Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him, and verse 2 in Hebrews 12 goes on to say that Jesus “scorned its shame”.
“For the joy set before Him. Jesus endured the cross, scorning its shame”, or as the King James says, “despising its shame.”
Jesus endured because He refused to let the shame define Him, and think of the shame He could have felt. The shame of being abandoned by His disciples and left alone. The shame of being mocked and losing His reputation. The shame of being naked, losing His decency as He hung on the cross. The shame of crying out and gurgling blood, grunting and groaning in pain.
You know, His very dignity was stripped away.
Jesus Endured the Cross for the Joy Set Before Him
The Bible says “He scorned the shame”. He was not ashamed of what He was doing for God. He was going to stick it out even at the expense of His own dignity. So great was His joy, and His mission, and His friendship with the Father, that He just took on that shame and scorned it.
You and I struggle with this. We want to follow God unless it affects our comfort, or our income, or our reputation. Jesus let all of that go, and He even endured a cross if it meant glorifying God.
Do we give up on our faith because we are afraid of what people think? Do we hold back because we do not want the shame that comes from the world? Think about the disciples who ran away when Jesus was arrested. They had no endurance at that point. They could not handle either the pain or the shame.
Scorning Shame in Our Walk With God
But we who are filled with the Holy Spirit know better! Because of the joy set before us. In knowing Christ and loving Him, we can not only endure pain and struggles, but we can scorn the shame of the world and go the distance in our faith!
You want to endure the struggle you are going through now? Scorn the shame. Do not let it define you. Scorn the laughter of the people. Scorn the mocking. Scorn the world’s tearing you down. Scorn whatever you think people think of you. It doesn’t matter.
Stand firm and hold tight in your faith and walk closely with Jesus. That is all that matters!
Jesus Himself scorned the shame of the cross. And I know if you scorn the shame of whatever you are going through, you’ll be able to endure it just like He did. With my soul.
Meet John Nelson, a Yorkshire stonemason turned early Methodist preacher who faced mobs and violence yet refused to be silenced. A powerful true story about standing firm when opposition comes for your faith.