A Sadness in His Eyes
But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely wealthy. Luke 18:23 NASB
Very sad – Let’s talk about sad. Not the most comfortable topic, but I’m sure it’s one we have experienced. Grief might be a disease that cannot be seen, but sadness has a face. Unfortunately, those of us who are emotionally disadvantaged (that’s political correctness for “handicapped”) often don’t recognize sadness. We experience the symptoms in other ways, like remorse, feeling stupid, feeling inferior, isolation, apathy, sleepy all the time. If we looked carefully at those symptoms, we might discover a deeper level, like guilt, shame, depression, loneliness, boredom or a deep and persistent tiredness. These symptoms are what it emotionally means to be sad. Life loses its sparkle. Motivation flags. You’d rather stay in bed.
The Bible has some words about “sad.” First, we’ll look at the Greek ones. In this verse from Luke, the word is perílypos. It comes from the root lýpē. It is important to note that Greek thinking posits hēdonḗ (pleasure) as the opposite of lýpē(pain). That Western idea is at the root of a lot of our thinking, but it’s not a biblical idea, as we will see.
- lýpē means “pain,” “sorrow,” lypeín is “to cause pain,” and lypeísthai “to experience sorrow.” Both physical pain and mental anguish are covered by the words. Physically the pain is especially that caused by hunger, thirst, heat, cold, or sickness, while mentally it is especially the anguish of misfortune, death, annoyance, insult, or outrage.
- Pain alternates with joy (hēdonḗ) in the Greek view of things. There is a natural desire to live without it, yet life in mere hēdonḗ would be vegetating. The things that bring joy also bring pain (e.g., children). We also bring sorrow on ourselves by our deeds. Carousing offers brief hēdonaí and many lýpai.
- Dealing with lýpē only in relation to hēdonḗ, philosophy sees that there can be no hēdonḗ without it. Plato thinks hēdonaí and lýpai belong to the lower part of the soul but differentiates true and spiritual hēdonaí from others. Yet even here there is the possibility of deception by a false evaluation of things or by trying to have joy by the concealment of pain. True hēdonḗ comes with the perception of goodness, truth, and beauty. But this poses a limitation for lýpē and raises the question of its purpose. For Aristotle hēdonḗ is a good, but not absolutely so. Stoicism groups lýpē with the passions (including hēdonḗ, fear, etc.) from which sages free themselves. It really arises from within as an emotion based on error, and it serves no positive purpose.
- At the same time, there are some beginnings of a positive view in the Greek world. Thus lýpē leads to sympathy, to knowledge, and in that sense to salvation. Some circles also see in lýpē a divine punishment which leads to penitence, although the prevailing belief in ineluctable fate hampers true self-accusation. Some forms of Gnosticism find a place for lýpē as a valuable means of discipline for the imprisoned soul. Plotinus, too, suggests that through lýpē one might learn the alienation of the soul and its relationship to deity. [1]
Did you discover personal familiarity in this analysis of lýpē? That wouldn’t be surprising. We have inherited this Greek orientation without being consciously aware of our choice to embrace it. But when we think in Greek terms, a lot of the biblical statements about sorrow and sadness don’t seem to make much sense. That’s because the biblical perspective is quite different.
First, the Bible contrasts lýpē and chará rather than lýpē and hēdonḗ. In biblical terms, the opposite of pain is not pleasure. It is joy. Why? Because joy has deep spiritual overtones and pleasure does not. Pleasure is essentially a function of the yetzer ha’ra. That doesn’t mean it is evil. Far from it. What it means is that it isn’t optimal; it isn’t the final goal. It’s transitional, on the way toward something more important, namely joy. Why is joy the real goal rather than pleasure? Because joy is grounded ultimately in God. Joy is the expression of complete and total harmony in and with creation. Joy is God’s goal. It’s not surprising that the apostolic writings do not discuss whether lýpē is good or bad. They follow the thinking of the Tanakh. Lýpē is purposeful, not necessarily ethical.
Second, “Proverbs (14:13) accepts the fact that joy and pain intermingle in human life (cf. Eccl. 3:4). But one is not to surrender to sorrow (Prov. 31:6; Eccl. 9:7). The real focus of the OT, however, is not psychological but practical, i.e., on the things that cause joy or grief. God imposes pain (Gen. 3:16–17), but in the last age it will vanish (Is. 35:10; 51:11). Pain is not merely a penalty but also a means of divine instruction, so that faith sees in it a firm relation to joy (Ps. 126:5).”[2] What this means is that pain, sorrow, and sadness are not conditions that need to be avoided at all costs. Instead, they are instructional emotional experiences and underscore God’s care. They are the opportunities for proof that God desires to be involved in our lives. We don’t live in a blind universe where accident determines destiny. When we experience sadness, we discover, at the same time, an invitation to trust, and trust is the Hebrew basis of faith.
But there is still more. Later.
Topical Index: lýpē, hēdonḗ, chará, pain, sorrow, sadness, pleasure, joy, Luke 18:23
[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (pp. 540–541). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.
[2] Ibid.
