Rejoice And Weep

The life of a Christian is multifaceted.  There are numerous things that must be incorporated into that life in order to be pleasing to God.  Two of those things are the need to rejoice and the need to weep.  Paul wrote to the church in Rome, “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep” (Rom. 12:15).  Obviously these two actions are on different ends of a spectrum.  Let us study further how important it is that Christians obey both of these commands.

First of all, the Christian life is not to be based on envy, jealousy, and spite.  Learning to rejoice alongside others shows genuine care and happiness for one another.  As the Bible teaches, the church is the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18).  Each member of the body is important and useful to the rest of the body.  When the physical body acts, the different parts do not downplay the others simply because they do not the perform the same duties.  Paul touched on this in one of his letters to the brethren in Corinth.  “For the body is not one member, but many.  If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body?  If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing?  If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?  But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.  And if they were all one member, where were the body?  But now are they many members, yet but one body.  And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee:  nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you.  Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary:  And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness.  For our comely parts have no need:  but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked:  That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.  Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (1 Cor. 12:14-27).  Notice very carefully the instruction.  When a certain Christian has reason to rejoice, “…all the members rejoice with it.”  It surely would be nice to see that practiced on a regular basis.  After all, if one part of the body is doing well, that does not take away from the rest of the body’s importance.  By rejoicing when it is appropriate, we show our appreciation and love toward our spiritual family.

Second, Christians need to be able to demonstrate sincere sympathy and empathy toward their suffering brethren.  Rejoicing in times of delight might come easier for some, but the need to mourn with others should not be neglected.  How many times has a brother or sister done that very thing toward us when we needed it?  Perhaps it was when someone dear to us died.  How important were those visits to the funeral home for visitation and the funeral.  A gentle embrace and kind words have helped many of us to handle the pain in those times.  Christians should make the effort to be there in those moments.  In the book of Acts, Luke recorded the events surrounding the death of Stephen (Acts 7).  Amidst the persecution and pain, it is written, “And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him” (Acts 8:2).  Brethren mourned together, just as Paul had decreed.  When one suffered, all suffered (1 Cor. 12:26).  That is part of how the family of God shows love one for another (1 John 3:16-18; 4:11, 20-21).

Just as it is with any command that we are given, we should do diligently to obey.  Rejoicing and weeping when the times call for such help the body of Christ to become stronger and more closely knit.  When we fail to do these things we are actually keeping the church from being as God desires.
~ Corey Barnette