The GLADNESS OF JESUS

Hebrews 1:9 says Jesus was anointed with the oil of gladness more than his companions. I love what my "After God's Own Heart" book by Mike Bickle says about that--

Jesus possesses more gladness than any of His companions or fellow human beings from all of history. He was anointed with the oil of His Father's own gladness, and he had more of it than any other person who ever existed. Yes, he knew anger, grief, and sorrow. But His gladness resonated more fully than any of these. It was His dominant emotion. The Father could point to Jesus and say, "Look at My Son--His heart is like Mine! The way He feels is the way I feel!"

Imagine, if you can, what it was like when Jesus entered a village of Israel during His earthly ministry. I see the kids making a beeline to Him, invited by His smile and His eyes alive with pleasure. They adored the carpenter from Nazareth, the new preacher in town. You can't fool kids. If you are mean, they avoid you, even if you try to act nice. Notice they seemed to have passed up the disciples. Peter, James, and John stood around wearing their new "Disciples of Jesus" badges, thinking they were hot stuff, but the kids gave them wide berth. The same went for the mean-looking Pharisees. The idea of hugging them was absurd and, frankly, frightening.

Jesus wanted those kids around Him. They bypassed the sacred boundary lines and ran straight into His embrace. They didn't care that He was in the middle of a healing crusade. I can imagine their arms around His neck, their moms chasing after them with blood pressure rising: "Stop doing that! He's a famous preacher; you can't just grab Him!" I imagine later they talked of it over the dinner table. "Why did you go running like that to Jesus? You didn't even ask His permission."

"Mom, I can tell He likes me," the kids would reply. "He winked at me earlier. Plus, He's just nice!"

"Yeah, another would say, "and when He came into town and all the bigshots were there, He looked over at me, and it seemed like He wanted to leave them behind and be with me most of all."

Luke wrote, "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, "I thank You, Father...that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes" (Luke 10:21).

What I would give to see the Son of God overflowing with happiness and delight like that! How great is His joy when immature people receive revelation! He loves to shock His babes with how good He will be to them!