“…for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross.“
10 incredibly profound words found in Hebrews 12:2 that always brings my heart to its knees, completely humbled and so, so thankful to our precious Saviour for the selfless sacrifice He made for you and for me at the cross.
Who, with an obedient heart chose to fulfill the promise of our Heavenly Father echoed through the ages, our Alpha and Omega, our King and our Redeemer, conquering death, purchasing our freedom and paying in full the debt for our sin. The Son of God exchanged His life for ours, ushering in a new and beautiful eternal covenant.
What was this joy that kept Jesus so steadfast on that blood soaked path towards the cross? What had He settled in His heart that caused Him to persevere despite those mocking jabs, tortuous wounds and outrageous pain? What did He know that would forever change our past, present and future? A heavenly plan set into place at the beginning of time. An eternal promise given by our Heavenly Father. Fulfilled and sealed in the blood of His precious Son, Jesus the Messiah. A love, so wide, so long, so high and so deep that we would never have to experience eternal separation from our Maker…“that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
What did Jesus see? Beyond the cross, beyond the veil. Beyond His death, beyond the grave. Beyond His resurrection, beyond His ascension…”for the joy set before Him.” No more spiritual grave clothes. No more shame. No more separation. No more condemnation. No more slavery. No more darkness. A divine wardrobe change. Freedom! Forgiveness! Grace! Mercy! Hope! Eternal life! Our Saviour saw way beyond the cross “for the joy set before Him.”
I encourage you to spend some time this Easter remembering what He did for us. Remember the promise, the sacrifice, the love, this new covenant.
Brooke Ligertwood’s song “Communion” helps me remember these things: