His Joy

It cannot be denied that no one suffered more than Jesus Christ- from the day He was born to the end of His ministry- and even now He continues to suffer greatly in soul and spirit as He intercedes for all of us on a constant basis and shares each of our sufferings WITH us.   He knows how we feel.    Yet with all of the sufferings,  Jesus also experienced the most full Joy through them.    He also laughed and has a wonderful sense of Humor.  His Joy and humor transcend all that He suffers.

If you have ever heard of what an Empath is-  you know that an Empath is a person who is more sensitive to other people’s emotions more than the average person.   In some paranormal circles, they reccomend that Empaths learn to “shield” and put psychic blocks around them so that they can find peace and not constantly be picking up everyone’s tensions and emotions around them. Without the grace of God, this can be very overwhelming to the Empath.     Well,  Jesus is an Empath of empaths-  with the most heightened sensitivity of anyone.   During His ministry, He was even able to feel someone touch the hem of His robe out of desperation for healing.    In Mark 5:30, we read:  “…and Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power had gone forth from Him, immediately turned about in the crowd, and said, “Who touched my garments?”  And his disciples said to Him, “You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, “Who touched Me?”  And He looked around to see who had done it.  But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well;  go in peace, and be healed of your disease.”

Because of this heightened Empathy our Lord has,  He enters into all of our sufferings with us- and His compassion and sensitivity  for us is genuine and pure love.      Some of His Body on Earth share the same Mind He has with suffering.  Many saints became transformed to have the same Mind of Christ — to think like He does.     One such saint is a Catholic saint, known as St. Therese of Lisuex, “The Little Flower”.    St. Therese lived a short life of only 24 years as a Carmelite nun, but yet throughout her young life,  and even more so before her death, she welcomed sufferings and found joy in them that many around her could not understand. 

In a letter to her missionary brothers that she was assigned to as a Carmelite nun, she wrote :”The Cross has accompanied me from the cradle;  but then, Jesus has made me love it passionately.”     Later when St. Therese was dying a horrific slow painful death from a rare form of tuberculosis–in which she was deprived of medication,  one of her novices told her, “How it grieves us to see you suffer, and to think you may perhaps have still more to endure,”    “Oh!, do not be troubled about me, I have arrived at the stage of being no longer able to suffer, because all suffering is sweet to me.”     St. Therese never wore her sufferings on her sleeve.  She offered them to Jesus and only rarely shared them in a journal she was commanded to write by her Mother Superior–  Even in this journal, she never complains or laments– but actually rejoices over any opportunity to suffer for Christ and accept all He permitted in her life.    This , too , is the same attitude Jesus had and has.    He rejoiced in suffering and when death seemed eminent due to extreme Satanic psychic attacks on His soul in the Garden of Gethsemane, He asked that if the Father willed so, that this cup would be taken from Him so that He could still be permitted to die on the cross for our Sacrifice —  nevertheless, He would still accept whatever the Father willed- whatever change in Plans.  

In the book, “I Am With You Always:  True Stories of Encounters with Jesus”, by G. Scott Sparrow, Ed.D,      We read how many who have encountered Jesus in modern Near death experiences or visitations experienced His humorous , light-hearted disposition.    Betty Eadie recalled in her own Near Death testimony how she , too experienced Jesus as a humorous , light hearted Being.  “I’ll never forget the Lord’s sense of humor, which was as delightful and quick as any here- far more so.  Nobody could out-do His humor.  He is filled  with perfect happiness, perfect goodwill.”, she said of her experience meeting Jesus.

In the scriptures, there are  hints of Jesus’s sense of humor.    When Jesus chose His 12 disciples from out of a larger group of apostles in the beginning of His ministry,   He “nicknamed” James and John, “The Sons of Thunder” due to their volatile temper they were known to have.  

When Jesus was walking ahead of the disciples and not knowing He was able to hear them, they quietly discussed who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of God.    We can imagine the smile and chuckle He made when He called them on their secret discussion — interrupting them and asking them, “So , what is it that you are discussing together”.    I think He actually enjoyed their reaction when they all got embarrassed and were too afraid to reply– knowing that their conversation was pretty childish.    

In the book, mentioned above by G. Scott Sparrow,  there is a woman’s testimony shared of her encounter with Jesus that reveals His Joy.    “I was in a wide open playground with a merry-go-round.  It was a sunny day and I was blissfully dancing around, feeling immense love toward everyone and imagining World peace.  I sang out, “I love God” at the top of my lungs.  It was out of tune, because I couldnt sing, but I didnt care.   In my peripheral vision, there was a figure of a Man also happily dancing-trying to mimic my movement.  This was very amusing to me, but I just kept flailing around doing my own thing.   I kicked up my leg and saw His leg and sandal go up from under the edge of a white robe.

I felt a great sense of friendship and love toward this Person, but turned to continue my dancing by myself and focusing on World Peace.  Before I could turn, however, He gently grabbed me by my forearms.  I found myself looking straight into the glorious , sparkling eyes of Jesus.  He was radiant, joyous, and laughing, and I felt complete love, acceptance, and fun.

Then it slowly dawned on me that this was actually Jesus Christ!   I became slightly self-conscious and vaguely realized that I had been singing out of tune and dancing around like an idiot in front of Him.   Still smiling and holding my arms, He led me closer to the ground, where we were in almost a meditative position.”     (Note:  While typing this woman’s experience here in this blog, The Lord just now made me feel His humor  within me at the part where this woman confesses that she was singing out of tune!)    

