Dr. Robert P. Martin
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full (John 15:11).
Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language defines joy as “a very glad feeling.” That is not very helpful, because it is so incomplete a definition of joy that it little serves our need. The Oxford English Dictionary is better. It defines joy as “a vivid emotion of pleasure arising from a sense of well-being or satisfaction; the feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted.” In that definition, the emotion of joy (Webster’s “very glad feeling”) is traced to a source, i.e., to “a sense of well-being or satisfaction.” Webster’s 7th New Collegiate Dictionary is even more helpful. It defines joy as “the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires.” This definition is helpful, because it traces joy not just to a present satisfaction with what one possesses, but also to “the prospect of possessing what one desires.” As we will see, these ideas are helpful to understanding the joy that is distinctively Christian.
The Greek word χαρὰ is used twice in vs. 11. It is derived from the verb χαίρω which means “to rejoice.” These words are used in the New Testament to express the doctrine of Christian joy. And they are used to speak not only of the joy that arises because of our present possession of God’s blessings but also of the joy that comes from a well-grounded hope of possessing (in the future) all that God has promised to us in his word.
Of course, the New Testament connects Christian joy to specific truths and to specific things that are experienced by the Christian. Here I will make no attempt at comprehensiveness. What follows is merely suggestive, as I take up only a few things. There is, of course, much more that may be said on the theme of Christian joy. I invite the reader to use a concordance to search out words like joy and joyful, rejoice and rejoicing, glad and gladness, etc. By paying close attention to the connection that these words have to other biblical themes, you will be blessed richly by such a study. In what follows, however, in order to see what is central to our present concern, notice how certain things are illustrated in Christ’s own experience of joy!
First, Christian joy results from our understanding, loving, and embracing divinely revealed truth.1 We see this, for example, at Acts 8:39, where we read of the Ethiopian Eunuch, that though before he met Philip he was perplexed as to the meaning of Isaiah 53, after Philip explained the text and preached the gospel to him, and after he believed in Christ and was baptized, “he went on his way rejoicing (χαίρω, i.e., with joy).” The Eunuch’s new understanding of the Scriptures (and his embracing and delighting in the truths that he now understood) became the occasion of great joy in his heart, as the light of truth replaced the darkness of confusion.
One of the great purposes of God’s word is that in our discovering in it nothing but pure, unadulterated truth, and in our embracing and loving the truth that our Lord has revealed, we may rejoice in all that he teaches us. As John says, “these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4). This is one of the chief purposes of Scripture. Our privilege is like that of the psalmist, so that we may say, “I rejoice at your word as one who finds great treasure” (Psa. 119:162). Indeed, let us say with Jeremiah, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by your name, O Lord God of hosts” (Jer. 15:16).
Was not truth the occasion of Jesus’ own rejoicing? He had clear and full views of the truth, so that his understanding and his faith in his Father were well grounded. Psalm 45:7 says of him, “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than your companions” (cf., Heb. 1:9). Christ’s love of righteousness in no small measure was a love of truth. So also, the Father’s anointing him with the “oil of gladness” was in no small part the reward of his love of the truth. And now Jesus offers us his joy, but it will come to us in the same way that it came to him, i.e., by our understanding and embracing and loving the truth.
Second, Christian joy results from confidence in our identity as God’s children. The Lord says to us, “rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Jesus was able to rejoice because he knew who he was in relation to God his Father. In John’s Gospel he repeatedly speaks of himself in unequivocal terms as the Son of Man sent from heaven. He is the Word become flesh, the promised Messiah, the only-begotten Son of the heavenly Father. In a myriad of ways he revealed his absolute certainty as to his identity. And he understood that nothing could or would separate him from his Father’s love. He rejoiced in this knowledge and in the assurance of his Father’s blessing that it contained. So also we may rejoice in the assurance that we are God’s children by the new birth and adoption.
