On faith, reason, and theology.

In his sermon on Mark 8:31-33, Chris made the point that Jesus voluntarily chose the way of the cross because of three things: 1) Friendship – Jesus knew that his death was necessary for the salvation of his friends, 2) Reputation – he sought not the praise of man but that of his Father, and 3) Messiahship – he understood the propitiatory role of the Messiah. It was stated in the sermon that Jesus “did not want to die” (as demonstrated by his agony in the garden of Gethsemane) but still chose that path because he saw the above things from God’s point of view.

So Jesus chose the cross out of 1) compassion for his friends, 2) love for his Father, and 3) loyalty to his task, but I would like to suggest another motivation – 4) the joy set before him. I understand why we say that Jesus did not want to die. The troubled soul in the garden, the blood-like drops of sweat, the prayer for his Father to “remove this cup from me” – all suggest that Jesus did not want to die but accepted the necessity of it. So we tend to say that Jesus was motivated by compassion, love, loyalty, obedience, duty, etc…but clearly not joy! How can anyone feel joy knowing full well what horrors are to come?

But did Jesus simply accept his death because he saw the bigger picture – the bigger point of view? Does not Hebrews 12:2 speak of Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.”? So clearly even in the midst of his sorrow, there was joy. But what was the object of his joy?

As he foresaw the events that would soon take place, it was not the thorns that would bring him joy. Neither was it the mocking or scourging or the humiliation of bearing his cross that would bring him joy. It was not the nails in his hands and feet or the asphyxiation-inducing cross that would bring him joy. It was clearly not the forsaken-ness he would experience from the Father that would bring him joy. So what was the object of his joy? It was a clear sight of his resurrection and the glory that his Father would crown him with – the glory he had with the Father before the world existed (Jn 17:5). It was the hope of exaltation and the reception of a name above all names (Phil 2:9) that gave Jesus joy in his sorrow and sustained him through his ordeal.

So if Jesus endured the cross for joy then it would be fair to say that he did want to die. He wanted to face the cross as much as a mother wants to face labor (cf. Jn 16:20-22). Even in the face of excruciating pain, a mother still wants to give birth because the reward is holding her child. Any joy she feels right before giving birth would not be joy in its fullness but a foretaste of joy nonetheless – enough to sustain her through the pain of labor. In the same way, Jesus wanted to endure the cross because the reward was a glorious resurrection with all its salvific significance. So the joy he felt in the garden was not the fullness of joy as when he would be raised to the right hand of the Father, but it was that foretaste of joy that sustained him through his passion.

Why is it important to emphasize the joy of the cross? Because it teaches the Christian that a truly God-centered point of view means seeing the joy in sorrow. Paul learned this from his Lord, writing in 2 Cor 6:10 that he is “sorrowful, yet always rejoicing.” We as Christians are not called to endure suffering and sorrow in this life with a joyless sense of loyalty, obedience, duty or even selfless sacrifice. Like our Lord Jesus, we can face our sorrows with joy rooted in the promises of our good, faithful, and sovereign God. This does not mean we cannot shed tears or rightly grieve, but as the tears fall we can be confident that joy comes with the morning (Ps 30:5). May God grant you a clear vision of the future joy set before you in heaven, and may the foretaste of that future joy sustain you through whatever trial or ordeal you now face.