The Unusually Human Joy of Jesus

0:00 At Desiring God, we call ourselves Christian hedonists. We do that with a smile. We know it's a provocative term. And we think it's worth the provocation because the reality that we're seeking to name and to commend is so vital and so central and so wonderful in the Christian life. So we're willing to take the risk to be misunderstood by a few in hopes that many may come into a new and life-giving and soul-frilling understanding of what God means to offer us in Jesus Christ. Now, if you want to know, what's this Christian hedonist? What are we coming to here tonight?

0:55 By Christian hedonist, we mean somebody who believes and seeks to live in accordance with the truth that God's most glorified in us when we're most satisfied in him. Which means that the pursuit of joy in God is not only allowed in the Christian faith, That's good news. It's also encouraged in the Christian faith. And even more than that, it's required, in fact, in the Christian faith.

1:34 Because we do not glorify God as he deserves when we don't enjoy him like he deserves. 25 years ago I was a freshman at Furman University in Greenville South Carolina probably the first time I ever heard this phrase Christian hedonist probably on the cover of John Piper's book Desiring God Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and I read this in the second paragraph of the preface it's got the text one verse text I'm I'm gonna linger over here for a few minutes with you. Here's what he says in the preface. The heroes of this book are Jesus, who endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. That's Hebrews 12, two. We're coming back there.

2:26 And the apostle Paul, who was sorrowful yet always rejoicing. And Jonathan Edwards, who deeply savored the sweet sovereignty of God. And C.S. Lewis, who knew that the Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak and all the missionaries who have left everything for Jesus and in the end said I never made a sacrifice now those are great heroes but in the next few minutes I want to focus on that first hero the great hero he's the only hero of Christian hedonism that we worship. In those early days of encountering Christian hedonism, Hebrews 12, 2 was so important for me. The reason it's important is I needed verses. I needed persuading. I was not easily called away by the piper.

3:30 I came to college more of a stoic than a hedonist. So my initial response to any sort of hedonism, even if you stick the word Christian on the front, was very skeptical. I needed some convincing. I needed Bible texts to put underneath this. and among the many texts that I encountered in those days Hebrews 12 2 almost sealed the deal for me the reason I say almost is because there was such an avalanche of texts a tidal wave of texts that it would give the wrong impression to say that one text did it by itself. But if anybody would have said to me in those early days, gun to your head, you got one verse for Christian hedonism, for the pursuit of joy in the Christian life, what would it be?

4:34 I think I would have said Hebrews 12 too. Why? Because Hebrews 12 too is about Jesus. And Hebrews 12 too is about why he went to the cross and how he endured to go to the cross. So if this is how Jesus lives and if this is how Jesus got to the cross,

5:01 would this not be the way to live the Christian life? Would this not be the very essence and the heart of what it means to follow after him? The cross is the ultimate test. And so for me, Hebrews 12, 2 became the ultimate text, at least as it relates to Christian hedonism. the cross is the single greatest achievement in the history of the world and jesus fully divine fully human the god man is the single greatest man in the history of the world so whatever motive or whatever psychology or whatever ethic Jesus had that got into the cross, that's what I want to know.

5:59 That's how I want to live. Then, still today. And Hebrews 12 too, if you have a copy of God's word, you might want to go to Hebrews 12. I'm going to point out a couple of verses there. We're going to stay in that area. Hebrews 12.2 says that Jesus endured the cross for the joy that was set before him. That's the motive. That's the psychology. That's the ethic. The holy pursuit of joy.

6:33 So that's it, right? Case 12. That's how Jesus did it. Christ is the ultimate Christian hedonist. Hebrews 12.2 settles it. not so fast. I came to find out there was a wrinkle with Hebrews 12 too. I love this text so much. I sought to live it. I would quote it frequently. And soon I learned that some people would come back with this translation issue.

7:05 See, what's this translation issue? They said there's an unexpected preposition. oh what is that let me explain the unexpected preposition the word for for so for the joy set before him the word for for is the preposition in Greek on t you don't need to know that which can also be translated instead of in some context it's like Luke 11 11 what father among you if his son asked for a fish will instead of a fish give him a serpent that's instead of in some context so in the New Testament there's like 22 of these in New Testament in some context it clearly means instead of and in other places it clearly means for the sake of to do it for something to obtain something but at first glance if you only look at verse 2 Hebrews 12 it's not clear what it means so let me set it up for you here the two readings of Hebrews 12 2 depending on how you read that little preposition the first one is the one most of us know as most of the translations do it this way. Jesus, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. So here's the picture.

