Today I want to discuss a blessing that I believe is one of God’s greatest avenues in experiencing His joy…people. Most of my experiences of intense joy are found in relationships. My wife Jen and I have friends over often. In these meetings I relish the deep laughter that comes with sharing life with other people. Even after everyone leaves and Jen and I retreat to our bed with a stack of dirty dishes in the sink, there is this wave of joy within me. As I lay in the quiet darkness I have this certainty that I have captured the very best of what God had for me that day.
While our gift of fellowship as children of the King is extraordinarily special, this same gift is often our frustration. I have heard it said many times that the church would be the greatest place in the world if it weren’t for the fact that it is made up of people. This quote makes us laugh initially and then think of the relationships in our lives that make this statement true. It makes us ask the tough question, “God, why do you place people in my life who often steal the joy you promise?”
The disciples of Jesus had to have asked the same questions. Have you ever checked out the backgrounds of those chosen 12? You’ve got Peter the hot head who can’t control his mouth. There’s James and John whose passions and perhaps tempers lead Jesus to call them “sons of thunder.” Matthew is a Roman sympathizer who made his living off of Roman rule. Simon is described as a Zealot who’s greatest ambition is to overthrow the Romans and all who sympathized with them (see Matthew). And who could forget Judas who would betray them all. There’s even more dynamics going on here but I think I’ve made my case. In the midst of Jesus’ chosen disciples and future leaders were extreme tensions and hatred. Little is recorded of this tension but their names say it all. And yet in this estranged group, Jesus would speak a message that through them has brought unbroken joy to us all.
So what can we gather from this motley crew? God isn’t just using our preferred brothers and sisters to bring us joy. He is working his joy through people who are tainted with sin just like us. He has not surrounded us with “yes men” but with fellow family members whose relationships require the same grace that God so bountifully offers to us.
The joy of fellowship is not just in the fun banter of acquaintances. The deepest joy comes from the deepest relationships. It flows when we let each other down and then embrace in a hug of reconciliation. It is sweetest when we release our need for justice and live by the family motto of favor unmerited. It is deepest when we lose sight of our temporary home and catch a glimpse of our eternal family now.
Perhaps the truth that makes that joke so funny is no truth at all. Perhaps the deepest experiences of unbroken joy are found in the relationships that no other family could allow.
