Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad” (Matt. 5:11–12).
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). “But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed” (1 Pet. 4:13).
The command to practice joy in the midst of loss, grief, and hardship often feels impossible to do and heartless to hear. Yet it is found repeatedly throughout the Bible, including in these quotes from Jesus and two of his closest followers, James and Peter. If we found these words tucked away in some obscure place in the Scriptures, they would be easy to ignore.
But far from being a random idea, the theme of finding joy even in grief is arguably at the core of the Christian vision of life. It not only drives the content of much of Jesus’, James’s, and Peter’s teachings; Paul’s life and writings also constantly sing this same tune. Paul speaks of rejoicing in our sufferings (Rom. 5:3; Col. 1:24) and was known as a man of gentleness and joy (2 Cor. 7:4; 1 Thess. 2:7, ESV), though his life was peppered with hardship, loss, and anxiety (2 Cor. 11:23–28).
The paradoxical reality of rejoicing in suffering—an experience that must be felt to be fully understood—is concentrated in the season of Lent. Lent, which the Eastern Orthodox tradition describes as “bright sadness,” leans into the unexpected and seemingly unnatural experience of joy in the midst of grief. Of all the days of Lent, this paradox is foremost on the fourth Sunday, traditionally called Laetare Sunday, based on the sung command “Rejoice!” Laetare Sunday sits exactly at the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday, and it intentionally punctuates this season of memorial suffering with required rejoicing.
Why? Far from being insensitive to our grief, God knows what he is doing with this Lenten command. In hearing and trying to obey it, we align our hearts to a profound truth: Grief and joy are sisters, not enemies. Loss and delight can live in harmony, and indeed, they give each other life and energy. As Francis Weller astutely notes, to be alive and to love means we will also experience sorrow and loss. “Acknowledging this reality enables us to find our way into the grace that lies hidden in sorrow. We are most alive at the threshold between loss and revelation.”
Jesus models for us a fully human life that denies neither the world’s joys nor its griefs. Jesus both laughed and wept. His teachings are very much concerned with what it means to thrive and flourish and, paradoxically, that flourishing often looks like loss. (See the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3–12.)
So here is the invitation of Laetare Sunday: Open yourself to the griefs and losses that Lent reminds us of. Yet just as much, lean into rejoicing at this mid-Lent point. There is a unique grace we can experience only when we honestly acknowledge our losses, needs, disappointments, and unmet desires yet still look upward and forward to a time of full rejoicing to come. This extended period of Lent helps us pay attention to our griefs. Laetare Sunday reminds us that there is deep joy to be had even now and that these griefs are not the end of our story. Jesus’ suffering will lead to his resurrection, which will lead to ours as well. “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. . . . Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Pet. 1:6, 8–9).
Jonathan Pennington is a professor of New Testament at Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and serves as a teaching pastor and elder at Sojourn East Church. He is the author of many books, including The Sermon on the Mount and Human Flourishing, Come and See: The Journey of Knowing God Through Holy Scripture, and Jesus the Great Philosopher: Rediscovering the Wisdom Needed for the Good Life.
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