Scripture Notes: Joy (Acts 8)

In the eighth chapter of Acts, we read about the deacon Philip’s ministry in Samaria, the region north of Judea. Samaritans were an ethnically mixed people with some Israelite blood and a good dose of Gentile blood, thanks the Assyrian deportation of most northern Israelites in the 700s BC and the settling of other peoples in the region. Yet Jesus and His disciples reach out to these people, and many of them respond, recognizing the One they have been waiting for over many, many generations.

When Philip preaches the Gospel in Samaria, God accompanies the words with signs and wonders. These miracles support the words, and the words explain the miracles. And when the people see and hear all this, “there was much joy in that city.” So this begs the question, what is joy?

Joy is not the same thing as happiness. Happiness comes and goes. It is largely dependent upon our situation, not always but often. We can be happy one moment and miserable the next. But joy is something deeper, something abiding. Joy is a response to the reality that God loves us, that He has a plan for our salvation, that He reaches out to us, that He wants us even when we are sinful and messy. Joy is a deep-down contentment, a deep-down savoring of what is true and good and beautiful. It remains even when our emotions falter and descend into sadness, for it is beyond our feelings. 

The Samaritans discover joy when the hear the Gospel and see the works of God in their midst. They open their minds and hearts and allow God to implant that joy within them, to give it to them as a gift, and then they embrace it. We must do the same if we want to move beyond the ups and downs of our emotions and find true peace and contentment and joy.