Good News Of Great Joy: Lessons From The Gospel Of LukeSample

"First Sunday of Advent: Getting Ready for Jesus"

The story of Jesus and the Good News of Great Joy begins with John the Baptist. What was so important about John the Baptist? He was the forerunner, the herald sent ahead to announce the coming of the Christ. Something similar happens whenever any great person makes a public appearance. When a star athlete takes the field, an announcer introduces him or her in the starting lineup. When the president makes a speech, someone says, “Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.” The greater the honor, the more famous the presenter. 

The announcement of John’s birth comes in three dramatic scenes. In the first, we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, a couple without a child. Both were distinguished by their godliness and lived in outward conformity with the law. But the couple’s childlessness cast a dark shadow on their happiness. Any woman who has ever wanted a child knows what Elizabeth must have endured: the prying questions, the insensitive remarks, the sharp pang of desire for someone else’s baby, and the nagging doubts about the goodness of God.  

People looked on Elizabeth with reproach, thinking that she was ungodly. This was bad manners, but even worse theology. Elizabeth was righteous before God. Therefore, whatever heartache she suffered was not some kind of punishment for her sin. Our sins are not always the cause of our suffering. True, many sins have destructive consequences that make us rue the day we ever decided to disobey God. This is one of the ways God trains us to pursue righteousness. But sometimes Christians suffer for exactly the opposite reason—for the sake of righteousness. Sometimes we suffer from the sins of others. And sometimes God allows us to suffer because he wants to be glorified through our suffering. 

The question to ask is not “What have I done to deserve this?” but “How can I glorify God through this?” Elizabeth is the perfect example. She did not wait for a child before her life could begin. She was busy serving the Lord, walking blamelessly in his commandments. For her, what some people considered a tragedy was an opportunity. No matter what suffering we must endure—and everyone suffers—there is still a way for us to live for the glory of God in celebration of the Good News of Great Joy. 

When troubles come, does your experience of suffering tend to heighten or dampen your spiritual sensitivity and relationship with God?