8:37 Joy is in the distance. Joy is on the other side, so to speak, of the obstacle in the middle. And the obstacle is the cross. But looking to the joy set before him, he endures the cross. That's the first one. Here's the other way. Some people want to read it. Jesus, instead of the joy that was set before him, endured the cross. Did you hear how that changes it? So now the joy set before him is joy at hand. And if he grabs the joy in front of him, he gets off the track and doesn't go to the cross. So he's got to forsake or abandon the joy set right before him that he might obey the father's will. Those are the two options. Hopefully you hear that difference. One casts joy as an incentive for going to the cross. The other casts joy as enticement away from the cross.

9:43 one says that Jesus did it for the joy the other says Jesus went to the cross despite the joy you might say one feels stoical and one feels hedonistic so which is it?

10:04 I'll admit as a young seminary student this felt very threatening. If you got tunnel vision on verse two, you might say, oh my, have I been reading this precious Christian hedonistic verse wrong? What if joy wasn't Jesus's holy motive for going to the cross, but the pursuit of his own joy was the temptation he had to overcome to obey his Father.

10:41 And if Christian hedonism isn't true for Jesus, is it not true for me? now I don't think we lose Christian hedonism or the pursuit of joy in God to the glory of God in the Christian life if we lose Hebrews 12 too but I don't think we lose Hebrews 12 too and I don't want to lose Hebrews 12 too and so here's what I want to do in these last few minutes that I have with you. First, we need to address what does Hebrews 12 to really say? And I wanna pull for you three reasons from the context. I think I can give you eight or 10. Let me just give you three from the context. If you're open to Hebrews 12, you can stay right there. I'll give them to you from there. And then I wanna end with the question very briefly, what does this then show us about Jesus and about ourselves under the theme of unusual humanity.

11:48 So first here, what does Hebrews 12 really set? When you only look at verse two, it can be tough to get your bearings on the question. But you broaden out just a little bit. I'm saying just a little bit of broadening to Hebrews chapter 12. Now I'm gonna pull one from the back half of Hebrews 11 and you can get a very solid and sure sense about what Hebrews is communicating here about Jesus, what we need to know about him and what we might imitate and celebrate. So let me point out those three reasons. Number one, call this our race. And by race, I'm not talking about anthropology, but athletics. If you know Hebrews 12, one to two, our race. This is verse one. the previous verse includes the same idea of something being set before or something lying before but the thing that's lying before is not at hand it's in the distance look at verse one since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely and let us run with endurance same verb there endurance the race that is set before us.

13:09 Hopefully you're familiar with that passage and the Christian life as a race. We have a race set before us in verse one and there is joy set before Jesus in verse two. These two belong together. They shed light on each other. It's an athletic image in these two verses. Runners in a race with a prize at the end. and a race has this future orientation to it there's a road there's a path there's a track and it keeps going on to the finish and so what's set before a runner in the distance is a reward he looks to a prize a joy to get to the end to the finish so verse one is a powerful powerful indicator that for the joy set before him in verse 2 is the joy he looks to not the joy he abandons the joy he looks to to endure the cross number two Esau's failure this is chapter 12 verse 16 just a few verses ahead later in the same chapter Hebrews uses this same preposition, auntie.

14:28 It sounds like how we say auntie or aunt. Grew up in the South, aunt, Aunt Julie. How do Aunt Julie? In Minnesota, we say aunt. Auntie, this little preposition. This is the only other time Hebrews uses it and it's in the same chapter and it gives a really clear sense for how he might have it at hand in verse two. and very clearly here it means for not instead of so look at verse 16 Esau sold his birthright for a single meal right he didn't sell his birthright instead of a single meal that makes sense rather he sold it for me you might say Esau sold it to obtain a meal the prospective meal was his prize, his reward, his joy. And so looking ahead to the meal, it's a failure for him.

15:25 But looking ahead to the meal, he trades his birthright. So verse 16 in the same chapter, only other use of this preposition in Hebrews means for the sake of a future anticipated joy or prize. Last indicator here. This one's most important because it's contested at first and then the meaning becomes really clear. This might be most significant of all. Look at Hebrews chapter 11, just back a little bit, verses 24 and 25 about Moses. This is Moses' example in Hebrews 11, 24 to 26. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.

16:20 Now, if you stop right there, the other side, the instead of people are going to say, see, just like that, just like Jesus. Rather than enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. So instead of the joy set before him, Moses chose mistreatment with the people of God. Same for Jesus. Instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin, instead of the joy set before him, Jesus endured the cross. It might sound tough at first. It might seem like it works. Then you look at the next verse and it all falls apart. Verse 26 tells us why Moses did not choose to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin precisely because he was choosing a greater joy.

