Joy

(Hebrews 12:2) “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,”

Is a child who is but a babe not part of the family? Of course it is, when a mother brings life into this world through much pain and anguish as she detests every minute of the hurt. When she holds the child in her arms is not the pain forgotten as joy and glee overwhelms her heart. Yes it is soon forgotten.

My thoughts go out to my great Saviour as I contemplate the agony of Gethsemane and the afflictions of the cross. Did He not suffer pain in His body? Did he not sweet drops of blood from the intense anguish? Of course He did! But why was he willing to suffer? Yes we are able to deduce from other portions of scripture that because it was the will of God the Father that He drank the cup of suffering, He swallowed the entire cup, not just a portion of it, and He gulped down the content of the cup in its entirety. Why would He do such a thing? Maybe He was a lover pain, I think not! Actually history tells us that he was rather a weak physical individual. Despising the shame he was driven by one motivating factor, in this text it is clearly highlighted and no other point is mentioned and this is the point; “for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.” It is clear to see that it was “the joy” which motivated our Saviour to endure the cross. How could the pain of suffering be joyful? How does a mother endure labour pains? Is it not the hope of a healthy newborn child, a new addition to the family that urges her on and through her labour pains? It sure is! It is the hope of new life that motivates and feeds her will to endure the pain.

The Lord Jesus also endured the cross and all its humiliation and soreness and drew strength from the hope that was to come. In fact His hope was so real that it resulted in an overwhelming joy, an emotion of happiness and this passion in turn resulted in such love that He was able to cry out unto His Father, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Try an imagine the scene at Calvary, all the pain, anguish and humiliation that the Lord Jesus was put through and this text tells us that He “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,” this great Saviour of mine excites me and ignites my hope as I look to His example. “How great is my God, how great and vast His wide domain, to begin to tell these lips can only start?” Praise His Glorious name! Yes all of you exalt the name of Jesus and sing praises unto Him for He alone is worthy.

What can we learn from this text and Christ example, what is He teaching us? It is rather obvious. This is the lesson; our hope of heaven and eternal life and to be with God forever and ever must always resonate in our minds, but not somewhere hidden in a compartment tucked away. Our hope must be the last thought we have when we lay our head down to sleep and our first consideration when we rise. If Jesus Christ is the hope of glory and He captivates our soul, joy will well up within us and we will find an amazing strength within us to glorify God in and through the toughest times. This is exactly why the Lord Jesus endured the cross. Lets finish the verse because it clearly spell it out; “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

So I leave you with this thought, remember our High priest and what He endured on our behalf and also remember how He drew strength to endure what he had to tolerate. We have access to the same spiritual weapons the Lord Jesus drew on to find His joy in enduring the cross. Every believer that has His spirit both young and old, a babe in Christ or someone of mature age, all may find joy in remembering the hope that is waiting for us and just around the corner. I will leave you with this quote from John Piper, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

Signing off

Tyrone