Jesus - Our Treasure and Joy

Unfortunately, when many think of Christianity they picture grumpy old men in three piece suits sitting around with scowls on their faces as they talk about the long list of things they don't do because they are Christians. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with older men, three piece suits, or the truth that the Bible commands Christians to abstain from certain activities. There is, however, something decidedly wrong with joyless Christianity. Of all the people in the world, whose who follow Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior should be the possessors of great joy.
Sadly this is not always the case. Often Christians plod through life just trying to "get by" and make it through another day. Life seems overwhelming and the thought of joy in the midst of a hurried life that seems chaotic at best and depressing at worst seems unimaginable.
The problem is that many are looking for joy in all the wrong places. Some seek joy through their career and advancement up the corporate ladder. Others look for joy in material possessions and the accumulation of things. While some search for joy in relationships or titles or power or influence or...you get the picture. The point is that the human heart longs for joy and will not rest until it is found.
It may shock some that the Bible actually commands us to seek joy. Psalm 32:11 says, "Be glad in the LORD and rejoice; Shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" The theme of joy is seen in Psalm 37:4 which instructs us to "Delight yourself also in the LORD." Jesus told His followers to rejoice that their names are written in heaven (Luke 10:19-20) and to "leap for joy" as they await their heavenly future with Him (Luke 6:22-23). The Apostle Paul in his joy-saturated letter to the Philippians commands Christians to "Rejoice in the Lord always" (4:4).
But joy for the Christian is not simply joy for joy's sake. Nor is it a joy that comes from our circumstances or the things that we possess. Rather, ours is a joy that is found in Jesus Christ. The fountain and the source of the Christian's joy must be Jesus Christ and what He accomplished for us in His life, death, and resurrection.
At this point you may be wondering how the pursuit of joy can coincide with some of the demands Jesus made in the Gospels. Jesus said, "If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (Luke 9:23). Later Jesus said, "Whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple" (Luke 14:33). How can self-denial, cross-carrying, and the forsaking of all things coexist with the pursuit of joy? These truths are reconciled as we realize that it is in our giving of all for the sake of Jesus that our joy is realized. The removal of these counterfeit joys from our lives frees us to focus upon the only thing in the universe that brings true and lasting joy: Jesus Christ.
This truth is driven home by Jesus in a one verse parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus compares the Kingdom of Heaven (knowing Jesus Christ) to a treasure buried in a field. A man found the treasure, hid the treasure again, and then sold all that he had to buy the field so that he might possess the treasure. But what motivates the man to sell all his possessions and buy the field in order to get the treasure? Jesus says his motivation was joy. Because true joy was not found in all that he possessed; true joy was found in the treasure.
When compared with the treasure everything else he possessed seemed to have no value at all (Philippians 3:7-10). Jesus' point is that knowing Him is more valuable and more precious than anything else. As our treasure, He is the source of our joy.
So the next time you think about Christianity, dispel the notion of the scowl and the three piece. Instead, think about the treasure in the field and the joy that moves us to give all to obtain it. Think about Jesus "who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross" that we might find our joy in Him (Hebrews 12:2).