For the Joy Set Before Him

He knew where he was going 
when he rode into the City of Peace 
that received him with such welcome: 
shouts of joy based on false expectations,
praise that would dissolve to bitterness
when his peace was not what they’d hoped for.

He knew that they would turn on him,
following their leaders, men jealous
of his power and rising fame.
He was sent for this intense rejection.
He’d known the end from the beginning. 
So he continued to push forward

toward condemnation, torture, death,
toward an excruciating pain
far worse than physical agony:
He was going to have the evil wrongs
done by the humans that he loved
thrown on him. Enormous weight!

But he kept on going toward the cross.
He was aware of all the chaos
but his eyes were firmly fixed
on higher things, the ultimate goal:
Joy! At last death would be conquered,
true rescue would be paid for, offered!

The raw insults and contempt
were the dark valley he must cross
to end up hung on a cruel cross.
He would obey commands laid out
in his own Word long ago, prophecies: 
what must be done to bring eternal joy.

A new covenant was necessary,
it must be signed in blood!
But no! Not animal blood this time!
His own blood would seal forever
the Promise, the Way to belong to God
and freely enter his Kingdom of love!

Eyes on the throne where Yahweh rules,
knowing it would be his forever,
knowing he would then bring life
to millions who would turn to him,
his eyes saw love and joy completed,
God’s great plan fulfilled at last!

Yes, Jesus knew what was awaiting him in Jerusalem. But he went there anyway. He had already told his disciples all that was going to happen to him there (Matt 17:22-23, Luke 9:22; 18:31-33). At their final meal together he explained that what was going to happen to him would involve his blood being shed, and it would not be for nothing. No! He was going to arrange for a new world order, the kingdom of God, with citizens who would belong exclusively to him and would live according to his purposes in this world. It would initiate a legal document, an eternal alliance between God and humanity:

In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.  (Lk. 22:20 NIV)

A new covenant? Why was it necessary? Because his former covenants with people had all been broken (Jer 11.10; Hos 6:7; 8:1). A covenant is a formal legal document with promises and laws that must be kept; it also includes consequences for not respecting them, so when the covenant people turned completely aside the covenant was broken.

Genesis 15-17 gives a detailed account of the way Yahweh made a covenant with Abram that had lasting effect, and it was done by splitting animal bodies in two, setting them opposite each other. Abram had to protect them from vultures, but as darkness fell he also fell asleep. And then “a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the animals.” (Gen 15:17), after which God made the details of the covenant clear to Abram (whose name was changed to Abraham).

Think about the blood and gore  lying there by Abram, and then his astonishment when God spoke with him and made incredible promises. The symbols for God, extreme heat and light, passed between those bloody carcasses. The covenant was sealed.

Jesus was the sacrifice that brought in the new covenant; his very own holy blood, with no sin, was pouring from his hands and feet on the cross. It was the eternal seal of the everlasting covenant between God and humanity.

If we accept the terms of the covenant, which include faith in Jesus as Messiah and Savior and the only Way to God, then we enter into his Kingdom. It is a Kingdom of total justice and goodness, with commands that its citizens must obey. We need to know what they are and obey them!  This is promised: as covenant followers we will enter into the experience of his supreme joy.

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (Jn. 15:10-11 NIV)

Jesus obeyed the divine command to lay down his life for us, for all who would believe in him and become his own people. His blood sealed the covenant, with its commands. If we believe in his sacrifice and give ourselves completely to him, we must be obedient—and this brings joy, because we are walking with him daily, experiencing his love, and also realizing that we have entered eternal joy that is waiting for us after this earthly life. If our heart-eyes are looking ahead with confidence, then we have that joyful hope that is not “I hope so” but “I know it’s true!”  It is faith. There is true joy that is fully complete up ahead beyond this world’s darkness,  and as we run toward that goal our Savior’s love lives in us and instills current joy. Thank you, Jesus!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Rom. 15:13 NIV)

We must keep our eyes fixed on him, not on the dark world around us, the joy of the Lord strengthens us and gives us solid, confident hope! As the writer to the Hebrews pointed out, many of God’s people have shown us how to live out our faith (see Hebrews 11), and now it’s our turn. How can we make it to our finish line?  Eyes fixed on Jesus:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:1,2 NIV)