How Do We Picture Jesus?
This Sunday, we had a once-in-a-while treat: a message delivered by Emil Powella. For his subject, Emil chose something close to his own heart: the part that joy played in Jesus’ personality and ministry. Emil started off by asking us if anyone possessed a photo of Jesus. Ann rummaged through her purse and found a copy of a painting, but of course, we were unable to produce an actual photo. Laughing, Emil said that for those of us who are visual learners and need a picture in order to really understand something, he had something helpful for us. Pointing to the screen behind him, he showed us a clip from The Book of Matthew, a Hollywood-made movie version of the Gospel of Matthew. In contrast to the stern, serious, or even angry cinematic portrayals of Jesus to which the world has become accustomed, this portrayal was refreshingly different: it depicted our Lord as a joyful man. With this film clip, Emil set up his thesis: Contrary to misconceptions illustrated in famous artwork and movies, Jesus did not spend his time on earth as a morose, aloof figure. Rather, He walked the earth radiating a bright, robust, and irresistible joy. Knowing this about Jesus, Emil implied, would drastically change the way we relate to our Lord. After all, a man’s demeanor has everything do with how we approach him.
Old Testament Predictions of Jesus’ Joy
When the Old Testament prophets foretold Jesus’ coming, their prophecies painted pictures of great joy. Isaiah speaks of “the ransomed of the Lord,” a title referring to anyone whom the Lord has saved (that includes us). These rescued and redeemed people will “come with joyful shouting . . . and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (51:11). How could Jesus bring such joy to us if He were not a man of joy? Isaiah continues his description of the Messiah’s coming in chapter 61, which states that this savior – Jesus – will give people “the oil of gladness instead of mourning”(verse 3). Here again, if Jesus is able to transform people’s mourning into gladness, doesn’t it seem logical that He Himself possesses gladness? And, if He is able to distribute gladness like oil to myriads of people, He must have a measureless supply of it.
The Old Testament book Nehemiah depicts Israel’s battle against fierce opposition to rebuild the temple. During this time, it was said that the people built with one hand and carried a sword in the other in order to battle the enemy that threatened to tear down what they were building. In the midst of this impossible struggle, the prophet Nehemiah encouraged Israel to remember their real source of strength: the joy of the Lord. “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” he reminded them (8:10). Emil pointed out that Jesus’ joy is not merely a flimsy, ephemeral happiness that goes away at the approach of difficulty. On the contrary, it is a substantial, ever-present power that upholds God’s people consistently, even during their most trying times.
Joy in Jesus’ Ministry
The New Testament also speaks of the enormous role that joy played in Jesus’ life and ministry. To help us to see this, Emil read accounts of Jesus’ ministry from the Gospels, encouraging us to think about Jesus’ countenance during his performance of miracles.
“Do you think He was a grumpy man?” Emil asked. “No! He was full of joy!”
Reading through these biblical accounts, Emil paused and emphasized details that we had not noticed before, bringing the well known stories into a new light. Chapter 2 of John describes Jesus’ first public miracle. This miracle was to be the advent and commencement of His public ministry and would set the tone for who Jesus was going to be as a public person. It is interesting that His first miracle wasn’t healing a sick person or raising the dead. Rather, it was an act that heaped more joy upon an already joyous occasion: a wedding. When the wedding host ran out of wine to serve the guests, Jesus transformed clear, tasteless water into exquisite wine. This miracle, Emil hypothesized, suggests that Jesus valued celebration. At the time, Jesus probably had a lot of work that He could have been doing, but He took the time to attend a wedding and to make the wedding even better. This passage also shows that Jesus enjoyed being around other people. After all, if he had been a smug, downtrodden, taciturn individual, he wouldn’t have been invited to the wedding in the first place. The fact that he was invited, as John 2:2 points out, shows that He was someone people wanted to be around. Emil also encouraged us to picture Jesus moments before the miracle took place. In the midst of the worried host and his skeptical disciples, Jesus just may have had a twinkle in his eye, knowing that he was about to turn their worry and skepticism into joy.
