Today's passage was from John 15:9-17. I love these passages in John where Jesus is giving his last instructions to his disciples before he's taken to the cross. They're so full of love and longing. I always think how Jesus' heart must have been breaking at the thought of leaving his disciples to fend for themselves. Did they really understand everything he'd been teaching them? Were they really ready to go it on their own?
I love how Jesus emphasises his love for the disciples. I love how he says that they will always be loved by him and how the only thing they need to do to have him continue to love him is to follow his commands. And what is his command? To love each other as he loved them. There's profound simplicity in that.
There's one sentence in this pasasge that stuck out for me during this reading:
It's the joy that throws me off. Jesus knew he was about to die. How could he have joy? How could he promise the disciples joy like that? And how would the disciples be able to feel joy after going through what they were about to go through - the death of their beloved teacher?"I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete."
I guess that's what makes me not God. Jesus could see beyond the pain. He could see clear through to the other side - when he'd be reunited with these 12 men he had come to love so dearly in heaven. He could see through to me and to you, people he calls his friends through the disciples. He could see me reading his words even now and marvelling at the fact that he has also chosen me to bear fruit for his kingdom.
I think that was his joy. His joy was that all humanity be reunited with God through his death and resurrection.
I wonder if true joy really is possible without true pain? I wonder if the two must exist together in order for either to exist at all.
This passage is drenched in love. This is Jesus' heart on his sleeve - his words of love to us in our most painful times.
It's his love that is our joy.
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