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In Luke, 12:50 Jesus says, "But I have a baptism to undergo and how distressed i am until it is completed." He also makes reference elsewhere about how long must He put up with His disciples. There is also no scripture that shows Him laughing.

Most people seek happiness, as if there is such a thing. Life is pleasure and pain, good days and bad days. As i get older I realize i really do hate the world. I feel like i'm just putting up with it. Even those of us who have the Holy Spirit can't treat each other well for very long. When I am "happy" it's always taken away from me because it's a worldly happiness. But to constantly feel a heavenly happiness, we still have to endure pain. Pain is a given but happiness isn't.

Understanding that He was fully human, He must have experienced the full range of emotions (and scripture testifies to this in a variety of places). We as humans experience spiritual consolations and desolations (I'm uncomfortable using the word 'happy' here), which does pose a good question about Christ's spiritual experiences given He was both fully human and divine.

On another note, I wouldn't let the emptiness of worldly things taint your view of the world itself. The 'world' being God's creation is deserving of our respect and appreciation. The 'worldly' however is our corruption of the same and deserving of our disdain.

I agree with your perception of this issue, Corpus. So I guess what I'm really saying is that I love the way the world was created but i do not love sin. I realize it was God's plan to allow us to sin but it is so hurtful to all of us. Most of us walk around with so much past pain that we take it out on others instantly. We want so much to gain the praises of men that we pump ourselves up in order to present ourselves as wonderful so people won't reject us. This is why it is so hard for all of us to accept love from each other. Real love is not embracing ours or anyone else's neuroses. But that's what we all want. We just want to feel loved even if it means condoning our own sin. We're all desperate for it and take however little there is of it in the world. Even when we get it from other humans, it can be taken away as fast as it was given if we offend someone.  The only love that is real and constant is the love of God. I just wish that th were enough. If it were enough, then we would always be happy.

I believe that your recognizing and struggling with this (perhaps for the rest of your life) is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Isn't that the pits? Half-kidding. Sometimes i want to go back to my blissfully ignorant days because they at times seemed so thrilling. But alas, they were just an illusion and of course the fact that I no longer seek those days shows me just how much of an illusion they really were. We all pick our least stressful option in life and now my least stressful option is knowing the truth...only do the degree that i can handle it. That's why Jesus told His discpiles that He had much more to teach them but that it was too much for them to bear. i just have to trust that He will only give me what I can bear. That's why i like that new thread from BEP which fususes on the beauty and marvel of God's plan. I need that today. Thanks for your input, Corpus.

Heidi,

This is the passage that came to mind.

"He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,  and we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him." Isaiah 53:3

As far as I know there is no mention of Jesus laughing (I will check to make sure!) And I know he didn't belong to the good ole boys club. He did make mention of being sober minded, and not coarse jesting.

I know there are verses in the "Old" Testament that talks about God laughing in the heavens. It's usually in relation to how vain man is, and /or His impending judgement on them.

Good question Heidi....will do some more digging.

Psalm 119

I thought that was a very thought-filled reply, Psalm 119. I think the very fact that He knew the soberness of what He was saying and His sorrow for humanity as well as the deep, love of our humanity,knowing that we are like little children, not knowing what we are doing left little Him time for joviality. I think He left that to us. Of course, He was on a mission and not here for entertainment but to teach us. The question is then, what is our mission? I know as a human being, that i have to laugh, joke, and have fun. But maybe that only gives me the strength to endure the hardship of the sinful world so that my only hope lies in Him. Unfortunately, that means I will have to endure pain, something Christ knew how to handle. Maybe that's what real happiness is.  

When was the last time you wnet to a party and brought all the booze?

H

Heidi,

I went back and reread the original question:"was Jesus happy?" I thought it read as in "laughter".

I have given more thought to the matter, and I believe Jesus was content in everything. He counted all His sufferings great joy. He was doing the will of His Father in heaven.

