And, finally, in the great prayer of intercession contained in Jn 17, our Lord requests that the joy which was His own peculiar possession should hnd its full accomplishment in tne hearts of His dis- ciples (v."). The joy thus foretold and interceded for is noted by the Evangelist as a possession of the disciples immediately after the resurrection. In Mt 288 .jve are told that the women departed from the tomb ' with fear and great joy,' while the effect of the gladness is noted by Lk., with a truth- fulness to human experience that is most remark- able, as being itself a ground of scepticism (see Lk 24^'). This joy was not only the possession, but
JOY
the abiding possession of the early Church, as frequent notes in the Book of Acts prove : and many passages in St. Paul's Epistles speak of joy as one of the true fruits of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (see Ac 13=- and Gal 5~).
While the passages above examined contain most of the instances in which the words ' joy ' or ' re- joice' are used in the Gospels, there remain very many passages in which the idea is prominent. Our Lord's own description of Himself, for instance, as the Bridegroom when He is vindicating the liberty of His disciples to abstain from the ascetic prac- tices of the Pharisees, shows how He conceived His mission and ministry (see Mk 2'*-~). Many of the parables, other than those already named, set forth the inherent joy of the Kingdom, as, for example, those of the Wedding Supper and the Ten Virgins. The Lord's Supper itself was a feast of jov, for, according to Lk.'s account (22'=), our Lord said, ' With desire I have de.sired to eat this Passover with you before I suft'er,' thus indicating that He had eagerly and gladly anticipated it ; and in the further words that He speaks on that occasion He indicates that there is only to be a pause in the joy which will be resumed and heightened in other surroundings. ' I will not,' He continues, ' drink from henceforth of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God shall come,' or, as Mt. phrases it (26^), ' until that day when I drink it new -with you in my Father's kingdom.'
There must have been much in our Lord's inter- course with the people that led them to see in Him a helper of their joys rather than a restraint upon their merriment. He was, for example, an honoured guest at a wedding feast (Jn 2^), and at many a social meal (cf. Lk 14' and Jn 12") ; and when He decided to abide at the house of Zacchreus, we are told that the latter 'received him joyfully.' In His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the people gladly welcomed Him (Lk 19^), and the children cried joyfully in the Temple, ' Hosanna to the Son of David' (Alt 21''*). All these more or less exuber- ant outbursts of spontaneous joy greatly otiiended the Pharisees and other formal religionists ; and while it would not be correct to say that our Lord designedly arranged circumstances in which the contrasts would be clearly manifested, still the conditions in which they were so displayed were admirable parables in action of some of the deepest truths of His kingdom.
There is much beauty, as well as truth, in the imaginary description of Renan : * He thus traversed Galilee in the midst of a continual feast. When He entered a house it was considered a jov and a blessinff. He halted in the villages and at the large fam'is, where He received open hospitality. In the East when a stran-rer enters a house it becomes at once a public place. All the village assembles there, the children invade it, they are put out bv the servants, but always return. Jesus could not suffer these innocent auditors to be treated harshly. He caused them to be brought to Hira and embraced them. . . . He protected those who wished to honour Him. In this »;ay children and women came to adore Him ' (Life of Jems, ch. xi.).
The joy that emanated from our Lord's person and presence during His earthly ministry was without question a great part of its power. His attitude stood in such clear contrast to the general character of the religious people round about Hira, that the consciousness of it must have been felt by all the onlookers ; but in addition to this fact was the whole teaching about His kingdom, which, as set forth in parable and precept, was to be a king- dom of gladness. In this latter respect it came into line with what the prophets had described as the marked characteristic of the Kingdom of God, and also with what the Jewish apocalypses pictured as the outcome of the Messiah s advent. That a more earthly conception of joy filled the hearts of many of the disciples there is little reason to ques- tion, but a great deal of our Lord's teaching was directed to spiritualize their hopes and to deepen
JUD^A
905
their insight into the true character of spiritual joy.
Literature. — The Comni.
, 1900, 111 ff. ; G. Matheson, Studies in the Portr of Christ, 1st series, 272 £f. ; J. Moffatt in Expos. Times, ix. (189S) 334. G. CURRIE MARTIN.