Where do I get off putting the words “extreme joy of Jesus” together? Is that Biblical? Well, yes, surprisingly it is. It is found in the book of Hebrews chapter one, verse nine. The verse reads:
“(But of the Son he says) You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
This is a passage about God and His Son Jesus (who is also God of course). It says that because Jesus loved righteousness, God has anointed Him with the oil of gladness. In other words, God the Father pours out a glad oil onto His Son Jesus because He’s so righteous.
So the Greek word for gladness here is a unique word. It is only used 5 times in the New Testament. It’s used when John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother’s womb and when the disciples were meeting together regularly in the book of Acts. The word is “agalliasis.”
When you look up the meaning of the word in a Greek lexicon, it gives a striking definition: extreme joy.(https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G20&t=KJV) Not just regular joy. Extreme joy.
This is a game changer for how we understand the Messiah. The Father has anointed Him with the oil of extreme joy. Most pastors teach us messages about how if we do the right thing then Jesus will have joy in us. But Hebrews 1:9 tells us otherwise.
It tells us that Jesus is filled with extreme joy and it has nothing to do with our spiritual performance. Instead, His extreme joy is because of His Father. This starts to sound like good news…
Practical Application of the “Extreme Joy” of Jesus
You don’t have to try so hard in your relationship with Jesus. Way before you ever approach Jesus, He is already filled with extreme joy because of His Father’s love. After all, Jesus is the Father’s “beloved Son with whom He is well pleased.”
Jesus is your Savior, you are not His Savior. You can rest in who He is and what He’s done for you. His joy is steady because of His Father. His joy doesn’t go up and down based on your efforts. His extreme joy from His Father is a rock that you can build your house upon.
We are hardwired as humans to desire someone’s enjoyment of us. We frequently look for it in our friends and families and in fact the reason you have selected your friends probably has to do with the way they enjoy your presence. But ultimately, nobody loves us with the steadfast joy that Jesus does. Find yourself in His love today. Throw off every other anxiety of your heart and find your healing in His joyful embrace.
This life has many troubles. Persecution, conflict, rejection, and uncertainty. But Jesus’ joy is the one thing that stands firm. You can have all this world, but give me Jesus…