Surprised By Joy

Surprised By Joy

John 19:17-30

David P. Nolte

(Due to coronavirus, this sermon will be broadcast via fm radio during “drive-in-church” at a venue with adequate parking).

Life is full of surprises. Not all surprises are pleasant ones, though.

You’ll believe that when you step on the upward pointing tines of a garden rake and the handle flies up to strike you right between the eyes. I know whereof I speak because it happened to me once and it was, indeed, a surprise and not a pleasant one!

Ask Keri Childers about the Easter Bunny her cat, Booger, dragged into the house recently to surprise her. Oh, yes! She was completely surprised – but not pleasantly. She called to warn me not to be too surprised to see a dead cotton-tail in the trash can.

Let’s share the memory of an event that was, sadly, unpleasantly surprising. Jesus had been betrayed by Judas, denied by Peter, forsaken by all, accused by the Jews, put through an illegal, mockery of a trial, tormented by the soldiers, beaten mercilessly. And then as John reports, “They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out, bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha. There they crucified Him, and with Him two other men, one on either side, and Jesus in between.” John 19:17-18 (NASB).

To add insult to injury, “Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His outer garments and made four parts, a part to every soldier and also the tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece. So they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to decide whose it shall be’; this was to fulfill the Scripture: ‘They divided My outer garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.’ Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ From that hour the disciple took her into his own household. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, said, ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.” John 19:23-30 (NASB).

Though He had warned them, more than once, still they were stunned and unpleasantly surprised at this turn of events.

Let’s take a walk with the disciples from Friday, when they were unpleasantly surprised, until Sunday, when THEY WERE SURPRISED BY JOY! But in-between those surprises, first came:

1. DARK DISAPPOINTMENT:

a. It was difficult for Jesus' disciples to accept the disappointment of His death.

i. They were dumbstruck to think that what they had so fully believed now seemed so untrue.

ii. The crucifixion had been more overwhelming to their minds and undermining to their hope than anything any of them had ever faced.

b. Over and over again during the days which followed, slowly, one after another, they must have wearied their minds to try to find some explanation for this catastrophic turn of events. Their kingdom plans had collapsed.

c. Disappointment comes when what we expected fails to materialize.

i. We may suffer the disappointment of unrequited love.

ii. We may suffer the disappointment of failed plans.

iii. We may suffer the disappointment of delayed or denied fulfillment of our prayer.

iv. We may suffer the disappointment of someone’s broken promise.

d. When we are disappointed with God’s work in our lives we need to remember:

i. When we think God is doing nothing, God is doing something.

ii. When we think our lives are without purpose, God has a purpose for our life.

iii. When we think it’s over for us, with God, it’s just beginning.

iv. When we think there is no hope, with God hope springs new every day.

v. When we put disappointment into perspective and when we view it through eyes of faith, God proves Himself to be better than our worst fears, and better than our greatest dreams. With faith we can learn that living without hope is quickly replaced by living without disappointment.

e. Benny, a little boy, was opening his birthday presents with gusto and with each one would show approval with, “Yes!” or “Way cool!” or “Yippee!” That is, he showed approval until he opened the last present which came from Aunt Bertha, the cheek-pinching, bear hugging, lip-kissing aunt.