LOOKING UNTO JESUS. Hebrews 12:2 “Looking unto Jesus” means looking steadily to Jesus, who offered Himself as the Author and Pioneer of our salvation. The Author: the Source, the Originator, the Cause, the Beginner, the Head Inventor, the Captain, the Leader, the Pioneer of faith. “Looking unto Jesus,” who has finished the work given Him by the Father, focuses our attention on the Finisher: The Completer, the Last, the Rewarder, the Perfecter of faith and of our salvation, who has ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. As the Author and Finisher of our faith, He holds the place and role of ultimate authority.
When we concentrate on the Finisher of our faith, we will endure the pressures against us, cross the obstacles before us by the power of God, and finish the race with joy. We follow Him who led the way, going before all believers to the goal; He was the perfect embodiment and model of faith. The Joy (His motivation) set before Him was to bring glory to God, to honor God, to bring redemption to the world, and to do the Father’s will.
He endured the cross (His endurance) as a humble, obedient servant of God, “obedient to death, even the death of the cross.” He endured patiently, personally, and painfully as He suffered to bring us to God. In His humiliation, He died as one “cursed by hanging on the tree.” Despising the shame (His attitude), the dishonor, the disrespect toward one crucified; the disgrace, disgust, and infamy toward one who was crucified, He put away sin. This reminds us that any humiliation or suffering those who look unto Jesus are called to endure is far outweighed by the glory that shall be revealed in the future.
When we follow His faith, we will experience what He values despite shame, sorrow, and suffering. There is joy in obedience, joy in the fellowship of His sufferings, and joy in the fellowship we share with suffering saints who find their joy in Him. We will have joy in the glory and exaltation of our Lord, which we will share with Him forever. Our joy is in knowing the value of all He has accomplished and of what He enables us to accomplish for His glory. Particularly, we find our joy in Him personally.
We look unto Jesus, who lived, suffered, and died by faith because He was obedient to the Father. He walked by faith in His incarnation, always looking to the Father, doing the Father’s will, and pleasing the Father. Jesus believed without reservation as the Author and Finisher of our faith. He was perfect in faith, from the highest place in heaven to the lowest place on earth – He trusted in God. His motives were the glory of God and the blessing of God’s people. He sat down (His honor): in perpetuity, in dignity, in honor, in happiness, in triumph, to present a finished work.
Many examples are given of those who ran and obtained, yet they all failed at some point. The Lord Himself ran the race before us, and He is our best guide. He began and ended His life in faith. He ran the whole race from beginning to end without failure. He is the “Perfecter of faith.” In suffering, He demonstrated His perfection. His every moment was spent in absolute dependence on God. Every word and act was in response to the Father’s will. No circumstance shook His faith, even when it led to hunger, scorn, or death. If we run “looking unto Jesus,” we will see how He acted, where His strength came from, and the patience He had. He endured the cross, the shame, and the mockery of sinners. He was derided, smitten, and spit upon by creatures of His power. He was dragged by them as a low malefactor, numbered among the transgressors, the song of the drunkards, a proverb to them, and reproached.
He began as the Author of (the) Faith; He carries it on as the Maintainer of (the) Faith; and He concludes it as the Finisher of (the) Faith. I am reminded of my mother, who, during her daily reading, wrote her thoughts, “Looking unto Jesus,” as a form of challenge, praise, and worship to her Lord. We look back and see what He has done for us. We look at the present, at what is being done in us. We look at the future, at what will be given to us, and I worship here before my Lord and Savior.
Looking unto the Lord Jesus today, I review the faith He originated, the grace He manifested, the redemption He provided, and the blessings He has bestowed, by virtue of who He is and what He has done. All eternity will never be able to fully contain the value of what He has done. I look back at Him and thank God for what His work on earth has accomplished. I look at Him in the present and see Him as the Great High Priest mediating for us today. I look at Him in the future and await the visible evidence of His glory put on display for all to see through the ages yet to come. I worship Him in all the worth of His Person.