This was my first time preaching in Russian again in about 15 months, after getting "stuck" in America due to the war in Ukraine. I was in countless pulpits in the USA from March to December 2022, but not speaking in Russian. I delivered this sermon at the Baptist church here in Wrocław Poland where I have now been, as of this date, one day shy of a full month.
Revelation 6:10 They cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
"How long, Lord, how long?" - cried the souls of the saints in the book of Revelation.
Has such a cry ever risen from the depths of your soul to God? I'm sure it has. Perhaps especially in the last year, more than ever, but certainly not only. For life is always, even in relatively happy times, a challenge, often a path of tears, sometimes a desert in which there is no room for rest or refreshment. At such times our hearts cry out to God, "How long, Lord, how long?"
Let me offer an unexpected answer to this question that at first will seem the very opposite of comforting, but bear with me--by the end of the sermon things should be clearer. And so, the answer I have in mind to the question "How long?" is: "Forever."
Hebrews 12:2 ...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
[AT THIS POINT IT WAS NECESSARY FOR ME TO SPEND A FEW MOMENTS CLARIFYING SOMETHING ABOUT THE RUSSIAN TRANSLATION, SPECIFICALLY AN EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE MOMENT IN THE TRANSLATION OF THIS VERSE WHERE, INSTEAD OF "FOR THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM' IT READS 'INSTEAD OF THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM', WHICH HAS LED TO MANY CREATIVE, IMAGINATIVE BUT WRONG INTERPRETATIONS AMONG RUSSIAN/UKRAINIAN-SPEAKING BELIEVERS AS TO WHAT THIS JOY WAS THAT JESUS TURNED DOWN, THE MOST COMMON EXPLANATION I'VE HEARD BEING THAT THE "JOY" THAT HAD BEEN SET BEFORE HIM AND HE'D DENIED WAS THE DEVIL'S OFFER TO RULE THE KINGDOMS OF THE WORLD. IT'S A GOOD TRY, OF COURSE, BUT SIMPLY WRONG, BECAUSE THE CORRECT TRANSLATION THERE IS NOT "INSTEAD OF" BUT "FOR," AS IN "FOR THE SAKE OF, IN ORDER TO ATTAIN." SO THAT IS WHAT LIES BEHIND THE WORDS OF EXPLANATION FOLLOWING.... I BEGAN BY QUOTING THIS PHRASE FROM THE POLISH BIBLE, TO ILLUSTRATE IN A LANGUAGE THAT WOULD BE CLOSE ENOUGH TO RUSSIAN/UKRAINIAN FOR THE CONGREGATION TO IMMEDIATELY HEAR/FEEL THE DIFFERENCE. IN POLISH THE WORD FOR "FOR" IS "DLA" WHILE IN RUSSIAN/UKRAINIAN IT'S "DLYA," AND THE REST OF THE PHRASE IS ALSO SO CLOSE TO RUSSIAN/UKRAINIAN THE CONGREGATION IMMEDIATELY GOT THE POINT.]
Polish: który dla wystawionej sobie radości...
The Greek word here, translated "for" in the Polish Bibles (and English and German and Spanish and French and pretty much all the other Bibles in the world!) can mean both "instead of" and "in exchange" or "in return," just as for example we hand over money in a shop not in order to not receive, but to receive something. "Instead of" our money we'll have what we wanted to get, precisely because we gave up the money FOR it.
Which of these nuances the Greek word contains depends completely on what's being talked about, i.e., the context. And the whole context here in Hebrews insistently and dramatically tells us that the Lord suffered in order to realize and receive the joy that was set before him. If we fail to grasp this, understand this, then we are missing a profound lesson about our own life's journey.
In Hebrews 11 the writer carefully builds and emphasizes one powerful theme, i.e.: God's saints in the Old Testament always had their eyes fixed on a certain horizon, on the promise of God ahead of them, and for the sake of the promise set before them they endured everything - yes, even when they did not receive the promise in this earthly life. The writer brings this story to its climax, its peak, of course, in the person of our Saviour Jesus, who likewise kept His eyes fixed on the promise and joy set before Him and for its sake, not against it, He endured, here on earth, everything, right up to the unspeakable torment of the cross and punishment for our sins.
