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CONNIE: Hello, I’m Connie Jeffery.

LONNIE: and I’m Lonnie Melashenko. Connie, have you ever stopped to consider how many of the stories about Jesus that are told in the Bible have to do with food, or with eating and drinking?
CONNIE: Well, let’s see, the story of the miracle at Cana--when Jesus turned water to wine comes to mind immediately. And of course there were the times when He worked miracles to feed multitudes.

LONNIE: Remember the story of Zacchaeus--the wee little man. It seems to me that Jesus invited Himself home to dinner at his house.

CONNIE: And wasn’t he at Mary and Martha’s house once while Martha was preparing a meal and she complained that Mary was just sitting and listening to Jesus.

LONNIE: There was also the feast at Simon’s house, when a woman came in and anointed His feet with fragrant oil. And His teaching often dealt with food--it was when the prodigal son was eating pigs’ food that he decided to return home. And when he arrived, his father prepared a great feast for him.

CONNIE: Celebrations involving a good meal were a very important part of life in Jesus’ day, just as they are today. And Jesus often found Himself right at the center of these joyous occasions. And after all, when you think about it, He was the One who created good food and gave us the ability to taste it--so it’s no surprise that He enjoyed sharing it with others.

LONNIE: But some people had a hard time with that--and some still do--they picture Jesus as a solemn preacher, always talking about people’s sins and how they needed to repent. Why, I’ve even heard heated discussions of whether Jesus ever laughed! Some people think He was far too serious for that.
But the Bible reveals a different Jesus--One who enjoyed being with people and joining them in their times of joy.

CONNIE: You know Lonnie this is the second in our series on the joy of Jesus, and I know this has been a pet topic for you, but it’s also been for Ken Wade, our producer, and we’ve asked him to join us in the studio right now. Now Ken, how in the world did you get interested in the topic of joy?

KEN: Well it’s an interesting thing to me because, when people look at me, sometimes they think I’m kind of a dour, sour kind of person, I don’t know. Maybe it’s just the expression on my face, and my wife has actually told me, one place we were living, at the office I was working and she said, “You know, you need to lighten up a little bit, the secretaries here are scared of you.” (Laughs) And I thought, “OK there’s something about my face that’s not working right, I’m not portraying my Christian joy in some way.” And that kind of impressed me. But I think the thing that really got to me is, as I’ve been working through my own personal devotions in the Gospel of Mark, and writing devotionals about it, was noticing particularly in the middle of chapter 2, and on to the end of chapter 2, some of the stories from the life of Jesus that just really brought out this point.

CONNIE: Hmmm, which one.

KEN: Well, you think for instance of the story of Matthew, the conversion of Matthew, which we did in our program a couple of weeks ago, the first in the series. Then the story were looking at today is the story of what Matthew did after Jesus called him to follow Him, and Matthew became a disciple, Matthew essentially threw a party for Jesus.

CONNIE: That’s right. That’s right.

KEN: And of course then there’s a series of stories there. Jesus is at the party with Matthew, and the legalistic, the scribes, the pharisees, whoever come by, and they kind of start questioning. “We’re fasting today, and what’s with this big party, what’s Jesus doing at this big party?”

CONNIE: So they were really critical?

KEN: They were really critical with that, and so you see Jesus response to them there, and then the next story in the series is about Jesus and his disciples as their on their way to synagogue one Sabbath morning, and the disciples just reach out, and I think kind of absent-mindedly pick a few heads of grain, and pop them into their mouth as their walking along, and here’s those dour, sour religionists again, and what are they doing?

CONNIE: They’re criticizing.

KEN: They are criticizing, saying, “You know, you guys have no clue about the law. The law is supposed to restrict you from doing these kinds of fun things.”

CONNIE: But didn’t Jesus turn that around. I mean He made the law a joyful thing didn’t He?

KEN: Well that’s the thing that really I guess just jumped out at me as I started thinking about this whole thing of the joy of Jesus, is that Jesus takes the law, which the Pharisees have tried to hit Him over the head with, have tried to box Him in with, and they say, ”You know you shouldn’t be doing those things on the Sabbath, can’t you even read the Ten Commandments.” He turns it around and says, “You know, you guys think that the Sabbath, that man was made for the Sabbath, well I’ve got news for you, the Sabbath was made and was given as all the laws of God were given to man as a gift, “the Sabbath was made for man,” He said. Now what does that mean? It means that Jesus is taking something that they have made a debit, a negative, something that’s taken out of your account. This is one day in seven God has taken away from you.

