Why did Jesus come?” As you might have guessed, our answer today is that Jesus came that we might be filled with joy.

What is joy?

The text today is pretty clear that Jesus wanted his disciples and all who by faith believe in him to be filled with joy. But not just any joy, Jesus’ joy; joy that comes from Jesus.

The Greek word translated joy means to be delighted and exceedingly glad or cheerful. Picture a baby giggling uncontrollably with delight when mommy is tickling his tummy and that’s a pretty good mental and emotion image of joy.

Joy has a way of pushing everything else away from our mind and attention and enabling us to relax and experience a sense of peace and wholeness. What’s wonderful about the experience of joy is that it’s impossible to remain unchanged. Even the hardest of heart cracks a smile when a moment of joy is experienced. But that tends to be how we experience joy, isn’t it? Joy tends to be a moments reprieve from the cares of the world and then it’s gone, and we are left burdened once more. By God’s grace, that is not the joy Jesus came to fill us with. Joy that comes from Jesus lasts forever.

So how exactly does Jesus give his followers this kind of joy?

How Jesus give joy

Jesus gives joy by speaking the words of life

From the text of John 17:13, it can be observed that the things Jesus spoke while in the world are directly related to the joy that he gives to his followers. “…these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.”

So, what things did Jesus speak in the world that have such a power to give joy? We may be certain that whatever things Jesus said were good and not bad. Bad words do not bring anyone joy in any normal circumstance. Rather it’s the good words that makes us happy and rejoice. So it is with Jesus. The things that Jesus spoke in the world that brought joy were words of life.

“63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life… 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:63, 68-69)

We know Jesus’ words of life to be the gospel, which literally means “good news.” The good news of life that Jesus spoke was the message of the coming kingdom of God and the singular way to enter into that eternal kingdom and gain eternal life. All those who listen to and believe the words Jesus spoke concerning himself and the kingdom of God are forgiven and are granted citizenship in this perfect and heavenly spiritual kingdom where there is no fear of death or disease or pain or loss. These are the same words of life we all need to hear even today.

I’m reminded of the over 3,000,000 Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to leave their country because the war and oppression from Russia. I would bet that each one of them is right now longing for a peaceful and safe home that will never be touched by the destruction of war. Jesus’ words of life to them is that there is a place where only the righteous are allowed and no scheme of man can ever destroy your home or force you to leave. In this place is a King who protects and provides for all the needs of his people and never abandons them. In this place is peace and joy for eternity. This place is the kingdom of God.

For those who have given their allegiance to King Jesus, there is peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:6) and there is joy that never ends (Philippians 4:4). Is not this good news?? For the oppressed and those suffering and the weak and the poor and the outcast and the sinner, do not these words of life from Jesus bring joy? Yes! And do these words bring even more joy to know that we don’t have to wait to be a part of this kingdom, but we are invited into it right now with all of its spiritual benefits and promises? YES!!! There will still be physical trials and pain and suffering right now, but the spiritual benefits of eternal life are available right now to all those who through faith believe that Jesus Christ is Lord.

These words of Jesus bring joy, but they only bring joy because the original speaker of them is not dead.

Jesus gives joy by being the resurrection and the life

Jesus spoke these joy-giving words of life to his disciples, but the disciples were quickly overcome with sorrow when Jesus was crucified. They must have questioned every word Jesus ever said and wondered how they could possibly have any joy when the Messiah of the world was dead and buried. Jesus actually predicted this response in John 16:22 when he told his disciples that they would have sorrow now, but that sorrow would quickly turn to joy (John 16:20, 22)

Sitting together in a room, the disciples were grieving the loss of their Messiah and friend when all of a sudden Jesus appeared to them in the flesh and showed them his scars and ate with them! It was then that Jesus’ words came true, and the disciples sorrow turned to joy! “Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord (John 20:20).”

Jesus gives joy by being the resurrection and the life! Jesus spoke words of life and he himself is the word of life because he overcame death and came back to life. Jesus’ resurrection validates every word he said in the world and demonstrates to us that there is life only in him. The promise for those who believe in Jesus is that one day Jesus will come again and we will rise again from the grave just like Jesus! Death will not be the final word, sin will not be the final word, heartache and heartbreak will not be the final word. JOY will be the final word, and it’s this joy that we who are in Christ are given even now!

Why we sometimes lack joy

Joy is given to us by Jesus, and he promises that no one will be able to take this joy away from us (John 16:22). But why is it that we so often find ourselves living without joy? I was with a group of pasters on Friday and one of them said, “It’s a shame that the world does not know Christians by their joy but by what they are against.” We seem to have a joy problem. But if no one can take away our joy, then what’s happening? I think we are willingly giving it up. We trade joy for worry and self-pity. In moments of hardship we forget that Jesus has already won for us the victory and we live like victory is an uncertain result somehow dependent on our own efforts. We grow tired and weary and something in us is convinced that it’s easier be grumpy and angry than to place our burdens at the foot of the cross and let Jesus restore to us the joy of our salvation and renew a right spirit within us.

I don’t think we always need to be leaping for joy and smiling through the most difficult of circumstances, but the truth of Jesus and eternal life in the kingdom of God and the many promises of God to take care of us as his own children is certainly enough to bring a smile to our faces and soften our hearts enough to encourage us to worship and praise Him for all he has done. Christians of all people have the most to be joyful about and the most reasons to thank and praise God even through the storm. If life ever becomes so bleak that you can think of nothing to thank God for, you can at least thank God that your Savior Jesus is alive and he is interceding for you and one day he will come back and restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you in his love forever and ever, and that is enough to fill you completely with the joy that comes only from Jesus.

Conclusion

Jesus is alive and we have his very words of life written down for us in the Bible, words that have the power to chase away darkness and overcome death. Let’s run to Jesus and call upon his name in times of sorrow and in times of joy that we may be filled with his joy. Jesus came so that we might be filled with joy.