Courage and Joy
Jesus was in agony. He was in anguish. He was deeply troubled in His spirit. Why? Because there was death in front of him; there was pain, there was hardship, and as He struggled on His knees in the garden of Gethsemane, it was evident He didn’t want to do it. Then He said to His disciples, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death” (Matt. 26:38). He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me” (Matt. 26:39). But even still, he continued, “Yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus chose to go through with it, the pain, the great suffering. He chose it all. That’s courage, indomitable courage! Where did it come from? What animated Him in the face of that hardship? The book of Hebrews tells us, “for the joy that was set before him he endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrew 12:2). He didn’t let any danger, any obstacle, and the fear and the trouble that it produced in His soul keep him from fulfilling God’s calling on His life to redeem His people. It was joy that inspired Jesus in the face of hardship, and therefore, He became our greatest example of courage.
Joy? Really? Was it joy? The Word says it was, so let’s look further.
G. K. Chesterton, a Christian apologist, defined courage as “a strong desire to live, taking the form of a readiness to die. Courage is when the desire for the good thing overcomes fear of the obstacle. It’s an overcoming.” Recently, I encountered an insightful quotation about courage attributed to Mark Twain: “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, and not the absence of fear.” Recently a Christian leader expanded the quote: Courage is “a stable habit of the heart that masters the passion of fear, especially by the power of a deeper desire for a greater good.” And what’s the greater good? What’s the deeper desire? If you think about a parent running into a burning building to save a child. Rescuing the child is the greater good, and then there’s the obstacle, the fire. The desire for the child overcomes the fear of the fire, even in the face of death.
When we look in the New Testament (Philippians 1) and we see Paul in prison in Philippi, he’s confident. His eager expectation and hope-filled joy is that he won’t be ashamed. With full courage, he will honor Christ, whether by life or by death. Because living is Christ and dying is gain. “ I (Paul) eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil. 1:20-21)”. Like Paul, as believers, we understand that through our willing sacrifice. We’re going to get more of Jesus. Obeying Him is better than anything. He strengthens us to face the danger, the hardship, and the fear of death that’s in front of us, because Christ is gain. Paul was in prison, facing the possibility of his own execution, but he was not despairing or depressed. He was joyful and hopeful. He does not view his imprisonment as a setback. Instead, he views it as an opportunity for gospel advance. He preaches to his jailers and proclaims the good news about Jesus to the whole palace guard. He seeks to make Jesus impossible to ignore among his captors. He brandishes the Word without fear.
“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, 13 so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; 14 and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12-14)
What’s more, Paul expects to be delivered, no matter how his situation unfolds. He expects that God’s Spirit will empower him to magnify Jesus, no matter what the cost. Paul has a Christ-treasuring courage in the face of potential loss and death. For him, to live is Christ and to die is gain, and this reality brings him courage and joy in the face of opposition, imprisonment, and death. “What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice.” (Phil.1-18)
Courage is contagious. Boldness spreads. Fearlessness is infectious…
When Paul’s brothers and fellow workers saw his courage, their confidence in the Lord grew. Paul’s courage was contagious. When they caught it, their own courage grew. They were literally encouraged by Paul’s courage. And because Paul’s courage was rooted in seeing Christ as his greatest treasure, then his confidence and that of his brothers and fellow workers was not rooted in Paul but in Christ alone. They were confident in the Lord and their confidence in the Lord produced courage. They were emboldened by Paul’s courage and spoke forth the word without fear in the face of every opposition. Then their courage rebounded back to Paul and strengthened his own faith. He had heard that they, inspired by his example, were preaching the gospel of Christ sincerely and he rejoiced in this news. Paul’s joy was so full. He continued by encouraging them to stand fearlessly and join him in his joy-driven courage. He told them that they too must stand firm together, strive for the faith of the gospel, and fearlessly preach the good news together. The lesson of Philippians 1 is clear. Courage is contagious. Boldness spreads. Fearlessness is infectious. And when these virtues are caught, Christ is magnified…the result… joy, joy, incomparable joy!