His life is in stark contrast, compared to the antics that goes on in pulpits across this nation every Sunday.  Holiness, sobriety, and the fear of God ,have for the most part, disappeared. One liners, and stand-up comics, are the order of the day. Pastor's don't want to lay a "guilt trip" on their members; rather they want them to leave the service all warm and fuzzy.

Is Jesus happy or even laughing now? I don't think so.

Psalm 119

Why does it say Jesus endured the cross??

"...who for the joy that was set before him..."  (Hebrews 12:2b)


How does Jesus answer when they ask him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"  (Luke 24:18b, 19)

After he's been horribly crucified?  And His answer there(v.19)??

Of course, that was after it was all over with.

But still, there seems a real joyous irony there, that Jesus is answering with.

Yes, as Corpus says, Jesus was experiencing, or expressing the full range of human emotions.

But I think God has us all by the tail.  There's very serious sadness to all this.

I think it's very funny, though, that He's laughing all the while at Satan's rediculousness.  Satan only has the power that we give him(like the wicked witch in the Wizard of Oz--throw just a bucket of water on her, and she melts away....).

The story of the whole Gospel, or the whole Bible, for that matter, as culiminated there in the final chapters of Revelation is, that God is going to have the last laugh.

I think joy, as opposed to happiness, is what gives us the strength to endure suffering. At times i feel joyous as in praises and worship but i see joy as a patient, quiet wisdom. I see Jesus as being reverent rather than joyous.

Happy is not a fruit of the Spirit, but joy.

Jesus is joyous and rejoicing over one repentent sinner as is all of heaven. Jesus' joy is our joy when we keep His commandments and are obedient.

Good point, Ollie.  Joy is a fruit of the spirit.


Actually, I think Jesus was a very happy person.


That's why Satan hates us/Him.  He hates happiness.

That's why everybody hated Jesus.  He was happy.


     :-X


      ;D

That's the parable of the sower.  The evil one sneaks in and steals, or destroys, what was sown, and we forget our newfound joy.

Why did the man there in Matthew go and sell all that he had to buy that one gem?  I think it says "joy" there?

For in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
(Ecclesiastes 1:18)

5020, that's exactly what's happening to me! Yes, there are times during each day when i laugh a lot and feel excited, but it's fleeting. The more i truly acknowledge our sinful state, the more I feel grief and sorrow. But it is a different grief than the grief i felt before i was saved. There's hope and understanding in the grief. There is also forgiveness for humanity because we are all in the same boat. But sometimes my soul is heavy and I sensed that in Jesus. When I think of all He KNEW about our sinful state and the fate of man, He had to have incredible strength, joy, and courage to do what he did. But He did make that statement about how distressed He was that His baptism was not finished. That's His humanity coming out and I can identify with that. Those are the times when I need fun in my life in order to regain the strength to endure what's coming next.

I've never seen anywhere in the Bible where it says that God wants us to be happy (or healthy and wealthy for our charismaniac friends).  There is huge difference between joy and happy, in the spiritual realm.  Even Webster includes in the defintion of joy "the feeling of satisfaction."  There you go.  We are supposed to live with joy; therefore, we are to live in satisfaction and content with the knowledge of our salvation through Jesus Christ.

There is a time to laugh and a time to cry.

Jesus knew which was which.

H

   ;D     :'(

Luke 6[/u]
21  Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy:[/b] for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24  But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25  Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

Joy now, in knowing the day IS coming when we will have GREAT REJOICING IN HEAVEN!

Hebrews 6[/u]
12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
6:1  Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

We still have PLENTY to learn!

I have two points to make here.  For one, Jesus was sorrowful for our sins.  I make that distinction, because there seems to be a coupling of our sorrow for our sin and Jesus' sorrow.  What's more, Jesus was sorrowful for His Own's rejection of Him:


Yet Jesus was not lacking in joy.  Happiness is circumstancial.  Joy is present regardless of circumstances.  Jesus joy was set before Him, and was in Him as He did His Father's will.