I. What it was not.

It was not riches. They were all poor fishermen; none of them had nets of their own. Like their Lord, they were poor. A scribe said, 'Lord, I will follow thee, whithersoever thou goest.' Jesus said, 'The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head' (Mt 8:19-20). When Jesus rose again, he did not give his disciples riches. Paul said he was poor; yet he possessed all things (2Co 6:10). Ah! it is not joy that riches give. You may have a little money in the bank, but it may be taken away. The bank may fail, and you lose it. Ah! riches will not profit you in the day of wrath. You remember the rich man mentioned in Luke 16. Ah! what did his riches do for him in the fire of hell? He could not get a drop of water to cool his tongue.

It was not friends that made the disciples glad. Ah! some of you may have a family - an undivided family; or you may have friends in the world - you may have bosom companions, or lovers; but ah! these will not give you joy. The disciples did not care for friends - that did not give them joy. Notice, the doors where they were assembled were shut for fear of the Jews. The world that hated and crucified their Master, hated them. They were like sheep in the midst of wolves; yet they were glad - their joy was not of earth. Ah, no! creature joys will soon be taken away.

Their joy did not proceed from their own righteousness. Some have all their joy from looking at themselves. Ah! that is a joy of earth - a joy that will prove false whenever the trumpet sounds; a joy that will all be dashed whenever the cry is made, 'Behold the bridegroom cometh' (Mt 25:6). Ah! is this your joy? Do you have all your joy from your looking at your own filthy polluted hearts? The disciples did not do this. Ah, no! What would they have seen there? They had once known the Lord; but they had all forsaken him in his sufferings, one of them had denied him; they were cast down, they did not know what to do; but they were glad when they saw the Lord. Ah! many of you are going to hell. Look at yourselves, and if your way be the right way, then has Christ suffered and died in vain.

The disciples' joy did not flow from a sight of Christ with the bodily eyes. Ah! some of you think, 'Oh if I had been there, I would have been glad'; but it was not seeing him with the bodily eye that made them glad - for two reasons: First of all, because many saw him, and only wagged the head, and spat upon him. Ah! they could look upon his nailed hands, and pierced bleeding side, and only mock. And every one in this assembly shall see him, for 'every eye shall see him' (Re 1:7); and many shall wail because of him. It will be the beginning of eternal damnation to some of you. Second reason: it was not by seeing Christ with the bodily eye, for many have felt the same joy that the disciples did who never saw Christ with the bodily eye.

The disciples joy did not proceed from seeing their Master again. The joy they had flowed from looking at his hands and side. It was not that he had risen and come to be with them again - it was seeing his hands and side -'And when he had so said he showed them his hands and his side; then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.'