Third, Christian joy results from witnessing God’s majestic works.2 We see this illustrated in Isaiah’s prophecy of the joy of the captives that the Lord would restore to the land: “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing, with everlasting joy on their heads. They shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isa. 35:10; cf., Jer. 31:6-8; 33:10-11). We also see this illustrated in the reaction of the seventy when they returned to Jesus: “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name” (Luke 10:17). Having seen the works of God displayed in their casting out of demons, the disciples rejoiced greatly at this rich display of God’s power and grace. It also is this connection between beholding God’s works and rejoicing that explains Jesus’ description of the angels’ joy: “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). Beholding the grace and power of God displayed in his work of saving a sinner, the angels rejoice.
Christ will be satisfied in beholding the fruits of his labors (cf., Isa. 53:11). Will not a great part of his satisfaction be experienced in the form of rejoicing over his works? Do we not see this in Zephaniah’s prophecy of his consummate kingdom?
Sing, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your judgments, he has cast out your enemy. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall see disaster no more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear. Zion, let not your hands be weak. The Lord your God in your midst. The Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing (Zeph. 3:14-17).
The Son rejoices over his people, who are the fruit of his labors, and he rejoices over the works that are the basis of our salvation. And now Jesus offers us his joy, but it will come to us in the same way that it came to him, i.e., by considering his works and what he has accomplished (and is yet accomplishing) through them.
Fourth, Christian joy results from seeing the fulfilment of God’s promises.3 We see this in the experience of those who participated in the dedication of the temple in the days of Solomon: “and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the Lord had done for his servant David, and for Israel his people” (1 Kings 8:66). We also see this illustrated in the words of the angel to Zacharias: “your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth” (Luke 1:13-14). Witnessing the birth of his son in fulfilment of God’s promise will be the occasion of Zacharias’s great rejoicing (cf., Luke 1:64). We also see this illustrated in the experience of the Eleven. Jesus told these men, who were overcome by grief because of what he had said about his imminent death, “Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you” (John 16:22). When they see Jesus’ promise fulfilled, they will experience a fulness of joy that will endure for the rest of their days and beyond.
Was not seeing the fulfilment of his Father’s promises the occasion of Jesus’ own joy? We read at Luke 8:1 that “he went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God.” In his person and in the work that he will accomplish, the kingdom of God has come. For those who loved God and desired that he should be glorified, this was glad tidings indeed. Shall we imagine, however, that this glad news had no effect on Jesus’ own heart? He says of himself:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified (Isa. 61:1-3).
Would he have fulfilled this ministry and preached the glad tidings of the kingdom’s coming (with emphasis on the joy that would now come to God’s people) in a spirit of heaviness, or would not the One who came to give his people such joy have felt the oil of joy in his own soul? To ask this question surely is to answer it.4
Seeing God’s promises fulfilled should be an occasion of great joy for us. Considering all that already has come to pass as the fruit of God’s promises, shall we not rejoice in these things, even as our Lord and his apostles rejoiced in them? Revelation 19:7 opens a window into the age to come, where we hear the saints speaking these words: “Let us be glad and rejoice and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his wife has made herself ready.” While we will not here experience the full rejoicing that will be ours in heaven, can we not at least know something of the joy of heaven, and rejoice in the fulfilment of God’s promises?
Fifth, Christian joy results from our possessing, or even from our anticipating possessing, those things of infinite value that are ours in union with Christ.5 At Matt. 13:44, our Lord says, “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” This parable illustrates the earnestness with which we should seek Christ’s salvation and kingdom. But it also illustrates the experience of the Christian who rejoices in the treasure that is his in union with Christ, and who, as the result of his joy at the prospect of possessing all that the treasure contains, is willing to trade every other thing that he has for it, i.e., for the sake of the greater joy of actually possessing it in its fulness. Paul calls this a “rejoicing in hope” (Rom. 12:12). This idea of conducting ourselves now in a self-sacrificing way as the result of anticipating enjoying the fulness of God’s blessing in the future is at the heart of Christ’s own example. As the writer of Hebrews says, “For the joy that was set before him, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
Now, surely, among the greatest of the treasures that we have in union with Christ is the blessing of fellowship with him. And not only is it true that “in his presence is fulness of joy” (Psa. 16:11; cf., Acts2:28), but also, like Zacchaeus, we may rejoice in even the prospect of his intimate fellowship (cf., Luke 19:5-6). Should we not then be willing to sacrifice the many sinful things that the world regards as valuable, and even be willing to deny ourselves a great many lawful pleasures, for the sake of enjoying this blessing in all its fulness?
