Joy in Jesus
In Luke 2, we read about a message that an angel brings to shepherds regarding the birth of a promised Savior. The angel declares, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people” (Luke 2:10, NIV).
Now, in context, you have to understand that Jesus was born into a Roman dictatorship.
The Israelites—God’s people—are oppressed, not just in their sin, but literally by the Roman government. Good news which causes great joy?
How can that be?
Surely joy isn’t possible under the oppression of a foreign government, right?
Surely joy isn’t possible when I’ve just received a cancer diagnosis or signed the papers of my divorce, right?
But what the angel is saying is he’s saying, “a Savior has been born who’s going to give you the power to live in righteousness, to bring heaven on earth NOW, no matter what is going on around you.”
That’s the power of joy.
Joy is the anchor of our soul.
We have an opportunity to live INTO who God’s calling us to be DESPITE the brokenness and pain of this world.
Jesus exemplifies that.
The shepherds hurried off, they’re excited—they’re full of anticipation—and they find Mary, and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.
The “manger” is so important.
We’ve done a terrible job in our Westernized culture giving proper degradation to what the manger is. It’s an animal trough. I know we prop it up in nativity scenes and make it look all cute and cozy, but it was literally the place where animals ate from. It was disgusting, it was humiliating, it was the LAST place a mother would ever want to put her precious baby.
Here's why the trough is so important: The trough is how the shepherds knew that they had found the right baby. The angel says it, “this will be the sign, he’ll lying in animal trough.” This wasn’t a common crib. But God, came to earth in human flesh, and was birthed right in the thick of the muddle and mess of humanity.
From the onset, Jesus is plagued with adverse circumstances, he’s born into poverty. He’s born anonymous. He’s born under the oppression of an evil empire.
And yet, his joy never wavers.
Why?
Because it anchors him. It grounds him. His joy is in the love of God his Father.
The great theologian N.T. Wright says this: “The birth of this little boy is the beginning of a confrontation between the kingdom of God – in all its apparent weakness, insignificance and vulnerability – and the kingdoms of the world.”
It’s unwavering, anchored joy stepping into the middle of the chaos and the pain and the hurt of everyday life. It’s Jesus—the God of hope who gives us joy as we believe in Him.
Our joy doesn’t come from our jobs, our family, our relationships, our finances, or our success.
Our joy doesn’t come from what we have or possess, it doesn’t come from the girls on our hip or the guys we sleep with.
And if you’ve lived long enough and have attempted to find joy in those things, you know this. You come up empty every time.
Our joy is a gift. It’s the gift that was given to us that first Christmas in Jesus Christ. Our joy is encompassed in our Savior, King Jesus.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones, a Welsh Protestant Minister writes this in his book, “Spiritual Depression.”
He writes, “He [Jesus] is our joy and our happiness, even as He is our peace. He is life, He is everything. So, avoid the incitements and the temptations of Satan to give feelings this great prominence at the centre. Put at the centre the only One who has a right to be there, the Lord of Glory, who so loved you that He went to the Cross and bore the punishment and the shame of your sins and died for you. Seek Him, seek His face, and all other things shall be added unto you.”
That’s beautiful. Isn’t it?
Jesus is our joy.
Avoid Satan’s temptation to put feelings, or mistresses, or gambling, or your kids, or depression, or career success, or consumerism at the center.
Put at the center the only one who can give you joy. The only one who has a right to be there.
The Lord of Glory who died for you.
Be encouraged.
