The Joy Set Before Us



We have the tendency to focus on the sacrifice of Jesus during the Easter season more than any other time of the year, and understandably so. We talk about the betrayal by Judas, the mockery and humiliation, the pain of the scourging, and the agony of the cross. The events surrounding Calvary are bittersweet to us. There's a sadness because of his suffering, but also the joy and gratitude in knowing that because of his suffering, we can be saved.

Many years ago, I heard a song by the band Smalltown Poets* that says:

At the wonderful, tragic, mysterious tree
on that beautiful, scandalous night you and me
were atoned by his blood and forever washed white
on that beautiful, scandalous night

Seemingly contradictory terms are used here. Nevertheless, they are true. It's scandalous to be betrayed by a close friend, and it's tragic for an innocent man to be tortured and killed. Jesus knew that he would suffer and die, but he did it willingly because he knew what the result of his sacrifice would be. Hebrews 12:2 says, "...for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame..."

His desire to save us was so great that he was willing to carry that cross of shame. The fact is that without Calvary, there would have been no outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Jesus' sacrifice was the beginning of his plan for our salvation. This is the joy that the writer of Hebrews is referring to. God became excited at the thought of having us with him forever. Now we see the other side of the dichotomy that the song speaks of: the wonder and beauty of the cross.

Jesus said in Luke 9:23, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Jesus has already borne his cross. Now, it is our turn to bear ours.

And of course, there will be pain and suffering involved. He tells us that in John 15:20, "If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you." We understand that there will be hard times as we carry our cross day after day, but we do so willingly knowing "that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us." (Romans 8:18)

We carry our cross and serve the Lord because he has given us a promise: "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." (Revelation 21:4)

So, for the joy that is set before us, let us endure the cross that Christ has asked us to bear. For he has also said in Matthew 24:13, "...he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

--J.D. Sutter


*"Beautiful Scandalous Night" from the 2000 album titled Third Verse from Smalltown Poets

All Scripture references are the King James Version.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tree Between

Image
Long ago, in the Garden of Eden, there was a tree. This was a special tree that God had placed there for the sole purpose of causing the eater of the fruit thereof to live forever. Adam and Eve were encouraged to eat of this tree and many others. But there was another tree in the garden of which God forbade them to eat. Genesis 2:9 says, “ And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. ” Then in verses 16-17 we read, “ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. ” But the inhabitants of the garden chose to disobey God’s command, and as a result, they faced expulsion from Paradise. (Genesis 3:22-24) Adam and Eve chose to forfeit their right to e...
Read more

A Reason For Hope

Image
“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13) Hope. Seemingly a small word, but to those who have been born again, it is just the opposite; it holds great meaning. There are those in this world who are living without a shred of hope in their lives, simply living from day to day without any expectations of a better tomorrow or a brighter future. But those who have followed the biblical plan of salvation and have God living in their lives, have a reason for hope. Notice what Paul writes in Colossians 1:27, “ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ” Because of the Spirit of God in our lives, we have hope that we will one day spend eternity with Him. In Paul’s epistle to Titus, he expresses the same sentiment, “ Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and...
Read more