Matthew 2:10 – “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (NASB)

Joy is a word we see everywhere during the Christmas season—woven into carols, printed on cards, lit across mantels. Yet the joy Scripture speaks of is far more profound than seasonal cheer. It is a joy so deep, so God-given, that words fall short of describing it. Peter calls it “inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8). I’ve tasted this kind of joy, and because of that, every time Scripture speaks of joy, my heart leans in.

Recently, Matthew 2:10 lit up for me in a fresh way. It’s a short verse—but it explodes with joy. The root word of rejoice is joy, so this word is used twice in this short verse. Then it goes deeper. The wise men’s hearts rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. I slowly paused to let the words that verse used sink in. When scripture is repetitive with a word, we are wise to take notice. My heart was immediately drawn to this, with a deep longing to experience this joy beyond just a periodic taste. Is it even possible to live day by day and moment by moment rejoicing exceedingly with great joy?

I dug deeper and found that it is absolutely possible—we can regularly feast on joy! And the Bible provides clear direction on how to accomplish this. 

As I sought to understand this better, my starting place was with Matthew 2:10 itself. What were the circumstances in which the Magi experienced this joy? Sure, they were following the star to Jesus—most of us have heard that story since we were children and know it well. But have we ever stopped to consider the significance of their backstory? I never had before and was captivated by what I learned.

These wise men were not followers of God, where joy might have been natural to them. In fact, not only did they not follow Yahweh, but the Bible tells us they were from the east, where Pagan practices were the cultural norm. They were certainly Gentiles, and scholars teach that these men were astrologers, known for their wisdom in reading celestial signs. This would have involved integrating astrology with their religious beliefs, associating celestial bodies with gods, but they had no faith in the one true God who counts the stars and calls them by name. It is also likely that the Magi would have also practiced dark arts as the only other times this Greek word is used in the New Testament, it refers to Simon, the sorcerer (Acts 8:9, 11), and of Elymas, the sorcerer (Acts 13:6). Yet, these men—Gentiles, astrologers, probable soothsayers—men who were not followers of God, overflowed with joy at the sign of Jesus!

Why would they be filled with such divine joy? Happiness can come from curiosity, discovery, or new experiences, like following a star to a new place. They had surely known happiness before. But the bible doesn’t say they were happy. It says they were exceedingly joy-filled. And joy—this fruit of the Spirit, this supernatural delight—belongs to God alone. Yet, even these men tasted it and rejoiced!

Why?

Because joy is the result of a heart that seeks Jesus.

Now stop and go deep with me for a minute. If these men truly practiced things that related to sorcery, this would have been perhaps the earliest instance of Christ’s victory over the devil, as the great theologian Matthew Henry notes, “when those who had been so much his (Satan’s) devotees became the early adorers even of the infant Jesus; so soon were trophies of His victory over the powers of darkness erected.” That completely blew my mind in seeing the joy of the Magi from that perspective!

These were the most unlikely of men to seek Jesus, and yet they did because God drew them into that desire, just as He still draws people to Christ today, for as Jesus said, “no one can come to Me except as the Father draws them (John 6:44).

But Matthew 2:10 is not the only place we find joy in the Advent story. When Jesus was born, heaven itself could not stay silent: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” (Luke 2:10)

The angels didn’t announce shallow happiness—they proclaimed great joy tied directly to the good news, the Gospel. Joy finds its deepest roots in the Gospel because the good news restores what sin destroyed: our relationship with God. The joy of our salvation began the night “the Word became flesh.” That night, we gained access to a God we can know personally.

And not only did Jesus’ birth bring joy, but so did His dying. “For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross…” (Hebrews 12:2)

What joy could possibly sustain Him through the agony of the cross? The joy of bringing us into relationship with the Father. The joy of fulfilling the Father’s redemptive plan. The joy of completing our salvation. From His manger to His cross, joy marked His mission.

And joy can be our mission, too.

The interesting thing about joy is that we cannot produce it; we can only receive it. Peter describes believers as: “…filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” (1 Peter 1:8) Notice the wording: filled with. Not working toward. Not stirring up. Not manufacturing.

We can’t artificially create what only God authentically produces. And this can only be done through the Spirit, whose fruit includes joy.

Even Jesus Himself experienced joy through the Holy Spirit. “At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said…” (Luke 10:21) If Christ—fully God, yet fully man—was filled with joy by the Spirit, how much more do we depend on Him for ours? We must rely upon Him for this because joy is not a product of effort.  Joy is a product of abiding.  As Jesus said in John 15:9-11, “As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now abide in My love… I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Completeness of joy can only be found in an intimate relationship with Him. It is birthed from time spent with God and flows from remaining in His ardent love.

No wonder so many believers feel joy-starved—our lives are full, but our hearts are often not abiding. And while some might believe that joy can only be found when things are good in our lives, this is simply not true. Joy can and should be in the midst of our trials. That’s the beauty of what abiding gives us. In abiding, our focus is on God rather than self or the world. In His presence, we are reminded to stay eternally minded because everything in this world is temporary. We have an inheritance that will outweigh anything we go through in this life. But until we get there, abiding allows us to experience God’s presence in the here and now.  In this space, we receive comfort, direction, and a re-centering of our hearts and minds upon Christ rather than ourselves and the world. This is the space where trust is grown as we experience His faithfulness, and we can learn to rest in Him fully. And it is only through abiding that we receive the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). That is why completeness of joy will only ever be found in Christ and never through what we would consider good circumstances. And this is why joy and suffering can and do co-exist.

The reality is that sometimes the heart cannot know overflowing joy until it has first known emptiness. Trials create room in us that joy was always meant to fill. Scripture clearly teaches that joy can rise in hardship: “Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials… because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2–3) and “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12:12). The original audience of 1 Peter knew suffering. Yet Peter still wrote of inexpressible joy.

Joy in trials isn’t denial. It’s the confidence that our suffering is never wasted and our story is not finished. Believers in the Bible who were experiencing persecution were told to rejoice—not because suffering feels good, but because future glory is certain. And I’m so thankful that our joy is anchored in our future hope!

For this reason, the true joy of the believer is forward-looking. It is grounded in the unshakable hope of salvation and the promise of eternity with Christ. Circumstances can’t destroy joy because it is anchored in a future that circumstances cannot touch. The same Jesus who brought joy into the world at His birth and the same Jesus who endured the cross for joy is the Jesus who will one day return to complete our joy forever!

Wherever you are today—empty, weary, hopeful, or somewhere in between—seek Him and find that unspeakable joy is not far off. It is found in the presence of Jesus, and He is nearer than your own breath.

Remember, this kind of joy can’t be manufactured by positive thinking or holiday sentiment. It is born from God Himself, revealed in the Gospel, anchored in Christ’s presence, and strengthened even in our suffering. Advent reminds us that this joy was not only announced in Bethlehem—it is available to us right now. And will remain forever!

Today, may your heart rejoice exceedingly with great joy at the birth of Jesus, His subsequent death for the joy set before Him, for your moments of suffering that can be birthed into new joy, and for the future promise of eternity.

Ardently His,

Leah

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