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THE SECRET DEEDS OF JESUS CHRIST THAT MADE HIM GREAT: part 2

As we look into the very important steps that made our Lord Jesus Christ the greatest on earth and much more in heaven, here is yet another simple step into His greatness before or after this. Our Bible verse for this step is in the book of Hebrews 12:2 that says,
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
This verse is one of the most memorised verses of scripture among the believers, particularly that phrase "the author and finisher of our faith". If you asked 100 believers to quote this verse offhand, hardly could you see 20 that could do so without leaving out the rest of the verse. Yet the verse holds one of the major keys into the treasure of heaven. The verse alone contains three sentences that separately express the manifestation or outcome of three steps of action in relation to completion of one after the other. And as we aim to reach the level of Jesus Christ, "The Firstborn," Romans 8:29, the aim that Apostle Paul passionately pursued, Philippians 3:10-11, it's imperative that we look into this verse more than ever before.

The first thing that Holy Spirit commands us to do from this verse is that we "look unto", "focus on", " watch", "concentrate on", " attend to", "devote", etc. to Jesus Christ.
Among other things we should know about God the Father as Christians is that God will not recommend something or someone, if they haven't met His standard in certain situations. 
Even about Jesus Christ, until the day of transfiguration when Jesus Christ had already gone a considerable length into His ministry, God had only attested to His personality and person, not recommended Him. He first said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Matthew 3:17. This is just an attestation to His person as a son. But on the day of transfiguration, God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him," Matthew 17:5. This is a recommendation confirming that He had met the standard of God the Father in everything. So we want to ask, 'Why does God recommend Him to us in this verse?' Because He has achieved the aim and greater essence of Christian faith,
"...set down at the right hand of the throne of God;"
also study Ephesians 2:6. That's where God wants us to be as much as He wants us to become like Jesus Christ himself, Romans 8:29. That's is His greatness here.

Another question to ask ourselves is, 'How did Jesus Christ achieve this greatness?' For it is not by being born by virgin Mary, nor because He was a Jew or because He was taught by a group of temple great teachers or because He did something exceptional particularly in this context as we have already discovered in Part 1 of the series and in the introduction to the series on the sources of His greatness; but what the Bible says the reason for this greatness among other things He did is that,
"...who...endured the cross, despising the shame,"
So we see that it was not by any other means that He achieved this greatness except that He endured the pain and the shame of the cross. He was not moved by the statement that said, "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree," Galatians 3:13, Deuteronomy 21:22-23, but
He achieved His aim by casting aside such discouraging ideology and sentiment for He understood that it's not what happens, but how it happens that matters.
Therefore, the source or reason for His greatness is that He endured demeaning situations just for the sake of His goal. Endurance is the secret here. So if we endure pains and what the world has termed as shameful, even from the religious (not spiritual) perspective in all our dealings, heavenly endorsed greatness will surely pursue us for even Holy Spirit attests to this through Apostle Paul when said, "If we endure, we will also reign with him," 2 Timothy 2:12.

My dearest, our Father is always with us. Let's endure the situation a bit longer.

Also read The Secret Deeds Of Jesus Christ That Made Him Great: Part 1 and Part 3. Or Introduction to the series. Go back home. 
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