For the Joy

He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, ourfaces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace wasupon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:3-6 (NKJV)

"Let this cup pass from me," Jesus said with a heavy heart. Jesus was fully aware of what He was facing. He had just finished telling His disciples about what was about to come to pass; and long before that, He was there when the Prophet Isaiah penned the prophetic words concerning the Messiah. The Bible does not tell us when Jesus became aware that He was God in the flesh, or when He realized that Isaiah's prophesies were about Him; however, we do know that Jesus knew exactly what was rushing towards Him near the end.

Jesus was about to give His life as a ransom for many. Jesus, God in the flesh, was about to experience humiliation, betrayal, affliction, terror, ridicule, malice, grief, pain, and separation from friends, family, followers and God the Father. Everything that Jesus held dear to Him was about to be violently stripped away. In the Garden of Gethsemane, as the night closed in and Jesus' soul was overwhelmed and the darkness threatened to crush His spirit. Jesus courageously said, "Father, Your will be done."

Why did Jesus subject Himself to such ill treatment? Why did He follow through with the Father's plan? What possible motivation drove Jesus into the hands of His enemies? The writer of Hebrews stated it well: "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb 12:2 (NKJV) Obviously, Jesus did not enjoy the ride...so what was the "joy" set before Him? It was you...you provided the motivation...you were the Pearl that He gave all to purchase. It was His love for you.

Prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, thank you for sending Your only Son--the precious Lamb of God, to give His life as a ransom for me. To think that He endured it all for the sake of those that He loves--to put their needs before His own--that God in the flesh would humble Himself before mankind and allow them to torture, ridicule and humiliate Him without fighting back... I stand amazed...truly amazed. Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Blessed be the Name of Jesus!! Amen"