17:21 Verse 26, Moses considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt for he was looking forward to the reward and anticipating what Jesus would do in looking forward to the reward of going to the cross. In other words, Moses did it for joy. And when you take a step back, look at the whole book of Hebrews, the case is just closed. It is slammed shut. Nowhere does Hebrews appeal to us to forsake joy for mere duty. Rather, the very drumbeat of Hebrews from the very beginning over and over again is this refrain, better, better, better. Listen up, I want you to go with what's better.

18:16 I want you to do what's better. Jesus is better. His covenant's better. His hope is better. His work is better. Hebrews appeal to what's better for his hearers comes over and over again. Why would he depict Jesus as doing the opposite? Faith looks to eternal pleasures. Sin tempts us with thin, hollow joys. Faith looks to thick, solid joys. Over and over again, Hebrews emphasizes better, better, better. Faith does not reject holy joy for mere duty.

19:05 Faith tastes in Jesus a deeper, thicker, richer, more enduring joy than anything that sin has to offer. So let me close in with our two quick implications. One's about Jesus, the other's about us. And they lead right into what John, we'll be doing in a few minutes with 2 Corinthians 12.

19:29 And the banner over this event, as Marshall mentioned, was unusually human. So in what sense might we talk about Jesus as unusually human? The first thing we need to say about Jesus is that he's fully human. When we say unusually human, we're not taking back any of his full humanity. He's fully God, fully man, and one person. Fully human body, emotions, mind, will. Hebrews says Jesus had to be made like us in every respect.

20:11 And then two chapters later he says, we do not have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. So there's a way that Jesus is unusually human. He's fully human. Sin is dehumanizing. Sin is subhumanizing. The fact that Jesus is without sin doesn't take away any of his full humanity. That's one way. But what about Hebrews 12 too? The unusual humanity that's highlighted by Hebrews 12 too is that Jesus endured suffering for the joy set before him. That's unusual.

21:11 I don't know who you know. I don't know who you are, what kind of family you come from, but the kind of humans I know and I'm around, that's unusual. To seek joy is one thing. To endure suffering. That's another thing. Most humans do what they can to avoid suffering. If we're pursuing some goal and we encounter some suffering, we might just fold at the first obstacle of pain or shame. but Jesus looked beyond the pain, beyond the shame to the joy that was set before him. And through tasting that joy by faith, despite the excruciating, literally excruciating obstacles and shame before him, Jesus endured and finished his race and achieved the single greatest accomplishment in the history of the world and sat down at his father's right hand.

22:23 His obedience was both fully human and unusually human. Finally, then what does it mean for us? And this leads into where John will be going in a few minutes. If we could just say one thing here about being unusually human, we would talk about how we handle suffering. How we respond to pain and to shame are opportunities to be unusually human like Jesus, rather than typically human like the world.

22:59 The life of Christ and the death of Christ and the motivating joy of Christ are a call to be unusually human in pursuing a joy that glorifies him and especially so in our suffering. We love that phrase, that desiring God, especially in suffering. The joy that we're talking about that glorifies God is a different kind of joy than the world experiences at Disneyland or that the world experiences in good food and drink and automobiles and nice clothes and endless screens, which we'll talk about later. there's a different kind of joy we're commending here tonight let me close here with maybe my favorite paragraph from john's book seeing and savoring jesus christ it talks about this kind of joy great image he says the carefree merriment of a ballroom gala and irrepressible joy in a Russian gulag are not the same.

24:22 One is tripe, the other triumphant. One is blip, the other is glorious. There is a pasted smile that has never known pain and it doesn't make for a good pastor or a great savior but Christ is a great savior. No pasted smile on this Jesus who's endured the cross for the joy set before him. So Jesus was unusually human in how he responded to the threat of suffering and shame and he calls us and he empowers us by his spirit to join him in that unusual humanity. Let's pray. So Father in heaven, we thank you for your son.

25:18 We begin this night in praise of him, celebrating the gain that we have in him. And can it be that we should gain an interest in Jesus? Father, thank you for him in the fullness of his humanity and divinity in one person, living for us, dying for us, rising again, providing our salvation, and now showing us this in the very sacrifice of the cross, showing us this unusual endurance through joy. Father, we want to have that kind of joy, a different kind of joy by your Holy Spirit in the person of your son. And pray you would be working on us and be pleased to even grant us that tonight in our gathering together.

26:10 In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.