Letters from the Beloved – Crammed with Joy
One thing I appreciate about a writer or speaker is when he/she explains the purpose of what they are about to impart. It prepares me to receive their message, understand it’s and be ready to put it to use in my life. John, the beloved, does just that in his first letter.
1 John 1:4 [KJV] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
It is great that his purpose is to give us joy. But the more interesting part to me is to understand this word “full”. What is John really saying about the joy he wants us to have because of this letter?
Full is the Greek word pleroo. One definition is literally “to cram a net”. John isn’t just saying, “I want you to have a lot of joy.” His words call to mind two miraculous incidents in John’s experiences as a disciple of Jesus. The first found in Luke 5:5-9 at the start of Jesus’ ministry, when He first called John, James, and Peter to discipleship. The second in John 21:6-11, when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection, when they had gone back to fishing.
In both cases, they had been fishing all night, but their nets had repeatedly come up empty despite all their efforts. However, at the command of Jesus they cast out their nets again and brought up a catch that filled their nets to the breaking point.
This is the fullness of joy that John is writing to give us. John wants to help us have so much joy that we are about to burst with it! That kind of joy would be infectious to others. Joy that spills out of, overflows our own life nets, will spread joy out into the world, beginning with those nearest to us.
This word can also mean “finish, accomplish, complete”.
This same word is used throughout the Gospels when they speak of events in the earthly ministry of Jesus as fulfilling the prophesies of the Old Testament about Him. [Just a few examples from the Gospel of John: John 12:36; 13:18; 15:25; 17:12; 19:12. Also see Matthew 1:22; 4:14; 13:35; 26:56 and many, many more.]
1 John 1:4 [KJV] And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
Maybe John meant that this joy should complete us – that we are incomplete as Christians without full joy. That sounds right to me. We can get so caught up in the struggles of life, especially the things that are going wrong, our personal trials or the sin that trips us up, the pain and suffering in the world in general or in the lives of those we love. But God wants us to have joy anyway. It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, after all [See Galatians 5:22].
Perhaps John meant to signify both of these thoughts about joy. Could he mean that he wants us to be so crammed full of joy that it works to complete, finish, accomplish our purpose in this life? It seems clear that we are to have joy as obedient children of God. We have answered His call to worship. He doesn’t want this life to be pure slog, sorry and pain. Even if it is rough, like that of the early New Testament Christians, the words we are about to read in this letter from John the Beloved were written so that we can have the kind of crammed full joy that completes us.
I’m looking forward to studying what John has to say that he intended to accomplish joy in us. Aren’t you, sweet sister?
I welcome your comments and questions. You can write me in the comments section or at Nancy@DyanmicChristianMinistries.org