John 15:11 (NIV)
“I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”
These words of Jesus are offered in the middle of a speech to His disciples where he comforts them, talks about abiding in Him and remaining in His love, and exhorts them to love one another. In the midst of these thoughts, He explains why He’s telling them all this: so that His joy can be in them and so that it will be complete.
What does this mean? Joy is a confusing word. Merriam-Webster has three definitions for the noun joy. One is “The emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune, or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” The second is “A state of happiness or felicity.” The last one is “A source or cause of delight.”
I tend to think of joy as the second definition most often when I think about the concept in general. But I feel that the third definition is the most helpful when thinking about it spiritually. Happiness can come and go depending on my circumstances. But if my joy is in the Lord, then He is the source or cause of my delight, and that joy is available no matter my circumstances (very helpful this crazy year!). I love how this saint put it: “Jesus is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, and a shout of joy in the heart.” ~St. Bernard of Clairvaux
So in considering all of this, I think this is how we can have joy: Jesus is the source of our joy. If we follow His directions in John 15 by abiding in Him, remaining in His love, loving each other, and having faith and hope in Him; His joy will be in us, and it will be complete. This doesn’t mean that we’ll always feel happy. Sorrow and other sad emotions are part of life. But we can have an inner joy, knowing the Source of our delight, that sustains us when life is tough.
If Jesus is the source of our joy, then that explains why we can sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” We can have joy because He came. And we don’t sing it in the past tense. He is come! He is with us here and now. That is definitely a reason to celebrate. Merry Christmas!
About the Author
Jessie is an educator, she currently teaches teens and has taught overseas. She is also a novice writer, with several books in various stages and a (long-neglected) blog about the journeys of women. She is very excited to be a part of the CitySalt blog team. She has been blessed by a few communities of Christian writers that have encouraged her dream. She lives with her trusty sidekick cat, Arwen in the foothills of South Eugene, where she can go hiking within minutes of the sun coming out from behind the clouds.