Sixth, although we have anticipated this point, observe that Christian joy is the companion of faith. Paul calls it the “joy of faith” (Philip. 1:25).6 Peter speaks of joy in this way, i.e., as the fruit of faith, when he speaks of our believing in him “whom having not seen you love; though now you do not see him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory.” Now, is not the joy that is the fruit of faith illustrated in our Lord’s experience? At Psa. 16:8-11 we read concerning him:
I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices. My flesh also will rest in hope. For you will not leave my soul in Sheol, nor will you allow your Holy One to see corruption. You will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures forevermore.7
Having fixed his faith on his Father, fully confident of his Father’s purposes, promises, and power, as Jesus faces the cross, he nonetheless experiences the “joy of faith,” which includes his anticipating the fulness of joy that will be his in his Father’s presence when he is raised from the dead. In view of Christ’s example, consider Paul’s benediction: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing” (Rom. 15:13). There is a “joy in believing” that we may experience. Like our Savior, if we fix our faith on the Lord, fully confident of his purposes, promises, and power, though we may face many trials of our faith, nonetheless we may experience the “joy of faith,” including anticipating the fulness of joy that will be ours in the Father’s presence when he has raised us from the dead.
Seventh, in light of our Lord’s example (as described in Psa. 16:8-11 and Heb. 12:2), we may say that Christian joy need not be absent in seasons of trial and affliction. The Bible’s multiplied testimony on this point is rich and varied.8 For example, Paul can say, “I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation” (2 Cor. 7:4). Paul’s words to the Romans are very helpful at this point.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
The word καυχάομαι translated rejoice in both places that it appears in this passage,9 conveys two ideas–joy and confidence. In texts where the idea of confidence seems uppermost, the translation “boast” is correct (cf., Rom. 2:17). In other texts the idea of joy predominates, so that the translation “rejoice” is more fitting (cf., Js. 1:9). Basically, however, the word expresses joy rooted in solid confidence (i.e., in a well grounded hope) and, conversely, solid confidence manifested in exuberant joy.
The first time that Paul here uses this word (5:2), he is saying that if we have been justified by faith in Christ, and are reconciled to God, and have a secure standing in “this grace,” then far from fearing the future revelation of “the glory of God,” we can “rejoice with confidence” when we consider our appearing before the Lord at the last day. Therefore, the Christian’s anticipation of the future can and should be marked by joy and confidence, not by fear and dread.
The second time that Paul uses this word (5:3), he is saying not only that may we rejoice in the prospect of the future but also that we may rejoice in the present, even in the midst of trials and tribulations. Indeed, because of what God teaches us in his word, we are able to rejoice in present tribulations because we know something about God and his relationship to us and we know something about our afflictions and their relationship to our hope.
Taking to heart such passages as Rom. 5:1-2, which speak of our present status in union with Christ, and such passages as Rom. 8:28-30 and Heb. 12:5-11, which speak of God’s working in all things (including in his fatherly discipline) for our good, we know something about God and his relationship to us. We know that in our tribulations (whatever else he may be doing) the Lord is not acting as an angry judge who is pouring out his wrath on us, or as a powerful avenger who is pursuing his enemies, but as a loving Father who by his molding and chastening hand is bringing us to full maturity as his children. Even when he chastens us for our sins, he is still manifesting his love for us and he is doing us good and not evil.
