Let There Be Joy - Day 20
Violent Joy!
The star led the Magi to the Light of the World! The wise men did not need the advice or navigation powers of King Herod and his best men - they just needed to follow the Light of the World.
Whom or what have you been following this Christmas Season? Are you so tightly bound to the whims of the culture that all you can think about are sales, calories, postal lines and parties? If you use those temporary signposts as the compass that guides you toward all things Christmas, you are going to be quickly lost in the swamp of holiday fluff. However, if you can fix your heart and your gaze on the Star of Bethlehem then you will assuredly be led to a time of wonderment and worship.
When the magnificent star stopped them in their wealthy tracks, the Bible says that these learned men, “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy”. And what a celebration began that night!
Only 6 words: “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” yet what richness their brevity holds. These 6 simple words are some of the most expressive words in all of Scripture.
“Rejoiced” is translated as “let the hope of future blessedness give you joy! What rich intent and calling! This word communicates to all of us, from every generation and at every moment in all of recorded history, that because of the Baby born in the manger, we can look ahead not with dread and worry but with hope and expectation. When you encounter Jesus, there is reason to rejoice because of the many blessings headed in your direction.
“Exceedingly” is defined as “greatly” or even “violently” or vehemently.
These first century professorial types did not just quietly bow down with their scholarly hands clasped in front of their wise faces. The joy that they experienced in the presence of Jesus was an explosion of joy that knocked their mortarboards off their wizened heads!
The joy of Jesus rocked their academic world! These men were jumping up and down ... they were participating in the John-jump!
The Magi were whooping and hollering because after years of study, after decades of hitting dead-ends as to the meaning of life, after a lifetime of frustrating nothingness … they had found the Creator of this miraculous universe … they had discovered the Answer to all of their unanswerable questions … they had at last discerned the wisdom of the Ages found in a toddler’s sweet babble.
These erudite men were participating in a violent explosion of joy! The joy that Jesus delivers into your life should shake some things up a bit!
What needs shaking up in your life this season as a response to all that He is? The magi had at last found a reason to celebrate because they had found the source of joy.
“Great” in this sentence means “with great effort of the affections and emotions of the mind. It is significant that this particular definition of the word “great” includes the word for “mind”. The Magi were men of scrolls and cerebral intensity; at the moment this star stopped in the presence of Jesus, all that they had ever learned or studied paled in comparison to this one momentous event.
Being in the presence of the Creator of the Universe was such a life-changing opportunity that it infiltrated the very way that they thought and processed information.
And finally, but far from least in meaning, the word “joy” is rich in depth and in texture because it is defined as “the blessedness that the Lord enjoys”. When these pedantic men discovered the location of the Baby Boy, they also discovered the mother lode of joy! They hit a vein so rich and generous in joy that it changed every detail, both large and small, concerning their impressive lives.
Every blessing that the Lord has ... the Magi had … and you now have ... because of Christmas!
Bible Reading: (click on the Bible verse to open in reader)
Let There Be Joy In Me:
Does joy have anything to do with our circumstances at all?
What has been the most joyful moment of your life?
H
ello, World!
If this devotional has been an encouragement to you, would you consider giving a year-end gift to Just Joy! Ministries this Christmas season?
