Why You're Worth It--October 1, 2021

Why You're Worth It--October 1, 2021

"...looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

It’s not that it was easy to endure the cross—it’s that Jesus thought it was worth it. It’s that Jesus knew there was joy to be found even in the shadow of a rough-hewn cross.

This is another one of those times when, at first blush, we might all want to say, “Really? Joy? There’s joy to hold onto even in the face of a cross—in the face of a shameful, painful, unspeakable death? Well, in a word… yes. But let’s think this through for a minute. Just what was “the joy that was set before” Jesus at the cross?

Well, maybe we can first rule some things out. Let’s start with this: It wasn’t just Easter. That is, it wasn’t just that Jesus was looking forward to coming back to life again. Sometimes we Christians get sloppy, and we act like the cross wasn’t awful, horrendous, and heart-rending because we know that Jesus rises on the third day. And sometimes we act like it was easy for Jesus to surrender all the way to torture and death at the hands of a pagan empire, as if the nails didn’t hurt, or the cry of dereliction, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” was all for show. Sometimes we forget that Jesus went to the cross willingly, but not smiling—he accepts it, but only after having prayed, “If it is possible, let this cup pass away.”

And truthfully, if the only “joy” set before Jesus as he looked ahead to the cross was that he could see down the road even farther and knew that he would come to life again after dying, you have to wonder why he wouldn’t just skip the death part and stay alive in the first place. In other words, if the “joy” that the writer of Hebrews has in mind was merely that Jesus got to have his life back after three days, then you have to wonder why Jesus would go through all the suffering of the trial, the torture, and the cross at all, and just short circuit all of that unpleasantness. Jesus’ “joy” that made it possible for him to “endure the cross” and “disregard its shame,” was more than just a desire to get back to normal; it was more than just a wish for returning to the old status quo. If that were all Jesus was clinging to as he went to the cross, he could have just avoided the cross, kept a low profile, and lived to a ripe old age with children and grandchildren and plenty of nice, respectable devotees.

But Jesus doesn’t do that. He doesn’t just cling to a goal of “staying alive.” He doesn’t just look to Easter and the empty tomb as the reason for going through the cross. So... what was it that gave Jesus joy going into the cross?

You.

In a very real sense, you are the answer to that question. Me, too. All of us. The thing that gave Jesus joy enough to endure the cross was knowing that by enduring the cross, Jesus brought all of us along with him into the hope of resurrection life. By facing the cross, Jesus was bringing all of us into redemption, so that we can be there with Christ forever. And Jesus knew that by doing all of this, he was pleasing the Father, who had sent him to do that redeeming in the first place. So in other words, then, today’s passage means more than saying Jesus knew that Easter was coming—Jesus endured the cross in order to bring us more and more to him. You were worth it. You still are. And the thought of knowing that the cross would fulfill the Father’s desire to gather us all to himself made it worth it for Jesus to endure what he did.

Wow—think about it. You bring Jesus joy. The thought of you getting to be there in glory with him, the thought of knowing that you, beloved of the Father, would be kept safe if Jesus endured the worst, that gave Jesus the willingness to do what was otherwise so awful. You were, and are, Jesus’ joy!

Think about how that changes your day to realize that. Not only does it remind us that we are each of infinite value to the living God, but also it reminds us that real joy doesn’t come from simply looking out for yourself, but from giving yourself away and finding that somehow you are filled up in the process, too. That kind of joy gets us through the worst of everything else.

Let’s start the day just letting it sink in: the Creator of the universe, and the Redeemer of all that is, says to you, today, right now, “You are my joy. For you, I would endure anything. For you, I already did.”

Lord Jesus, don’t let us give up on the joy which is set before us, too, and let us share in the joy you have over us, too.