© 11 Colin Melbourne
Joy or Shame?
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. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against him, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
Hebrews 12:2-3 KJV
Why did Jesus redeem mankind? Why did He provide a way for us to become His children living in fellowship with Almighty God, our Creator?
For the Joy
It was for the joy of having His creation back in His arms forever. For the joyful pleasure of having you and me walk with Him in loving rapport, harmony, and unity with God.
Christ desired this joy more than anything; more than His righteousness, more than His holiness, more than His Life.
He wanted the joy of having you home, in His Family where you belong, the joy of your company, the joy of your loving obedience, the joy of your dependence on Him, and the joy of His dependence on you.
It was this prospect that took Him to the cross and Hell.
The Shame
People speak of the unimaginable physical torture He suffered, the whipping, the thorns, and carrying His cross to Golgotha. They emphasise the excruciating pain of death on a cross. But for the Spirit-led Son of God, far greater was the spiritual suffering He endured.
Just think of it.
The only Man who had never sinned, was made sin for us, bearing the sin of the world. The mere thought of it would cause Him to recoil, but He embraced it wholeheartedly, and became a sin offering for us. 2 Co. 5:21 KJV;
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The only Man who walked on Earth in perfect righteousness, holiness, and divine obedience, was falsely accused by wicked men, found guilty by mob-rule, nailed to a cross as a public example of “wickedness, treachery, and evil”. He was counted the worst of sinners. The shame and injustice of it must have been excruciating.
He was tortured and butchered in public, by pagan invaders, at the request of Jewish leaders, and the mob they incited.
He was stripped naked, shredded with a whip, and hung on a post, at the main road junction entering Jerusalem, so all the world could witness His public humiliation.
The buzz in the crowd was, “He claimed to be the Messiah, but look at Him now!”
The emotional and spiritual suffering Jesus endured was far, far greater than the awful physical pain.
He Died Alone
Worst of all for God the Son, was separation from His Father. Mtt. 27:46b KJV
My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Followed by death and His journey to the deepest pit of Hell.
Have you suffered physical pain in your life, have you been the victim of injustice? Have you have been wrongly accused, slandered, and abused without cause?
Which is more painful to bear, physical pain, or emotional and spiritual suffering?
It is the latter, just as it was for Christ on the cross.
But praise God, His word tells us that Christ, in faith, regarded the result of His suffering on the cross with joy.
who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross
What about the shame and injustice of hanging there to die a sinner’s death? Hebrews 12:2-3 KJV;
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. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against him, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
God’s word declares that Jesus despised (had contempt for) it, He scorned the shame. Divine Righteousness in the Flesh, was made sin for us.
This is the bravest thing imaginable.
“Why did Jesus die on the Cross for us?”
Theologians answer by showing from scripture how Christ’s crucifixion fulfilled many Messianic prophecies, and provided a just way of atoning for our sin and redeeming sinful mankind. And that’s perfectly true.
But it tells us nothing about Christ’s motivation.
His motives were love and joy.
Love-made-Flesh looked beyond the torture of the cross, and His suffering in Hell, to the joy of having you back in His arms forever. Love counted that joy worth the shame. In fact, He despised and scorned the shame.
Despised and scorned it.
He scorned it
He had contempt for the shame, disdained the cost, dismissed the suffering. It was rejected as nothing to Him, compared with the joy set before Him.
He refused to let the shame and injustice stop Him from enduring it, for the joy of having your love.
Will you now despise and scorn His love?
Will you let anything hold you back from surrendering your whole life to Him who gave Himself to set you free forever?
Will you count the cost of walking in love with Him in this wicked world?
No, you will despise, scorn, and reject anything that gets in your way of loving Him, obeying Him, and giving Him joy.
It’s the least He deserves.
© 11 Colin Melbourne