The Bible speaks a lot about Joy. In fact it is commanded all over the Bible, both in the Old and New Testament.

Let’s take a little look at what being joyful really means.

A LITTLE TASK

Have a look around your house and see if you can see three items that start with the letters J.O.Y (one item for each letter).

Look out of the nearest window for one thing that makes you happy. What did you see, and think about why it made you feel happy?

JUST FOR FUN!!

BIBLE READING

Jesus had risen from the dead and this is how he appeared to his disciples:

John 21:1–7 21

1-3 Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.”

3-4 The rest of the disciples replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.

5 Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?”

They answered, “No.”

6 He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”

They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.

7-9 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!”

When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea.

THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

This takes place in the midst of the roller coaster of emotions that the disciples have all just been through: the grief, confusion and loss of the crucifixion and the shock that Jesus is alive – and, for Peter, the additional guilt of his betrayal. Perhaps returning to fishing, something that was so familiar for them, was a calming and reassuring thing to do in these turbulent times, rather than sitting around feeling anxious or afraid.

Let’s think about Peter’s reaction when he realises it is Jesus on the shore calling out to them in verse 7.

What emotions do you think Peter was feeling at that moment, the emotions that led him to jump straight into the water when he realised it was Jesus? Write a few words down on a piece of paper. You may have some words such as excited, happy, joyful etc. After Peter had been through such a tough time, he was so overcome with joy and excitement at seeing Jesus again that he literally jumped out of the boat to get to him as fast as possible.

FINAL THOUGHT

The joy the Bible speaks about isn’t based upon external circumstances or whether things are going well or not. It is a consistent feeling of wellbeing, coming from the ‘inside out’. The joy that the world offers can be a pale imitation of the true joy only God can give us, and not as long lasting. We can find and experience joy even in difficult times, as joy is not dependent on what is going on around us, but on our faith in Jesus and his love for us. 

Perhaps, like Peter who didn’t at first recognise Jesus, we sometimes miss or overlook Jesus’ presence of joy in our lives. But we can experience joy from noticing and being thankful for God’s love and grace at work in our lives; from noticing beauty and creativity around us; from being in community with each other; and by sticking close to and keeping our focus on Jesus.