Kids understand that joy in life is found in missions. For
example, when I ask my kids what they’d like to be when they grow up they never
respond by saying they want to sort paper or plan business meetings. Instead
they say things like “I want to become a baseball player, a cellist, a marine
biologist or a veterinarian.” Kids intuitively understand that joy in life is
experienced through meaningful pursuits—through adventurous missions.
This past week a friend prompted me to consider the
“joy” that motivated Christ in Hebrews 12:2 to endure the cross. What brought
Jesus the joy that could overshadow the cruelty of the cross? We find the
answer in the context that precedes the verse. The chapter before Hebrews
twelve is referred to as the Hall of Faith. In chapter eleven several Old
Testament “faith-heroes” are highlighted. The chapter concludes by telling us
that the faith of the heroes was not perfected, or their joy was not made full,
until we—the reader today—receives a better faith than they had. That’s what is
meant in Hebrews chapter 11 verse 40 when it is written:
“God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.”
In other words the Old Testament giants of faith such
as Abel, Enoch, Abraham and the rest would only experience the fullness of joy
when their faith was received by us in Christ. The faith of the Old
Testament heroes was passed down from generation to generation, it was made better
in Christ, and ultimately it was received by us. It was at this point that
their faith was perfected—their joy made complete.
Joy is the resulting experience for a Christ-follower
when their faith in Jesus is passed on to another person. Jesus’ joy was the
setting-in-motion of this great mission—the ability to pass along our faith in
Him to others.
I hope my kids don’t lose the lesson like
so many adults have as they “mature.” The lesson being: “Joy in life is
experienced through meaningful pursuits—through adventurous missions.” I hope
my kids learn that the greatest joy in life is experienced through the greatest
mission in life—through the passing along of their faith to others. There is no
greater adventure.
