Read: Hebrews 12:1-11
For the joy that was set before him [he] endured the cross. (v. 2)
When I was young, my two favorite days of the year were my birthday and Christmas. The thing I most looked forward to on those days was . . . presents. Of course! I had no greater joy than removing the wrapping paper and seeing what was inside. There was one mystery. My parents never got many presents, but they seemed to enjoy birthdays and Christmases as much as—maybe even more than—I did. As I got older, I came to understand that their greatest joy was our family. Our joy was their joy.
The book of Hebrews is a letter of encouragement to Christians struggling to keep the faith. The book traces the most powerful promises and prophecies of the Old Testament through to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The author argues that no earthly cost can compare to the heavenly gifts that await every believer. The fleeting pain of this world will give way to everlasting joy. The author then points to Christians’ perfect model of perseverance: Jesus Christ, who suffered persecution and endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him” (v. 2). What was that joy?
You and me. As rightful heir and ruler of creation, Jesus Christ has always had everything. Everything except the one thing that can’t be taken by force: our love. Our motivation for pursuing the faith is the promise of a person: our first love, the one who made us his joy. Make him your joy this season.
As you pray, picture Jesus taking great joy in you.
Ben Van Arragon is an ordained minister in the Christian Reformed Church in North America. After twenty years of congregational ministry, he now serves his denomination as a pastor wellbeing consultant in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