And, considering Paul’s words at 5:3-4, we also know something about our afflictions and their relation to our hope. Paul here describes a relationship between the Christian’s hope and tribulations. In sum, these verses teach us that the Lord designs our tribulations as means of grace to confirm and to strengthen our hope and assurance. Therefore, understanding God’s purpose, we are able to rejoice in tribulations not because they are pleasant in themselves but because they produce in us greater measures of hope and assurance.
Eighth, returning now to the teaching of John 15:9-11, we may also say that Christian joy is the fruit of abiding in Christ and in his love (i.e., in the place where we will experience his fullest blessing), so that joy is a blessing that comes in the train of obedience. Having sufficiently established this point above, we note it here again simply to underscore that as was true in Christ’s experience, so also in ours, filial obedience is one of the chief things from which joy springs.
As we noted above, these thoughts are merely suggestive of a larger range of biblical truths relating to the subject of the relation of Christ’s joy and our joy. From what we have seen, however, we are able to say not only that Christian joy is “a vivid emotion of pleasure, a feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted” but also that it is a thoroughly religious joy that arises from understanding divine truth, from witnessing God’s works, from considering God’s promises, and from possessing (or from anticipating possessing) great and valuable blessings from God. Joy is the companion of faith and hope and obedience, and, indeed, it also grows in proportion as these things are present in us in increasing measure. And it need not be eclipsed by trials and tribulations. In the end of the day it is Christ’s own joy conveyed to us by his grace and by his own presence with us.
What does Jesus mean by “my joy”?
Again, we have anticipated this question in the remarks above. Our Lord’s joy was “a vivid emotion of pleasure, a feeling or state of being highly pleased or delighted.” And his joy arose from the sources described in the texts that we have already considered. His joy came from understanding divine truth, from witnessing God’s works, from meditating on God’s promises, from possessing of (or from anticipating possessing) great and valuable blessings from God. It was the companion of his faith and hope and obedience. And it was not eclipsed by the trials through which he passed.
Jesus’ joy was a marked feature of his experience. It was not uninterrupted (was he joyful as he wept over Jerusalem, or as he anguished in Gethsemane?), yet we never see him overcome by the kind of morose spirit that so often grips us. Except on the cross, where Jesus expressed his anguish at his Father’s abandonment of him, the Father and the Son enjoyed unbroken fellowship. While the mystery of the Trinity does not allow us to fathom the full inter-relations of the Godhead, the Father was with his Son in the presence of the Holy Spirit who was given to him without measure. And in his presence, Christ would have experienced fullness of joy (cf., Psa. 16:11). We certainly may say therefore that when Jesus speaks of “my joy,” he is speaking of joy to the uttermost, of a joy that is infinite both in its quality and quantity.
What does our Lord mean by his joy remaining in us, in an experience that he describes as our joy being full?
Earlier on this occasion Jesus had said, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (14:27). There he spoke of a blessing (“my peace”) that he conveys to his disciples by the working of the Spirit in us. It is the peace experienced in our walking with God, the peace of God that passes all understanding, which guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philip. 4:6-7). In calling this “my peace,” he is saying that it is nothing less than the peace of mind and heart that he himself has in his relationship with the Father. This is no small part of Christ’s own fullness that we have all received, having received him (John 1:16). In like manner, Christian joy, which he here calls “my joy abiding in you,” is a fruit of the Spirit’s working in us, conveying to us Christ’s joy in such a way and under such conditions that his joy (become ours) “may be full.” This also is part of Christ’s own fullness that we have all received, having received him (John 1:16). At Rom. 15:13, Paul says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” From this text we learn that there is not only a fulness of peace in believing but also a fulness of joy in believing, that enables us to abound in hope by virtue of the powerful presence and working of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This is nothing less that Christ’s own joy being made full in ourselves.
