“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you the so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11 NIV)
I was sitting again in Luke 2 this morning when it occurred to me that the principle players in the nativity saga have one thing in common: an uncommon commitment to obedience. These ordinary people were obedient amidst difficult instructions, even persecution and great personal expense. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that their obedience begot joy.
Let’s begin with Mary. Mary paved the way for the Messiah to come with blind obedience. She set the tone of this story from the very first act. Her immediate response to personal angelic proclamation is atypical and inspiring:
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May Your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38 NIV)
Mary’s obedience birthed joy; by the end of the next chapter there is a babe in her arms and her heart is near-bursting with the details of her Savior’s miraculous arrival.
We flip gospels to gain a better glimpse of Joseph, step-dad of the Almighty. Joseph got word of his intended’s condition and he had it in his mind to divorce her quietly. But an angelic encounter it the middle of the night succeeded in changed his tone entirely. Joseph gained the inside scoop and he responded much like Mary, with deliberate obedience.
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife.” (Matthew 1:24)
Joeseph’s obedience was rewarded with joy. He was the singular human witness of the virgin birth. He alone watched God work through his young wife’s frame. He was the first soul on earth to cradle the Savior.
We return to Luke 2 to find the shepherds in fields with an angelic interruption on the night of Jesus’ arrival. The night sky peeled back like a curtain and a great company of angels gave a birth announcement of biblical proportions, along with instructions to go and see. The awestruck shepherds responded with obedience and their obedience was met with joy.
“Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” (Luke 2:15 NIV)
The shepherds followed through on divine instruction and they saw firsthand a scene that humanity has been attempting to recreate ever since: Mary and Joseph and a babe in a manger. It is abundantly clear from scripture that these unlearned but amenable men were filled with joy: they returned to their night’s work praising and glorifying God.
Last, but not least, we flip back to Matthew 2 for the final act in the drama. Sometime after Jesus’ birth, Magi came from afar. A new star had announced the arrival of a supreme king and these men were obedient to what they saw in the night sky. They went a long way out of their way to worship: they weren’t just filled with joy but they experienced joy beyond their containment.
“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” (Matthew 2:10 NIV)
Yet, their obedience wasn’t quite yet complete. Having been warned in a dream of a jealous and murderous Herod, they went home another way. They set out on a whole new path as a direct result of their holy deference for the newborn King.
My friends, we see it clearly in the Christmas story; Kingdom obedience begets joy every time. It may not happen immediately: Mary walked a long lonely road before her arms were full of joy. Joesph surely shouldered criticism and accusation before he met his Savior son. The shepherds’ journey of obedience seemingly was shorter but remember, they had spent their lives faithful in fields long before their personal invitation. And the magi made a momentous trek across treacherous terrain, they presented expensive gifts and then turned to find another route home. For the wisemen, their joy was bookended by obedience.
Today’s obedience may be tough. It may be unpopular and uncomfortable. But there is a Kingdom payoff coming. One day soon, joy is going to burst forth in your story and eventually, joy will be your ongoing state of being. Hang on, friend. Keep pushing through in obedience to God’s last instruction. Don’t give up. Instead, get read to celebrate when joy breaks out in your story.
Lord, please forgive us for our ongoing struggle with obedience. Our flesh is stubborn and our wills are strong. Today we see the repeated characteristic of obedience in the principle characters of the Christmas saga. Our hearts are pricked. Please remake us into people of wild obedience: be it long or be it short. May we live to honor Your last word to us, Lord. We love You and trust Your instructions will alway result in joy. Amen.