Friday, March 30, 2012
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Mark 15:23-24 ... they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him.
WHAT JESUS SAW FROM HIS CROSS
In urging Christ-believers to keep their eyes fixed on Jesus as they "run with perseverance the race" of the Christian life, the Spirit-inspired writer of Hebrews draws our attention to the fact that Jesus Himself kept His focus where it needed to be when He was being crucified. When the pain and shame of crucifixion threatened to overwhelm Him Jesus endured by keeping His eyes fixed on "the joy set before him." With the completion of His mission in view our Lord "despised the shame" of His crucifixion. That is, when Jesus considered His goal of carrying out the work the Father had given Him to do, in comparison the pain and shame of the cross was of no consequence.
Jesus' great work, His mission, was redeeming you from sin, death and hell. This was the joyful goal Jesus kept in sight as He was crucified -- your salvation. Jesus had His eyes on you as He hung there on the cross! The joy of rescuing you from death and hell was so great that the horrors of crucifixion finally became of no account to Him -- even though He refused to numb the pain of those hours with even a sip or two of the drugged wine He was offered. The fact is, Your Lord simply would not risk blurring His vision of "the joy set before Him." Jesus didn't need anesthetic, the joy of saving you carried Him through the pain.
He left His radiant throne on high,
Left the bright realms of bliss,
And came to earth to bleed and die:
Was ever love like this?
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 363:3)
