Fixing your 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.

Hebrews 12: 2

I have been blessed and comforted as I pondered the last 7 sayings of Jesus.  My attention was on trying to discover what Jesus is doing.  The writer to the Hebrews knows how important that is.  Jesus is becoming the sacrifice for our sins!  Can there be a greater thing on earth?  I think we do well to ponder the role of Jesus Christ in our salvation.

Also, I hear in my heart of hearts the Word of God as I consider how Jesus went through all this.  The secret?  For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame.  In a way, suffering for Christ is joy postponed.  There was no joy in taking on the sins of the world, dying for them and suffering unbelievable difficulties doing that while being ridiculed by the Jewish authorities.

The joy was to come.   When Jesus finally sat down at the right and of God on the throne, He was full of joy, not only for himself but what he did for all who love him.  I suppose John is using the phrase, then, sat down, to indicate that the work is finished, as Jesus had announced from the Cross, his dying words.

What happened as Jesus died for all sins of all those would believe was not to be repeated.  It was done!  It need not be redone, ever.  This Easter season I will focus thought on that reality.