CONNIE: And He’s given it back to be filled with joy.

KEN: Yeah, and he’s given it back to us, and he says this is the day that God has made for man, not taken away from man.

CONNIE: So he turned the tables on them every time.

KEN: He turned the tables on them every time, and you see how He does it in such a joyous way, and you begin to think that He wanted to reach out, and touch people. In the synagogue later there's a man with a crippled hand, and the Pharisees are sitting there, “Oh boy, watch Him, He’s going to break the Sabbath again, He’s going to heal this man.” And Jesus in order to give joy to the man you know, heals the man, and once again turns the tables on the Pharisees, and so you get this picture, and then of course seeing this series the Matthew series, Lonnie talked to Bruce Marchiano on our last program in this series about his own discovery of the joy of Jesus. Boy! I think it’s been a transforming experience for me personally.

CONNIE: Well, I think everyone needs to know. I mean you’ve painted yourself as rather a dour character, but you do walk around with a smile on your face.

KEN: Well I try.

CONNIE: And I see you filled with joy, but Webster says that joy is intense happiness, and to walk around in a state of intense happiness all the time would be a little difficult for all of us.

KEN: I think you would burn out on it wouldn’t you.

CONNIE: Well tell about the day you tried to find joy in everything.

KEN: Yeah, you know when you decide to have joy in everything, and I decided this one day, ok whatever happens I’m just going to face it with joy, you know, just a smile on my face. Well you know what’s sure to happen when you do that.

CONNIE: Everything goes wrong.

KEN: Everything goes wrong. I mean, and it got down to the end of the day, and just one thing after another that day had not gone at all as planned. I was pretty sick of being joyful. But I think when we really know Jesus it’s not just something just superficial, just from the outside that we just put on, and say well I’m just going to smile whatever happens.

CONNIE: Right. Right.

KEN: There’s that deeper joy that comes from really knowing Jesus and how He was.

CONNIE: And the ultimate final joy will be when were in heaven.

KEN: Boy! It sure will. I couldn’t agree more. It’ll be a place of well, eternal joy.

CONNIE: It sure will, and now we have a joyful, upbeat, happy song by, Cynthia Clausen, Called the “Happy Kingdom.”

CONNIE: That was Cynthia Clawson singing “The Happy Kingdom,” and the song is found on her CD The Way I Feel. You can find out more about this music and a lot of other features at our recently-updated web page found at VOP.COM.

LONNIE: It’s a cute song--and I like the thought that when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is the king, there will be a lot of happiness in the land.

CONNIE: We’re continuing our series on “The Joy of Jesus,” and Lonnie, I understand that you and Ken Wade have put together a book by that title as well.

LONNIE: That’s right Connie. It is brand new--I mean the ink is hardly dry yet. And it’s a great little book to share with anyone who needs a pick-me-up, or a reminder that our God is a God of love and joy.

CONNIE: How can I get a copy?

LONNIE: Well, I’ll be glad to share an autographed copy with you, Connie. But if someone else listening today would like to have a copy too, all they have to do is call this number: 1-800-872-0055, and ask for it. It’s our gift to our listeners today.

CONNIE: So, just call 1-800-872-0055 and ask for the book The Joy of Jesus. I know you’ll enjoy it.

LONNIE: And you’ll give an address folks can write to a bit later in the program, won’t you?

CONNIE: I sure will. But right now, let’s listen to David Smith. He’s discovered some interesting things about God’s gift of joy and laughter. It’s a unique gift that God gave only to one part of His creation.

