The week before Easter. The week when Jesus knew that “the time had come for him to leave this world” and that the road ahead – the road to the cross – would be filled with unspeakable pain. What was he thinking?
Do you ever wonder about that?
Being fully God, Jesus knew exactly what was about to happen. He’d be insulted, rejected, and abandoned – both by the Jewish leaders (many of whom believed in him but who were too scared to admit it, since they “loved praise from men more than praise from God”) and by his closest friends. “Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him. But because of the Pharisees they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;”(John 12:42)
He would suffer indescribable torment. The press of the thorns…the sting of the whip…the pain of the nails…the struggle to breathe.
And he would know the heartache of watching his mother watch him die – and of being unable, in that moment, to wipe the tears from her eyes.
So what was he thinking, on the road to the cross?
W can’t begin to imagine, but Scripture gives us some clues. Jesus says that his heart was “troubled” and that the idea of backing out had at least presented itself. He confided in his friends, telling them that he was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” in Matthew 26:38. And he prayed, asking God if there was any way to take a pass…but then, ultimately, he chose God’s will over his own. John 12:27 “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.”
Clearly, the road wasn’t easy. It was agonizing. So how did he do it? How did he – being fully man – get past the fear and the worry and the sorrow that stood in his path?
Here again, the Bible offers some answers. Reading through the gospels and Paul’s letters, we see a man inspired by obedience, trust, humility, and love. And, in addition to these internal motivators, Hebrews 12:2 reveals an external driver: Future joy. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus,” the writer says, “who for the joy set before him endured the cross…”
Future joy.
What was that joy? It seems like the joy came in three parts:
The first is the idea of a mission accomplished. His teaching was revolutionary and his miracles amazing, but Jesus knew that the whole point of his life was the cross (“It was,” he says in John 12:27, “for this reason I came to this hour”). Fulfilling his purpose – the job that aligned with God’s master plan – gave him joy.
The second reason was the resurrection. Jesus knew because he was God, and because of prophecies like the one here in Psalm 16:9-11
9 “Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
that he would come out of the tomb alive, and that his experience would open the door to the everlasting joy of God’s presence – not just for himself, but for all who would call on his name.
And the third reason? The third reason is the one that makes us cry. The third reason Jesus stayed on the road to the cross (the main reason, in fact) is us. He did it for us. He did it, the Bible says, to keep us from falling and to present us before God’s glorious presence without fault and with great joy.
24 “To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…” (Jude 24)
Jesus wanted to be able to bring us to God. We are the reason he endured the cross. We are what he was thinking about, as he made his way up that hill.
As we approach Easter, let’s focus on this fact. We are – you are – His joy.