Jesus obeyed his Father’s commands and was well pleasing in his sight. In this way he abode in his Father’s love, in the place of blessing where the Spirit conveyed to him the fulness of joy in believing. In like manner, Jesus here entreats us to obey his commands, so that in the path of obedience we may abide in his love, in the place of blessing, where the Spirit will convey to us his joy in an ever-increasing experience of its fulness. In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus speaks of the faithful servant’s reward in these terms–“His lord said to him, Well done, good and faithful servant: you have been faithful over a few things, I will set you over many things; enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt. 25:21, 23). And so it will always be–the Lord’s own joy is the portion of those who faithfully walk with Christ in obedience to his commands. Thomas Brooks (4:37) rightly says, “Holiness differs nothing from happiness but in name. Holiness is happiness in the bud, and happiness is holiness at the full.”
Jesus is very concerned about our emotional life. The Christian life not just a matter of principle and duty, but is meant to include an experience of peace and joy in the inner man. As Paul says to the Romans, “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking (i.e., the unlimited exercise of our Christian liberty), but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17). But are we walking in such a way that we take seriously our Lord’s teaching on this occasion, that the blessing of his joy is known only by those who abide in his love by obeying his commandments? Are we forfeiting the joy that could be ours if only we would apply ourselves energetically to abiding in Christ and his love by the means that he has appointed? Christ here promises us the greatest of all blessings–his joy made full in ourselves. Do we need a greater reason than this to motivate us to draw nearer to him and to seek his nearer fellowship with us? Do we have not because we seek not? Brethren, abide in Christ, and you will know the joy of your Lord in an ever-expanding fulness. That is his promise. That is your privilege. That is your duty. Embrace it, even as you embrace him.
Notes:
1. See also Psa. 126:3; Matt. 28:5-9; Luke 10:20; 24:41; John 8:56. Matthew 13:20 (and its parallels, Mark 4:16 and Luke 8:13) teaches that there is a kind of temporary rejoicing that comes from a misconception of the truth; but that is not what Jesus is speaking about in John 15:11.
2. See also Luke 1:58; 13:17; 24:52; Acts 8:8; 15:3.
3. See also Luke 1:14; 2:10.
4. Shall we not assume that the same dynamic pertained in the soul of Paul, when he said to the Jews of Antioch of Pisidia, “And we declare to you glad tidings–that promise which was made to the fathers” (Acts 13:32)? Would he not joyfully have preached the fulfilment of God’s promise in the gospel?
5. See also Luke 15:6, 9.
6. Paul speaks of his presence with the Philippians as being in the interest of “your progress and joy of faith” (τὴν ὑμῶν προκοπὴν καὶ χαρὰν τῆς πίστεως). Some versions translate this as “your progress and joy in the faith.” This idea is possible, in which case, Paul is speaking of progress in understanding the Christian faith and of the joy that attends that process of greater understanding. Taking the word “faith,” however, in the sense of the Philippians’ faith in Christ, Eadie says “The genitive is . . . that of possession. Their faith possessed a susceptibility of progress, and it would be excited and urged on; that faith, too, possessed or had in it an element of joy, which would be quickened and developed.” John Eadie, A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Philippians (reprint ed., Minneapolis: James and Klock Christian Publishing Co., 1977), 63-64.
7. Although these are David’s words, Peter assures us that ultimately they are words that speak of Christ’s own experience of faith (cf., Acts 2:25-31).
8. See also Matt. 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-23; John 16:33; Acts 5:41; 2 Cor. 6:10; 8:2; 12:9-10; Col. 1:24; 1 Thess. 5:16; Heb. 10:34; Js. 1:2; 1 Pet. 4:13.
9. Some versions translate this word as “glory,” or “boast,” or “exult.” While these renderings are within the range of the word’s meaning, “rejoice” gives the leading idea in the context. However translated, at both places the word should be translated the same. The reader of the KJV (and NKJV), which translates the word as “rejoice” at 5:2 and as “glory” 5:3, cannot readily see the thematic connection of Paul’s statements in these verses.
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