At another point during Jesus’ ministry, a foreign, non-Israeli woman came to Him and begged for mercy. Her daughter was possessed by demons and the woman was desperate for help. In response to her persistent cries for help, Jesus remained unusually silent. Finally, in an attempt to draw out her faith, Jesus turned to the woman and said that He could not help her because He had been sent only to Israel and she was a Gentile. “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” Jesus stated (Matthew 15:26). Responding quickly and in desperation, she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” (verse 27). The Bible teaches that faith pleases God and that God gives grace and favor to the humble. Jesus must have been pleased with this quick response in which the woman both acknowledged her own unworthiness and showed faith in His unmerited favor and compassion. Emil encouraged us to picture Jesus’ countenance when the woman spoke this humble, faith-filled reply. Of course, the account in Matthew does not tell us what Jesus’ expression was, but Emil suggested that it just may have been a look of joy.
“Can’t you see Jesus’ eyes lighting up and a smile peeking through his formerly solemn expression?” Emil asked. “Can’t you just see a grin on Jesus’ face that says, ‘you’ve got me there,’ when He hears the woman’s response?”
The Canaanite woman’s faith saw past Jesus’ initial comments to her, and reached down to the joy and magnanimity inside of Him. As a result, Jesus healed the woman’s daughter on the spot, telling the woman that her faith was “great.”
Jesus, Our Source of Joy
Emil ended his message by explaining that it is important to understand that Jesus was a man of joy because as his followers, joy is a big part of our identities too. If “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength,” then we need it for our own sustenance and endurance (Nehemiah 8:10). Moreover, there are other people that we encounter daily who are searching for Jesus. If we demonstrate the joy of the Lord, they may be drawn to Christ through that joy. This joy, Emil noted, is not something we will ever be able to produce on our own. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is produced in us when we “abide in the vine,” which is Jesus. “You get fruit by spending time with Jesus,” Emil said. Based on Emil’s description of our joy-filled Savior, it is hard to imagine not wanting to spend time with Him.
Scriptures Referenced in Emil’s Message:
Isaiah 51:11
Isaiah 61:1-3
Nehemiah 8:10
Romans 14:17
John 2
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 1:9
Luke 10:21
Matthew 15:26-7
Psalm 150
Acts 2
Luke 15:10
James 1:2-4
Luke 15
Matthew 28:9
John 15
This Sunday, we had a once-in-a-while treat: a message delivered by Emil Powella. For his subject, Emil chose something close to his own heart: the part that joy played in Jesus’ personality and ministry. Emil started off by asking us if anyone possessed a photo of Jesus. Ann rummaged through her purse and found a copy of a painting, but of course, we were unable to produce an actual photo. Laughing, Emil said that for those of us who are visual learners and need a picture in order to really understand something, he had something helpful for us. Pointing to the screen behind him, he showed us a clip from The Book of Matthew, a Hollywood-made movie version of the Gospel of Matthew. In contrast to the stern, serious, or even angry cinematic portrayals of Jesus to which the world has become accustomed, this portrayal was refreshingly different: it depicted our Lord as a joyful man. With this film clip, Emil set up his thesis: Contrary to misconceptions illustrated in famous artwork and movies, Jesus did not spend his time on earth as a morose, aloof figure. Rather, He walked the earth radiating a bright, robust, and irresistible joy. Knowing this about Jesus, Emil implied, would drastically change the way we relate to our Lord. After all, a man’s demeanor has everything do with how we approach him.
Old Testament Predictions of Jesus’ Joy
When the Old Testament prophets foretold Jesus’ coming, their prophecies painted pictures of great joy. Isaiah speaks of “the ransomed of the Lord,” a title referring to anyone whom the Lord has saved (that includes us). These rescued and redeemed people will “come with joyful shouting . . . and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away” (51:11). How could Jesus bring such joy to us if He were not a man of joy? Isaiah continues his description of the Messiah’s coming in chapter 61, which states that this savior – Jesus – will give people “the oil of gladness instead of mourning”(verse 3). Here again, if Jesus is able to transform people’s mourning into gladness, doesn’t it seem logical that He Himself possesses gladness? And, if He is able to distribute gladness like oil to myriads of people, He must have a measureless supply of it.
The Old Testament book Nehemiah depicts Israel’s battle against fierce opposition to rebuild the temple. During this time, it was said that the people built with one hand and carried a sword in the other in order to battle the enemy that threatened to tear down what they were building. In the midst of this impossible struggle, the prophet Nehemiah encouraged Israel to remember their real source of strength: the joy of the Lord. “The joy of the Lord is your strength,” he reminded them (8:10). Emil pointed out that Jesus’ joy is not merely a flimsy, ephemeral happiness that goes away at the approach of difficulty. On the contrary, it is a substantial, ever-present power that upholds God’s people consistently, even during their most trying times.
