When Mary visited her relative Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, the baby leaped for joy: “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:44). Joy surrounded the birth of Jesus. When the shepherds were in the field in the middle of the night, an angel appeared. The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. The angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people” (Luke 2:10).
As the wise men saw the star that went before them and came to rest over the place where the baby Jesus was, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10). In John 15:11, Jesus says plainly, “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” Jesus said this in the context of him being the vine and us being the branches. He says that if we abide in him and bear much fruit, we glorify the Father. Jesus concludes by saying, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10).
All throughout the scriptures, joy is a theme that is directly tied to Jesus. And this combination of love and joy is powerful. By keeping Jesus’ commandments, we abide in his love! In other words, we are controlled by his love and we can see people the way Jesus saw them. We instinctively know how to treat others because of the love of Christ that guides us. God’s love for us begins and ends with joy.
