“Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”
Hebrews 12:1-3
Last time, we examined Christ’s rebuke and redirection of Peter’s thinking as a first step in understanding how the gospel reorders our desires. In effect, Peter and all Christ’s disciples were asked to accept a paradoxical (die to live) reality. No doubt, this would be complicated to grasp. Their expectations for Messiah, indeed, couldn’t include death in its most shameful form: crucifixion. However, it did, and the implications echo throughout all time and generations.
Indeed, setting our mind on the things of God in the face of pain, difficulty, unmet expectations, and more at least leads to asking: “How do we find joy in the pain of life? How can the gospel reorder our thoughts and motivate them?”
Near the end of the book of Hebrews, we see a glimpse of Christ’s motivation and insight into the gospel motivation that shapes our desires to “take up our cross and follow Him.” In verse two of chapter twelve, the author states that “…for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.“
Three factors provide insight into finding joy despite pain and our motivation to take up our cross and follow Christ:
- Joy Set Forth
- Shame Despised
- God’s Right-Hand
Neither in the person of Jesus Christ nor in the actions was sin conceived or expressed. He was born sinless and remained sinless—never once giving into temptation. The weight of that reality cannot be overstated. We cannot even imagine resisting temptation entirely, completely, and enduringly—it’s inconceivable. Only God could do such a thing.
Consequently, that He ended His life on a Roman torture instrument is as equally inconceivable. Nevertheless, it was God’s chosen way of restoring sinful humanity to Himself. Thus, this undeserved death reveals Christ’s motivation and insight into reordering our desires as we journey in our Christian life.
Joy Set Forth
On the other side of the agonizing physical pain and the incomprehensible spiritual burden of sin was joy. It was a joy that led to facing the cross, accepting gruesome torture, and undergoing the “forsakenness” of the Father. It was joy on the other side of pain because through the doorway of death was life, and life meant sin’s grimacing smile was wiped away (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). Indeed, sin introduced into humanity by the first Adam was defeated for humankind by the second Adam. Thus, joy. However, joy included shame, which leads to the second point.
Shame Despised
Shame is a word we avoid attaching to ourselves. Most of us dislike being embarrassed, can’t stand failure, and despise being caught red-handed. At varying levels, these outcomes cause us to feel shame. What kind of shame is defined here—the type Christ despised? The word (αἰσχύνη) in Hebrews 12:2 refers to an “experience of ignominy that comes to someone” (BDAG, 30). In other words, this type of shame is a feeling of disgrace. However, Christ despised the experience of shame. In other words, Christ viewed the shame as “not important enough to be an object of concern when evaluated against” what his death produced: life (BDAG, 529).
Another way to put it is that Christ “thought little” of the bitter shame attached to His death on the cross because He knew the other side was sweet glory. Contrast this to Peter in Matthew 16:23, who “thought much” about the things of man and little of the things of God. Peter missed it. And so, Christ’s joy through death was present because of mankind’s restoration to His Father and also for His restored position to glory at God’s right hand.
God’s Right Hand
In John 17:4-5, Christ made a declaration and request: “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Indeed, Christ’s mission was fulfilled when He rose from the grave and reassumed His place of authority with the Father. As the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ became a man (not considering equality with God a thing to be grasped–Philippians 2:5-8) so that He would complete God’s mission and be restored to His rightful position of authority (Philippians 2:9-11).
Conclusion
At least three points to ponder:
- Joy resides on the other side of pain, which means that though Christians struggle in this life, they do not struggle in vain. God is in the business of bringing life from death as He uses all things for good (Romans 8:28).
- Shame is swallowed up in Christ, which means there is no shame you could cause (thoughts, words, or deeds) that Christ did not place on His shoulders when He took your sin upon Himself. God will forgive you. Come home.
- It is finished, which means the work God requires to be in fellowship with Him is completed in Christ. God the Father accepts Christ’s work on the cross as a full payment for your sin, and it is as sure as God is God.
And now, we are still left with the lingering question, “What if we don’t feel joy?” Next time, we’ll answer this question as we seek to take up our cross and follow Christ.
— April 25, 2024