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The Emotional Life of Jesus | Joy

April 6, 2025
Luke 10:17-24

¹⁷The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” ¹⁸And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

²¹In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. ²²All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

²³Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! ²⁴For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

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Purpose

To discover and experience Jesus Christ in our midst

To cultivate mutually encouraging relationships

To participate in God’s mission to the world 

Opening Prayer

We beseech you, almighty God, to look mercifully upon your people: that by your great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Responsive Prayer — Psalm 28

Blessed be the Lord!

For he has heard the voice of my pleas for mercy.

The Lord is my strength and my shield;

In him my heart trusts, and I am helped;

My heart exults,

And with my song I give thanks to him.

The Lord is the strength of his people;

He is the saving refuge of his anointed.

Oh, save your people and bless your heritage!

Be their shepherd and carry them forever.

Summary and Connection

In his essay “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” B. B. Warfield wrote, “It belongs to the truth of our Lord’s humanity that he was subject to all sinless human emotions.” In today’s passage, Luke records two different accounts of joy: the disciples rejoicing over their new spiritual authority and Jesus rejoicing over the Father’s will. Jesus teaches the disciples that their source of joy shouldn’t be based on their power, status, or achievements; rather, their source of joy is in their salvation — their names being written in the book of life. We’re in a sermon series called The Emotional Life of Jesus, and today we’ll look at Jesus’ emotion of joy.

Discussion Questions

1. Looking at the Bible

Observation: Read the passage privately. What does the text say? What is the theme of this passage? Do you notice any keywords?

• The disciples are excited that “even the demons are subjecting to us” (verse 17). But how does Jesus respond to them? What implications does that have?
  

2. Looking at Jesus

At Central we believe that all of Scripture points to Jesus. In other words, Jesus is the theological center of the Bible. Every passage not only points to Jesus, but the grand narrative of the Bible also finds its fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus.

• When we picture Jesus’ personality, how do we envision his joyfulness?

3. Looking at Our Hearts

• What is our source of joy? How can we cultivate a heart of steadfast joy? 

4. Looking at Our World

• What is the difference between joy and happiness? How does our joy differ from the world’s joy?

Sending

• View Study Guide Notes

  Question 1: The disciples were given authority over satanic powers. (Serpents and scorpions are creatures that symbolize Satan’s presence.) They were given tremendous power, and Jesus emphatically assures that absolutely nothing (in Greek, ou me) can harm them. Although this is understandably exciting for the disciples, Jesus encourages the disciples to turn their focus elsewhere. Access to God’s power and blessing is a privilege, but that should not be their source of joy; it should be that their names are written in heaven (verse 20). Jesus is teaching us that even more than miraculous powers and extraordinary experiences, our steadfast joy comes from our salvation — the everlasting life with God in heaven. David asked God to “restore to me the joy of your salvation” (Psalm 51:12). John frequently began his letters sharing that his greatest joy is when he hears that his children have fellowship with God, the fruit of their salvation (1 John 1:4; 2 John 4; 3 John 4).

  Moreover, Jesus explains to the disciples that numerous prophets and kings of the Old Testament longed to see exactly what they are experiencing (verse 24). In his epistle, Peter adds that even angels greatly looked forward to it (1 Peter 1:10-12). Darrell Bock comments:

  Sometimes we think how great it would have been to see Moses perform miracles before Pharaoh or watch Elijah defeat the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel. Jesus says that the situation is in fact the exact reverse — they long to see what we experience, because to know God and life through Jesus is what they had wished to experience all along.

  Question 2: Isaiah 53:3 describes the coming Messiah as a “man of sorrows.” Perhaps this designation — along with the Gospels’ lack of an account of Jesus laughing, even smiling — has muted our perception of our Savior. However, B. B. Warfield writes, “If our Lord was ‘the man of sorrows,’ he was more profoundly still ‘the man of joy.’” In today's passage, Jesus “rejoices in the Holy Spirit,” meditating on God’s wise and mysterious plan of salvation to reach the lost. In Luke 15, Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin to explain the celebratory joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (verse 7, 10). The chapter ends with a picture of the father celebrating the return of the prodigal son with food, music, and dancing. Jesus not only feels compassion for us, but he rejoices over us with gladness and exults over us with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17). In the book of Genesis, although Jacob had to work seven more years to marry Rachel, it is recorded that the seven years “seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her” (Genesis 29:20). Similarly but superiorly, Jesus is the “better Jacob,” as he also endured the cross for us “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2). Because of his great love for us, Jesus joyfully came to earth and suffered on the cross in order to save us from our sins.

  Question 3: Today’s passage reminds us that steadfast joy is only possible through fellowship with God. Jesus’ source of joy has been his fellowship with the Father, and he instructs us to follow his example. Jesus teaches his disciples to abide in him so that his joy may be in them and their joy may be full (John 15:11). Jesus offers us the very joy that he has from his oneness with the Father. When we walk with God and remain in his love, we can experience the complete, constant joy that no one can take away (John 16:22). This is the reason why Paul’s instructions to rejoice are always immediately followed with instructions for prayer (Romans 12:12; Philippians 4:4-6; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17). We can cultivate steadfast joy as we spend time with God, praying and meditating on his Word. As David wrote in Psalm 16:11, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

  Question 4: In his New York Times column, David Brooks wrote:

  Happiness usually involves a victory for the self. Joy tends to involve the transcendence of self. Happiness comes from accomplishments. Joy comes when your heart is in another … The core point is that happiness is good, but joy is better.

  Happiness is often external and circumstantial; outside factors dictate our experience of the emotion of happiness. It is also inconsistent and transient, even deceiving. The things that used to make us happy may change over time. This leads sociologist Jordan Peterson to conclude, “The purpose of life is not to be happy, but to find something that sustains you in spite of suffering."

  On the other hand, joy is internal; it is not dependent on circumstances and can always be experienced and sustained as long as it is deeply rooted in an unwavering object. The world seeks its happiness in fleeting, vain things; people expect that money, beauty, fame, or power will give them lasting joy. In today’s passage, the disciples were excited that the demons were subject to them. They were happy that they had spiritual power — that they achieved certain status in the Kingdom of God. (The disciples were quite competitive in this area.) However, Jesus directs them to rejoice that their names are written in the book of life. In other words, Jesus is saying, “Don’t find your joy and identity in your accomplishments and status. Rather, your joy and identity should be rooted in your salvation; it is received by grace, not achieved by works.” When our joy is found in Christ and the saving grace of the gospel, then our life circumstances can no longer take away our joy. We can confess like Habakkuk (3:17-18):

  Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.