“It was revealed to them that they (prophets) were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” –1 Pet 1:12
How does God’s Jesus News bring joy when our contexts bring challenge, pain, and wounds? A short but powerful answer is that God’s Good News changes the story we live in.
I was in South Sudan among the Mabaan people during the cease-fire of 2007, working to encourage local believers to make disciples of Jesus. We camped between three armies within one kilometer of each other, unnervingly close, and each aimed at the others. As we dug the foundation for a maternity clinic, bullet casings filled every shovel full of dirt. Scars of violent unrest marred the ground, and the people.
That’s when I met a remarkable young man. When a boy, marauders set fire to his hut, which collapsed on him. The heat of the fire melted the skin of his arm to the skin of his body, welding them together. The skin had healed, but he couldn’t move his arm. He knew and loved Jesus, and though only 20 years old, he oversaw three churches in nearby villages. His smile stuck in my soul because it radiated such counter-contextual joy in his world of woundedness and pain.
In 1 Peter 1, Peter writes to followers of Jesus scattered, displaced, tested by rigorous trials. People who have not seen Jesus, who endure loneliness, persecution, and suffering. And yet, Peter writes, God’s Jesus News is so Good it results in joy inexpressible (1 Peter 1:8). How?
Well, Peter says that the controlling story of Jesus-followers isn’t displacement, exile, or despair. Instead, we have a Living Hope that is as alive as the resurrected Jesus (1 Peter 1:3). Jesus is alive, and we are in him! That is our story.
This gives us two distinct advantages:
We have the advantage of hindsight that the prophets never had. They foresaw the coming Messiah, but saw opaquely (1 Peter 1:10-11). We know the Jesus story definitively. We can look again and again at the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus and be reminded and refreshed by his/our story. It is better to live now, even in trials, because we see clearly, whereas they saw in gray. Wow.
We also have the advantage of a position that the angels will never have (1 Peter 1:12). Angels long to look into God’s redemptive grace from the outside, because they will never personally experience the giving of God’s presence to sinful humanity for adoption in him. But, we don’t “look into” God’s grace from the outside. We get to experience it, which is better by far! Double wow.
We know suffering, trials, and isolation don't just exist in South Sudan, or the 1st century. Many of us walk our days and years with these three unwelcome traveling companions. What makes "inexpressible joy" possible in our contexts? For one, displacement and despair do not control our story. We are neither shrouded from, nor outsiders to, God’s redemptive Jesus news. It is clear and participatory for us! Instead of living imprisoned to the oppressive narratives of our context, we partake in the majesty of God, set free to live in his story, alive with hope, and participants in his grace!
And the result? Joy that is both a symbol and foretaste of God's Kingdom Now, a counter-contextual reality that pierces our challenges, pains, and wounds.
When asked about his broad smile, my Sudanese friend told me, “I am known by God. What story is better?”
Reflection Questions:
What hinders joy in your context?
What about God’s grace to you in Jesus unlocks joy for you?
How do you express joy in Jesus?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Steve Stager, his wife Anna, and four kids live in the beautiful Flathead Valley of Montana, near the entrance to Glacier National Park. They have been with Novo since late 2020, and serve in the Gospel Movement Teams division.