I guess there’s nothing funny about being a chimpanzee. Oh, they can bounce around and play and drive little fire engines, and out-act Clint Eastwood or Ronald Reagan in a Hollywood movie. But the latest word from the men in the white coats is that when you get a belly laugh from Bonzo, it’s actually just rhythmic panting. One sound per inhales and exhales. That’s in contrast to us humans, who have evolved to the point where we can “chop up a single exhalation into multiple bursts of ‘ha ha ha.”’ (***TRACK***) Like that--from our Voice of Prophecy laugh-track library. This is according to neuroscientist Robert Provine, whose new book, “Laughter: A Scientific Investigation,” suggests that there are valid biological reasons why homo sapiens is the only species that really sits down to a rerun of Everybody Loves Raymond and actually laughs.

Believers in evolution also have a theory that you can’t genuinely laugh unless you can walk upright on two legs. Clomping around on all fours makes it anatomically hard for our furry friends to “use their breath and vocal cords to make complex sounds.” Like ho-ho-ho. Their breathing patterns, and their four-legged gait while walking or running, means that it takes all the air in a chimp’s lungs to keep his balance when his forelimbs hit the ground. There’s just no oxygen left for humor and jokes. All of this gives new meaning, of course, to the expression: “Stand-up comic.”

Well, you know, you can buy into this theory about the “evolution of bipedalism.” Or you can decide instead that the only reason it’s us humans who enjoy a good joke is because a loving God, with a smile on His face, made us the one fortunate species--created in His image--that could laugh. Laughter “doeth good like a medicine,” we read in Proverbs. And G. K. Chesterton once observed, “Joy is the gigantic secret of the Christian.”

And really, it’s been true since Eden that nobody likes to laugh alone. “God is enjoying Himself,” writes Meister Eckhart, “and He expects us to join Him.” Which is why He got down in the dirt, made a two-legged man, stepped back, scratched His head, and then said: “Aaaah, I can do better than that.” And made the second half of the comedy team of Adam and Eve.

So the next time you enjoy a good, healthy laugh-- and your cat and pet chimp don’t join in-- remember to thank the Creator that you and I were uniquely made. CBS may need a laugh track for its Monday-night sitcoms (***TRACK***) but you and I got our giggles and our joy on the sixth day of Creation Week.

CONNIE: Hey, thanks David, for that reminder that we were created for joy--and that a good laugh the Lord’s prescription for whatever ails us.

Can you picture Jesus sharing a good laugh with His disciples from time to time? How about going to a party? Let’s listen to Lonnie’s message--The Joy of Jesus--Part 2

LONNIE: What was the pastor’s wife doing in the strip bar? The answer in a moment, but first another question: What if it had been the pastor instead of his wife that was seen going into that place of ill repute? Would you assume he was having a moral fall, or would you think he was going in to share his faith?

Let’s phrase the question a little differently. If you’re a Christian, would you consider a seedy strip lounge a good place to do your witnessing? Could you picture Jesus going into a place like that to share the good news of the kingdom?

Well, before you get the wrong idea from the questions I’m asking, let me hasten to add that it was the pastor’s wife, not the pastor himself, who was seen going into a strip bar in Orlando, Florida a few months ago. And I’m glad to report that the dear lady had a good reason for going in. There are appropriate places for a person to share their faith, and as a male pastor, I’m not sure it would be wise for me to try to witness in a strip bar. We hear too many reports of pastors and other religious leaders who have had their ministry ruined by such things. We shouldn’t set ourselves up for that kind of temptation and fall.

But I have to say that I admire those women--who were delegates to a recent Southern Baptist convention in Orlando--who volunteered to take part in a special evangelistic outreach to the female employees of the city’s strip joints. These dedicated Christian women went into the bars, carrying gold coins in their purses to share with the female employees. They went in with a mission--to speak to a woman, share their testimony, and give her a dollar coin. These new gold-colored coins have a picture of Sacajawea, the woman who guided Lewis and Clark, on one side, and an eagle on the other. The Christian women gave out the coins, reminding their listeners “To God, you are more precious than gold. This coin is a gift to you so you’ll remember the strength you have as a woman and your ability to soar like an eagle.”

That story impressed me. Because it reminds me of Jesus. And how He is willing to meet people where they are and point them to something better.

Matthew was a tax collector. One of the most despised people in the village of Capernaum. He was a collaborator who had sold his soul to the Roman army of occupation. No one liked him. No one spoke kindly to him. As far as the religious authorities were concerned, he had headed down the road to hell when he chose his profession, and that’s where he was going to end up.

