“Joy Unspeakable …” (June 2020 Update)
Have you ever had the experience of being so overjoyed that you were left speechless? That is how Peter describes the experience of knowing Jesus. But unfortunately, what is inside the hearts of believers is often hidden from the world.
This one essential, but often forgotten, element of our testimony is joy. Many Christians take witnessing very seriously. They are cautious to display a very serious tone for their lives to show the seriousness of the gospel and the holiness of their own lives. They would never want people to see them in any situation in the world just having fun. They avoid most social situations because the people there might participate in unholy fun.
In reality, such an approach to life is not only not biblical, it is actually a detriment to our witness. It leads many non-Christians to reject the gospel, not because of its message, but because they see it as sucking all the joy out of life!
In John 2, we are told about an event in the life of Jesus that seems out of place in a gospel that is dedicated to showing Jesus as the Holy One of Israel. Indeed, it shows him at a wedding with his mother and some of his disciples. More than that, it shows him changing water into wine so that the wedding guests might continue their celebration of a wedding. Why did John include such an unusual event from the life of Jesus in his gospel? After all, he makes this clear in John 21:25: “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” So why has he included the Wedding at Cana in his gospel?
There are probably many reasons, including the fact that this was the first miracle or sign that Jesus would do (2:11). But another reason might be that Jesus came to “give life and give it more abundantly” (10:10). He came to change the dead, ritual religion of Israel into one of spiritual life. He wanted them to be full of the Spirit so that “rivers of living water would flow” out of their hearts. (7:37). He even told his disciples that he had taught them so that “my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (15:11).
No event in Jewish life in the first century compared with the Wedding Feast. It was a time for the family and the whole community to rejoice together. And every wedding provided wine to celebrate and rejoice. This is not intended to be a commentary on whether believers should drink wine or not. Wine was a common drink in ancient Israel. And the rabbis of the time said, “without wine, there is no joy.” So wine was a normal part of Jewish life but especially a part of joyful occasions like a wedding.
Let’s note a couple of lessons from the wedding at Cana – especially about our joy and how it affects our witness.
First, does your presence bring joy to others? James Montgomery Boice raises this question in his commentary on John’s Gospel. Why was Jesus invited to the wedding? Certainly, he was invited because his mother was connected in some way to the wedding but the wedding at Cana shows that Jesus was not only invited to non-religious events, but that people enjoyed him being there. In Matthew 11:18-19, Jesus himself said, “John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” I’m sure he was not a glutton and a drunkard – these were exaggerations by people who hated both John and Jesus. But it clearly shows that he came to various social events and that he was not a “cosmic kill-joy!” He enjoyed himself and others seem to have enjoyed him too. Boice concludes: “Are you like that? If you are, you may find that people are not only pleased with your company; they may also be willing to listen to your testimony.”
Second, does your life show the joy of Jesus in every situation? In John 2, John certainly understands that the wine is not only real but symbolic. The Miracle at Cana certainly symbolizes joy, but it also shows that God always gives the best. Notice that the wine Jesus gave was recognized by the chief steward as “the best wine.” Unlike others who gave the good wine first and, when the guests were drunk, the cheaper wine, God not only gives the best – His best is really at the end. This teaches us many things. First, God’s gifts to us are always the best for us even when we might not realize it at first. James 1:17 reminds us that “every good and perfect gift is from above” and Jesus told his disciples that our Father in heaven “gives good gifts” to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11). Second, God’s best may not always come in the beginning, but it always comes at last. In fact, if we think eternally, no matter what good we have in this life, the best is still yet to come!
I had a non-Christian doctor friend who always told the worst, raunchy jokes filled with sexual innuendos. Everyone (even non-believers) hated when he would tell his embarrassing jokes. I decided to start interrupting his jokes by telling clean jokes. He quickly began to “collect” my jokes and tell them to his friends and colleagues. He found that joy and laughter could be found even without immoral humor. (But it did cause some problems. Occasionally I would meet one of his friends and they would tell me, “Oh yeah, he mentioned you. He said he gets all his jokes from you!” I had to quickly correct this by saying, “Well, not all his jokes – just the clean ones!”).
Many think that coming to Christ means giving up all fun and joy in life. I know I once thought that. Growing up, it was hard for me to imagine how people could enjoy life without alcohol! Everything seemed funnier when we were drunk! But I quickly learned that those in Christ had a joy in life that negated the need for alcohol. And real humor and joy in life did not depend on alcohol or any immorality. What about you? Does your life show the joy of Christ in every situation?
Finally, is your joy just religious or does it affect all of life? A. W. Pink suggests that there is also a symbolism in the empty water jars used for Jewish purifications. He suggests that Judaism had become an empty religion of rituals that were “utterly destitute of joy in God.” Perhaps John also included this miracle in his Gospel as a stark contrast with the empty, joyless religion of the Pharisees. Following Jesus would be different. Faith in Christ did not negate the joy of life – it brought a new, endless joy that transcended life itself and filled empty hearts for new life and new joy.
