When Jesus Said Not To Rejoice

And why the source of our joy matters

When I served as a pastor, I kept a coffee mug on my desk that had the words of 1 Corinthians 15:58 written on it.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭15‬:‭58‬, ‭ESV‬‬)

I would look at those words often to remind me not to get discouraged in the labor.

All believers are called to serve the kingdom of God in some capacity, whether this be in our communities, homes, local church, or foreign mission field.

Often Christians are called to serve in many of these areas, but none are without their seasons of discouragement.

Yet we are told, as Christians, that we should always be joyful.

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭4,‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,” (‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭2,‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

“So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (‭‭John‬ ‭16‬:‭22,‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

But in one particular instance, Jesus told his disciples not to rejoice.

“Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭20,‬ ‭ESV‬‬)

Considering the context

When Jesus made this statement, his disciples had returned from what we might call a short-term mission trip.

He had sent out a group of six dozen disciples to go into all the towns ahead of him where he was going to preach. (Luke 10:1)

When the disciples returned, they rejoiced that the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name. (Luke 10:17)

Jesus told them that they should not rejoice in this but rejoice that their names were written in heaven.

The danger of misplaced joy

The problem with the disciples was not their rejoicing but that they were joyful for the wrong reasons.

It is easy for us to find joy when we are seeing success in our lives and ministry.

• When our child makes a decision to receive Christ as Lord.
• When a neighbor leaves their abusive boyfriend to find a home in our congregation.
• When a young person in our small group surrenders to God’s call to ministry.
• When an Islamic man leaves his mosque to attend a missionary’s church plant.

Do not rejoice in this.

But what happens when these “victories” unravel at our feet?

• When our once-passionate child begins to walk away from the faith.
• When our neighbor stops attending church to return to the abusive relationship.
• When the young person who had surrendered to a call to ministry is destroyed by alcohol, drugs, or sexual impurity.
• When the missionary discovers that the Muslim man was only using him for financial support.

If we find our joy in the momentary successes of our labor in Christ, we will be destroyed by its failures.

Our true joy must come from the unchangeable promises that we have in Christ.

Ephesians 1 tells us that, in Christ, we have been freely given:

• Adoption as God’s children (v.5).
• Forgiveness of sins (v.7).
• An inheritance in heaven (v.11).
• The indwelling Holy Spirit (v.13).

Because of these promises, we who follow Christ always have a reason to rejoice, even in the midst of painful circumstances.

Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Live for Jesus.