Then one day the new preacher, Jesus, came by his tax booth. He didn’t wait for Matthew to come to church or an evangelistic series. Maybe Jesus had seen the tax collector on the fringes of the crowds that flocked to hear Him preach--standing on the edges, listening, wishing that somehow he could be part of the wonderful kingdom Jesus talked about.

But Matthew hadn't come forward at an altar call. He had watched the lame and maimed go to Jesus and leave restored and whole, and he may have wished that a mere touch could heal a wounded soul as well. But he knew it couldn’t be so easy. Not for someone like him. So he had never gone forward to talk with Jesus.

But Jesus didn’t wait for him to. Jesus didn’t wait for Matthew to reach out and ask for healing. He went right to Matthew’s tax booth. That dungeon of despair where Matthew sat, imprisoned by his choices, enslaved by his wealth.

And Jesus looked right over top of Matthew’s tax table and said those two words: “Follow Me.”

It was as though an eagle had swooped down and lifted Matthew, soaring into the sky, raising him high above the despair and darkness that had entombed his life.

All the resistance, all the condemnation, all the doubts peeled away like a cocoon falling from a butterfly, and Matthew spread his wings and soared too.

The news that he--the chief of sinners in his city--could be forgiven and could start a new life following God was almost too good to be true. But Jesus’ smiling eyes told him it was true.

Matthew jumped to his feet, leaving the old behind, leaving the gold behind, and pursuing the true wealth of the kingdom of God.

And that good news of God’s love for him, a sinner, was too good to keep to himself. That’s why he threw the party that shook the social and religious foundations of Capernaum.

It was the happiest day of his life. He just had to share it with someone! Jesus had accepted Him into the kingdom of God! If Jesus could accept him--well, what about all the other tax collectors and sinners in town? Wouldn’t they want to know that they could be forgiven and be a part of the kingdom too?

And so the invitations went out. Servants hurrying from mansion to mansion, and out into the alleys and byways, proclaimed the good news. To the wealthy and the winos. To the prostitutes and even to the pimps: Matthew’s throwing a party at his house, and you’re invited! Free food! Free drink! Music and singing! Come one, come all!

And so they came in droves. The wealthy and powerful, and also the lowlife of the town--all the profligates and prodigals who would never darken the door of a church or synagogue--flocked to the feast.

Because Matthew wanted to introduce them to his new best friend, Jesus. Jesus, who would offer them forgiveness and a place in the kingdom of God.

They couldn’t believe it when they saw Jesus at the party. Wasn’t He that pious preacher who went around telling people to repent? What was He doing here?

Jesus was there at Matthew’s party just like He had been there at Matthew’s tax booth. He was there with the smiling, joyful eyes, looking into the face of sinner after sinner and saying “God loves you and wants you as part of His kingdom!”

That was just too much for the scribes and Pharisees. They knew that religion is stern stuff. It’s tough business. It requires sacrifice, fasting, and strict, disciplined self-denial. There’s no room for party going, reveling, or happiness. They questioned some of Jesus’ disciples: “Why does [Jesus] eat with tax collectors and sinners?” (Mark 2:16 NIV).

But how did Jesus respond? Did suddenly realize just who He had been hanging out with, and what a bad impression it might make? Did He hurry out of the party and apologize for the bad example He was setting?

No. He had a simple answer for the Pharisees: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Mark 2:17 NIV).

Jesus didn’t apologize for His joy. He didn’t apologize for going to a party to look men and women in the eye and tell them that their heavenly Father loved them and wanted something better for them--wanted to invite them to His heavenly banquet.

Jesus wanted His joy--the joy of knowing a God of love--to spread. And so He shared that love with those who needed it most: those who had wandered farthest from it.

I just wonder. Is there someone within the sound of my voice today who feels that they’re too low in the social or spiritual order to be important to Jesus--too far from God to be saved in His kingdom?

Take a moment, will you, to consider Jesus’ own words: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Picture Him there at that feast thrown in His honor by Matthew. Picture Him reaching out to all the sinners, the downtrodden of society.

Do you see the love in His eyes? Do you see the joy He wants to share with you? Remember, He created you to be joyful.

Come. Receive Him. Receive the joy of Jesus.