NOTES for Heb 12:1-4
Paul writes that Jesus endured the cross “instead of the joy set before Him.” We are so accustomed to the fact that Jesus came to earth, became incarnate, and became one of us in order to die for us. It seems so obvious—everything was for our salvation. We simply forget that, by His very divine nature, the Son of God was destined not for death at all, but for joy. What He did for us is by no means self-evident. It would have been far more natural for Him to come in glory, with a host of angels, and sit upon a throne over the whole earth. The small problem is that our salvation would not have been accomplished. And so today the apostle Paul reminds us WHAT Jesus did for us and how far it was from being self-evident. This thought can also sustain us in our temptations: when we want to take the path of least resistance, it is worth remembering that an easier path was fully available to Jesus too...