There are other testimonies of Jesus’s Joyful disposition and laughter–  One recollection is from Dr. George Ritchie in his book, Return from Tomorrow.  When he met Jesus in his Near death experience,  He never forgot Jesus’s wonderful laughter when he thought “What about the insurance money coming when I’m seventy?”  The words were out before He could stop from thinking them and he continues, “If I’d suspected before that there was mirth in the Presence beside me, now I was sure if it:   the brightness seemed to vibrate and shimmer with a kind of holy laughter–not at me and my silliness, not a mocking laughter, but a mirth that seemed to say that in spite of all error and tragedy, joy was more lasting still.”

To Endure

Jesus’s entire life and ministry on this Earth -from the day He was born to the day His Mission of Sacrifice was completed before the Father- was one of constant hardships, trials, poverty and contrasts, and a Life completely dependent on the Father for all things.

A brother on YouTube shared on one of his videos how he had a vision of Jesus hauling heavy blocks from one area to another, and working hard–sweating and laboring.    He asked the Lord in this vision, why He did not use His powers as Son of God to do all of the work without having to lift a finger.   Jesus replied in this vision that He doesnt use His powers as Son of God for Himself, but only for the good of others.    This is the way Jesus lived His entire life on Earth, and how He lives even now as He continues to suffer for the good of others in spirit  and in His soul.

In the book, I Am With You Always:  True Stories of Encounters with Jesus”, by G. Scott Sparrow, Ed.D. , there is a beautiful testimony from a suffering woman, who had a Near Death encounter where she was shown Jesus- as He was on Earth— and I believe this encounter was given to this woman for her to know that she was being identified with Him through the many hardships she was enduring with her chronic medical issues.

Here is her testimony:  “I was in the hospital and very ill, having contracted tuberculosis at work.  We had been testing a herd of cattle for the TB virus and the pregnant cows came down with the disease.  As I was also pregnant, so did I.   Subsequently, I became so ill that I was pronounced dead at one point, and had a NDE before I was “sent back” to continue my life.   During my experience I saw lots and lots of steps leading up to a building.  I’d gotten about halfway up when I was stopped by a Man.  He wore no white robe,  nor did He have wings.  This Man was so lovely, but there was so much sorrow in His face, so much suffering, as if for all of mankind.   He also expressed so very much love and compassion, I felt He knew all about me and loved me, but He told me I couldnt go any further as I still had so much work to do.  This Man wasnt’ white or black, but He had very bronzed skin as if He had been living out in the open and had been in the Sun alot.  He wore a robe which I would say was homespun and handwoven.  He wore sandals that were just soles with a strap over the big toe.  He seemed dusty and weary, but so loving.   I have now come to feel that what I saw was the real Jesus.

Afterward, I began searching to know and find everything I could about Him- not just what is in the Bible.  I was exposed to that as a child and, although I can now read it with a little more understanding, I have been looking for more.   My earth time is coming to an end and apart from missing the family, I am looking toward going back Home.  I just hope I can continue to cope with the pain, and not be too much of a burden to others.  I have arthritis, angina arteriosclerosis, and have had seven major operations-one for cancer, which I now feel is coming back.  As He said, I have work to do;  but I now understand He also meant work on myself!” (K.V.D)

I believe part of that work the Lord had for this woman was to become united with the Lord in His sufferings, through her own personal sufferings.    for many, no suffering of the body is involved-  the person endures emotional trials ,  or suffers in spirit.   For others, physical suffering is to be endured.    I was struck by the description of our King in Exile from this woman’s testimony.      She mentioned how Jesus’s garments were home-spun or hand woven.     Jesus- the true King of Kings of all Realms and Universes created by our Father in Heaven, deserved to wear royal attire, but He was/is content to wear a simple home-spun non-dyed robe.  His sandles were simple leather sandles and the dust of the ground often covered His feet as He tread the roadsides visiting from town to town during His ministry.

Once when He was invited to a pharisee’s dinner, –not for sincere intentions, but He obeyed the Father and accepted the invitation.   The  custom of that day was for the wealthy to have thier servants wash the feet of their visitors, but that pharisee failed to have anyone wash Jesus’s feet–which were dusty from the Middle Eastern terrain.  In one of the many rare moments anyone actually showed any unselfish love for Jesus,   the scriptures state how Mary -who was delivered from demon possession by Jesus– entered that pharisee’s house with an extreemly expensive vial of essential oils, as she proceeded to wipe Jesus’s feet with that oil, and dry them with her hair.

Jesus and His disciples endured the elements, the cold, the hot Sun.    Jesus literally had no place to lay His head, as He travelled from place to place and slept outside in the cold many nights.   He went without food so that His disciples could have some, and there were those times He was so exhausted that His disciples had to carry Him into their boat while He was asleep.    Much of His suffering was the heartbreak He constantly endured, hate and indifference He suffered from those who were familiar with Him.  This heartbreak became all the more enhanced–to the level of being “baptised by a baptism of fire” at the end of His ministry.   Jesus paid the price drop by drop of blood from His birth to His death before ressurection, and yet He was sustained by the Holy Spirit.     Before being impaled on the cross, He was brutally beaten until He was unrecognizable, and He hung there stripped of His garments suffering excruciating pain and hypothermia while those who watched warmed their hands by their fires.

Our Lord said that to enter the Kingdom of God, one must enter through tribulations.   We will never drink the full cup of Sufferings He drank from, but for each of us who would become His Possession we are priviledged to share a small sip of that large cup of suffering YHVH, our Bridegroom King in Exile drank from.   Let us no longer murmer or complain when receiving even the smallest annoyance or contrast– let us bear our burdens quietly with Him- and walk with Him along that dusty path -through His grace as we join with Him along the narrow way into His Kingdom.