The emphasis on Christian joy is not just in the Gospel of John and the ministry of Jesus. It is repeated throughout the New Testament. Paul reminds us that “the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:23). Most Christians would agree that the Christian life should display righteousness and peace, but they are often afraid to show too much joy. But Paul also admonished the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, ‘Rejoice’” (Phil. 4:4). And Peter said that believers “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
We are not talking about joy simply for the sake of joy or just for silliness. But we need to ask ourselves if our joy as believers is contagious or not? Do people look at our lives and think that if they became Christians that they would lose all joy in life? Charles Spurgeon once said to his students, “Sepulchral tones may be fit for a man to be an undertaker, but Lazarus is not called out of his grave by hollow moans …. I commend cheerfulness to all who would win souls.” If you want to be a witness, be like Jesus. Don’t be afraid to go to non-Christian gatherings where people can see your joy and enjoy your company. Let your joy shine through in all situations so that people can know that, in Christ, you have “joy unspeakable!”
Joy in Teaching …
This past month, I was involved in teaching two classes in Writing and Critical Thinking (one finished this month and the second will finish in June). Due to the Coronavirus quarantine, both classes were taught totally online. This meant a lot more work, getting everything prepared and grading many more assignments. But there have also been a number of advantages. One is that I did not need to travel to the seminary to teach! My health these last two months would have made that impossible anyway. So, it was a great joy to be able to teach from home even though I have been sick. Also, the online class was an advantage for this course because the students had more time to work on writing and rewriting their papers. I also had more time to read each paper carefully and make specific comments and suggestions.
The process we teach is a simple one – the students will learn a pattern for their writing in 5 Steps. First, we show them how to take a topic and narrow it. Then, we teach them how to turn their topic into a thesis. In Step 3, we help them add arguments to support their thesis. Then in Step 4, we show them how to add evidence to prove each argument. This includes teaching them how to research and evaluate sources for truth. Finally, in Step 5, we help them to begin interestingly and end convincingly – Introductions and Conclusions. At the end of the class, they will have worked on their topic and completed a short essay.
We also teach them how to do interviews for Oral History and how to present their findings in a report. Finally, we teach them about the difference between a Book Report (which most do in school) and a Critical Book Review (required for academic writing). In everything we teach, we try to make specific applications to preaching, teaching and church ministries.
Thank you for praying for me during these classes. We don’t know for sure whether classes in the fall will be in-class or online yet. But I will need to start working on the classes for the fall because of the extra time involved. I need to have everything done before August so everything can be translated too. And I have 3 classes in the first 6 weeks of school! So, summer should be a busy time for me. But I am grateful for the joy of being able to teach!
Joy with Family …
The weather here is still pretty chilly (still heating with wood) but the girls have been able to go outside and play almost every day after they do their schoolwork. When we moved here, they were the only children on the street. Now, a number of younger families have moved in and our house has become the center point for the children gathering. And we love it!
Kristina and Nadia also passed another milestone – they are riding their bikes now without any training wheels! And they enjoy blowing bubbles and reading books. They have been reading for a couple of months now and we continue to be amazed at their fearlessness to read any size words! They are also able to read Russian, even though we have not taught them. They simply applied the same Phonetics principles to Russian (they know the different characters) and, once they pronounce a word, they know it. We are amazed.
With the quarantine, we have spent a lot of time at home and we really like it! There is time for reading, playing board games and making cookies and pastries. And Katya’s mom has been able to come and spend more time with the girls too! We also finished Prince Caspian this month and we just started The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The girls love Narnia and even spend much of their playtime being Edmund or Peter or Lucy or Susan. We love the spiritual themes that they are learning as we read and talk about the adventures in Narnia!
Joy in Struggles …
My health is still a major concern. My blood pressure is often up and down and my diastolic pressure is often high. This is the pressure when the heart is resting (the lower number). Since my diastolic pressures are high (my systolic is usually good), that means my heart is not resting as it should. It sure makes me very tired and often causes a lot of heart pain because of the pericarditis. Because I’m not healing as I should, the cardiologist has moved me to level 3 treatment. This means I am taking anti-inflammatory meds (level 1), and Colchicine (level 2) and now steroids (level 3). I still haven’t seen the progress I would like. I’m extremely tired even from short walks. I work an hour or so and then rest a couple. It is difficult but mostly it is frustrating. I want to get back to normal. But I can see God’s timing – that I’ve been basically home-bound during the quarantine. Even if I was well, I would not be able to do much more!
Joy in Provisions …
We are so grateful for God’s provisions in so many ways, from our pantry with jars of vegetables and fruits from our garden to the monthly financial support we receive. Last month, we were surprised again by two large unexpected gifts that were a great help to us. We are still praying about adding 2-3 new families to our monthly support team. We have had a couple of regular supporters had to stop giving due to family and work situations. So we continue to pray that God will continue to supply “all our needs according to His riches in glory!”
Pray for Ukraine …
Please remember to pray for Ukraine and the situation with Russia. Crimea is suffering greatly because Ukraine shut off the water canal delivering water to Crimea. Russia is making this a big issue now and there are fears that they might use this as a pretext for invading Ukraine to secure the canal and water for Crimea. I think it would be wise to sell the water to Russia but most Ukrainian lawmakers believe this would be helping Russia. I think it would be helping Ukrainians in Crimea and helping Crimea which is Ukrainian territory. The war also continues in the east with a number dying every week. But most of all, pray for those who are ministering to refugees and soldiers in this conflict.
Thank you for praying for us too! It has been a difficult month for us in many ways, yet we are grateful for God’s hand in all things and for the joy He gives us in serving here in Ukraine!
By His Grace,
Jim. Katya, Kristina and Nadia
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