On the night Jesus was arrested He gave His last address, known as the upper room discourse (John 13-17). The themes He emphasized are surprising and reveal much about how He thinks, what’s important to Him, and how different He is from us.

As we consider what Jesus shared, it’s important that we recognize He is speaking to his disciples on literally the worst night the planet has ever seen. Jesus is about to be arrested and crucified within 24 hours. Can you imagine the sense of tragedy, loss, chaos, and grief the disciples are about to experience? 

It’s in this context that Jesus tells His disciples that He wants them to be full of joy and full of peace. 

While I was on sabbatical, I had the opportunity to consider how I carry my heart and mind. I generally consider myself to be an upbeat and positive person and at the same time I recognized that I have carried an intensity and heaviness as a leader and an intercessor that at times overwhelmed my sense of joy and peace. I know that in life there are moments of difficulty that impact our emotional and mental state. But, as I considered Jesus’ words to His disciples, I couldn’t get over the fact that in the middle of the most difficult circumstance the disciples would ever face, Jesus was inviting them to joy and peace and giving them the steps to find joy and peace in the midst of the storm. 

John 15:11 "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 16:20 Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

John 16:22 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.

Jesus' words caused me to consider how He wants me to live in light of the storms of our world and the coming storms of the end of the age. I had to be honest with myself, if I was in Jesus’ shoes, I probably would have been shaking the disciples and telling them to get serious because “it’s all going down right now!” That wasn’t His approach at all. He called them to fullness of joy and deep abiding peace. 

I realized that the more I set my hope on things that are temporal the more likely I am to be bewildered and overwhelmed when tragedy strikes. But if I am anchored in faith to the truth of the resurrection and the age to come, the very points Jesus’ emphasized in the upper room discourse, the more grace I will have to emotionally pull through when tragedy strikes.

I want to live with the same value of joy that Jesus has. I want to lean into His joy that I may come through tragedy with the strength and buoyancy of heart that joy gives. I want to live firmly anchored in my faith to the sure hope of the resurrection. Since Jesus was raised from the dead so we shall be raised with Him. 

Here are some clear takeaways regarding Joy:

1.  In light of impending tragedy, chaos, loss, and deep grief, Jesus’ message to His disciples was, “You are going to be momentarily sorrowful, but you can come out of it because I am going to give you fullness of joy.” This is always His message to us, no matter the storm we are facing. What does it say about Jesus that He is always inviting us into joy in every circumstance?

2.  Being full of joy isn’t shallow happiness. It’s experiencing a powerful sustaining force of buoyancy and hope within our hearts because our perspective is greater than the immediate circumstances. 

3.  It is critical for all believers to understand that when we are going through unbearable trials, there is a joy available that transcends our circumstances. It’s not wishful thinking, dissociating from reality, or frivolous happiness. It’s legitimate and real and can displace the pain and sorrow of loss we experience in tragedies.

4.  Joy comes as a result of believing and understanding in two key truths: the resurrection and the age to come. When we allow those truths to displace momentary sorrow and affliction (2 Cor 4:17-18) we will tap into the power of joy. We don’t deny suffering, grief, or sorrow. We simply don’t sorrow as the world does (1 Thes 4:13) because we have a joyous and sure hope that’s greater than what we see here.