It was joy that animated Jesus in the face of hardship, and therefore, he is the greatest example of courage.
December 21, 2023True Courage
If courage is about a deeper desire for a greater good that overcomes and stabilizes us in the of face of every fear and every danger, then there is no greater example in the Bible of courage than Jesus himself. We can picture him in the garden. We can see him saying to God, “If it’s possible, let this cup pass.”
He’s in agony. He’s in anguish. He’s deeply troubled in his spirit. Why? Because there’s death in front of him; there’s pain, there’s hardship, and he doesn’t want to do it. But he says, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.”
He’s going to go through with it. That’s courage. Where did it come from? What animated him in the face of that hardship? Well, the book of Hebrews tells us, “for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame” (Heb. 12:2). He didn’t let that danger, that obstacle, and the fear and the trouble that it produced in his soul keep him from fulfilling God’s calling on his life to redeem his people. It was joy that animated Jesus in the face of hardship, and therefore, he is the greatest example of courage.
Joe Rigney is the author of Courage: How the Gospel Creates Christian Fortitude.
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