Joy in Jesus’ Ministry
The New Testament also speaks of the enormous role that joy played in Jesus’ life and ministry. To help us to see this, Emil read accounts of Jesus’ ministry from the Gospels, encouraging us to think about Jesus’ countenance during his performance of miracles.
“Do you think He was a grumpy man?” Emil asked. “No! He was full of joy!”
Reading through these biblical accounts, Emil paused and emphasized details that we had not noticed before, bringing the well known stories into a new light. Chapter 2 of John describes Jesus’ first public miracle. This miracle was to be the advent and commencement of His public ministry and would set the tone for who Jesus was going to be as a public person. It is interesting that His first miracle wasn’t healing a sick person or raising the dead. Rather, it was an act that heaped more joy upon an already joyous occasion: a wedding. When the wedding host ran out of wine to serve the guests, Jesus transformed clear, tasteless water into exquisite wine. This miracle, Emil hypothesized, suggests that Jesus valued celebration. At the time, Jesus probably had a lot of work that He could have been doing, but He took the time to attend a wedding and to make the wedding even better. This passage also shows that Jesus enjoyed being around other people. After all, if he had been a smug, downtrodden, taciturn individual, he wouldn’t have been invited to the wedding in the first place. The fact that he was invited, as John 2:2 points out, shows that He was someone people wanted to be around. Emil also encouraged us to picture Jesus moments before the miracle took place. In the midst of the worried host and his skeptical disciples, Jesus just may have had a twinkle in his eye, knowing that he was about to turn their worry and skepticism into joy.
At another point during Jesus’ ministry, a foreign, non-Israeli woman came to Him and begged for mercy. Her daughter was possessed by demons and the woman was desperate for help. In response to her persistent cries for help, Jesus remained unusually silent. Finally, in an attempt to draw out her faith, Jesus turned to the woman and said that He could not help her because He had been sent only to Israel and she was a Gentile. “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” Jesus stated (Matthew 15:26). Responding quickly and in desperation, she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their master’s table” (verse 27). The Bible teaches that faith pleases God and that God gives grace and favor to the humble. Jesus must have been pleased with this quick response in which the woman both acknowledged her own unworthiness and showed faith in His unmerited favor and compassion. Emil encouraged us to picture Jesus’ countenance when the woman spoke this humble, faith-filled reply. Of course, the account in Matthew does not tell us what Jesus’ expression was, but Emil suggested that it just may have been a look of joy.
“Can’t you see Jesus’ eyes lighting up and a smile peeking through his formerly solemn expression?” Emil asked. “Can’t you just see a grin on Jesus’ face that says, ‘you’ve got me there,’ when He hears the woman’s response?”
The Canaanite woman’s faith saw past Jesus’ initial comments to her, and reached down to the joy and magnanimity inside of Him. As a result, Jesus healed the woman’s daughter on the spot, telling the woman that her faith was “great.”
Jesus, Our Source of Joy
Emil ended his message by explaining that it is important to understand that Jesus was a man of joy because as his followers, joy is a big part of our identities too. If “the joy of the Lord is [our] strength,” then we need it for our own sustenance and endurance (Nehemiah 8:10). Moreover, there are other people that we encounter daily who are searching for Jesus. If we demonstrate the joy of the Lord, they may be drawn to Christ through that joy. This joy, Emil noted, is not something we will ever be able to produce on our own. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is produced in us when we “abide in the vine,” which is Jesus. “You get fruit by spending time with Jesus,” Emil said. Based on Emil’s description of our joy-filled Savior, it is hard to imagine not wanting to spend time with Him.
Scriptures Referenced in Emil’s Message:
Isaiah 51:11
Isaiah 61:1-3
Nehemiah 8:10
Romans 14:17
John 2
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 1:9
Luke 10:21
Matthew 15:26-7
Psalm 150
Acts 2
Luke 15:10
James 1:2-4
Luke 15
Matthew 28:9
John 15
Heather, thank you once again for an eloquent and effective blog of Sunday's message. The one thing I missed, however, was for me perhaps the most important point in Emil's message--that the Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes)literally translates, "Take joy when..." Certainly it activates the standard translation, "Blessed are..." Wow, "Take joy!" Phenomenal.
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