K.P. Yohannan emphasizes the joyful and celebratory nature of Jesus as a servant of God, contrasting it with cultural perceptions of spirituality that prioritize solemnity and asceticism. He reflects on how his initial discomfort with portrayals of Jesus laughing and engaging joyfully with people led him to re-examine the Gospels, discovering a Jesus who brought hope and happiness to those around Him. Yohannan argues that true spirituality is not about renouncing joy but embracing the light and joy that Jesus offers to a troubled world. He highlights that the announcement of Jesus' birth was filled with joy, not sorrow, underscoring the message of hope He brings.

When I first saw a few clips from The Visual Bible’s Matthew, I didn’t like it. It showed Jesus laughing, celebrating after healing the sick and throwing children up in the air and catching them. He always seemed to be enthusiastic and happy when He was teaching or dealing with people. You see, I come from a culture in which spirituality is measured by how solemn, dignified and holy your appearance is. This means that as a servant of God, you must wear white clothes, keep a serious face even if you are happy and carefully guard your behavior. You wouldn’t want to spoil your image by laughing out loud or running around playing with the kids. All this actually comes from eastern mysticism, in which the way to holiness and spirituality is asceticism—the renouncing of all worldly pleasures, comforts and emotions. It is a counterfeit spirituality produced by Satan. After viewing this film, I read through the four Gospels again just to see what Jesus was really like. For the first time, I gained an awareness of someone who was genuinely happy. There was a spirit of celebration, a positive note that I saw in His life. People felt drawn to Him, and in His presence, those with deadly diseases and even the worst sinners were filled with new hope. Jesus came to this earth not to add gloom and hopelessness to people’s lives, but to bring light, hope, laughter and the joy of heaven to a sin-ridden world. The angels didn’t announce His birth by saying, “Oh, what a sad and gloomy event. God’s Son is going to be persecuted and killed. Let us mourn and weep.” No! They were praising God and telling the shepherds about the good news of great joy for all people.