His sufferings came about not instead of joy, but for the joy that finally arrived when He sat down at the right hand of the Father, not only to the fulfillment of God's redemptive design but to the justification of the faith of the Old Testament saints who endured everything for the joy set before them, the joy of God's promise. They, to the best of their capacities, and Jesus in the fullness of His perfection, put into practice what these words from the Sermon on the Mount call us all to do:
Matthew 6:33-34 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
In the Sermon on the Mount the Lord calls us to strive, as the main goal and meaning of our life, for His eternal kingdom. Do you see the connection? Here the Lord is talking about exactly what the writer to the Hebrews was talking about. "Seek first" means "constantly and with all your heart". It means "set your eyes on the kingdom" and "never stop, never give up". The Lord says "and all these things shall be added to you", which means we mustn't make "all these things" our driving aim and obsession. If we need 'all this', the Father will give us "all this," but that's His concern, while ours is to trust in Him. Our concern, our task, is to 'seek first the kingdom of God'. Step by step, day by day, fulfilling now what He has given us to do now, regardless of what happens tomorrow. This is exactly what Jesus did, right up to the cross. He continued to walk through Galilee, glorifying the Father, even though His path led to the cross. He continued to walk through Samaria, glorifying the Father, even though his path led to the cross. He got on a donkey and rode into Jerusalem, allowing the people to exultantly hail his arrival, even though his path led to the cross. Day by day, step by step down the path indicated by the Father. Why? Because that path led to the cross and...beyond. How long does the path go on? Infinitely. "How long, Lord?" "Forever."
And that is the whole point. That is the essence of our faith.
The Way is eternal, infinite. "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." Jesus embodies the Way we've been made part of, and that Way goes on forever and ever. How long will we walk on this Way? Forever.
How long, Lord, how long? Eternally, forever.
No, course, the sufferings and difficulties, the sorrows and hardships we endure along the way are not eternal, but the WAY is, because the way is His. Never wish for the way to end. It won't. It will lead directly to the kingdom that we "seek first."
And for this joy that awaits us, we, like the Old Testament saints and, in the ultimte sense, in the likeness of "the Author and Finisher of our faith," endure the suffering and sorrow that encounter us on our earthly way, never forgetting that the way is His, we are His, and the road is His, paved by His body and blood.
That's why I said that, in a certain sense, the answer to the question "How long?" is "Forever". Not injustice, not crime, not evil, which will all be destroyed by the fire of God's holiness, but the Way that will guide us safely through it - that is forever. And we're already in this way, on the way, the neverending path, whatever the fleeting sufferings we must face.
Thanks to this, with new eyes, with reborn eyes, we look and perceive everything, in everything we see a concrete step closer to eternity, a genuine stage in the approach of God's kingdom and the Day of the Lord.
The Lord Jesus was approaching Jerusalem because nothing in heaven or earth could hinder the approach of the Father's kingdom of glory. Jesus was not just moving in that direction; no, His every step mirrored the approach of the Father's kingdom in His direction. And guess what? The same is true of us, for He made us part of His infinite journey, of His approaching glory.
Let's read about how the Lord Jesus fueled the approach of the Father's kingdom by, Himself, approaching the cross and what awaited Him beyond the cross.
(Read Matthew 21:1-11)
Now picture Jesus riding into Jerusalem, and the people waving palm branches, shouting: "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Among them you see the jubilant, closest friends of Jesus. For them this is the beginning of the kingdom on earth. They cannot imagine that in just a few days they will flee in fear and forsake Jesus. There are also those in this crowd whose lips are still and whose voices are silent and whose eyes are full of hatred. They want to destroy this Jesus. He is dangerous to them, He threatens their authority. Among the crowd there are also those who have little or no idea what is going on. They may never have heard of Jesus of Nazareth before - they just heard the commotion, came to see what was going on, and joined in the fun and excitement, so here they are shouting along with the rest, not even knowing why! Such is the power of crowds. A very dangerous power.
Jesus knows all this and, knowing it, rides on - the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, presenting Himself to God for all those standing here, giving Himself up for them, surrendering Himself in love to the Father.
The real glory of the so-called Triumphal Entry is hidden in the heart of Him who "for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame". He knew. And because He knew "what for," He never retreated. Only forward. No other direction in God's infinite way.
Matthew, in recounting the events of that day, quotes the prophet Zechariah, whose words were fulfilled in the Triumphal Entry. However, Matthew does not mention in this gospel Zechariah's further words, only a few verses after the famous prophecy.
Zechariah 9:11 As for you also, because of the blood of my covenant with you, I will set your prisoners free from the waterless pit.
In this prophecy resonate the Lord's words at the Last Supper: "This cup is the cup of my blood, the blood of the covenant."
To "set the prisoners free," by offering His body and blood, this is why Jesus rode to Jerusalem that Sunday in Palestine two millennia ago. This too was "the joy that was set before Him". Not for the hosannas that sounded that day, but for you and me, for every soul that has ever received and will ever receive, while there is still time. For time does not stop, but races forward. Just as we are racing on to the consummation.
Only forward. There is no other direction on God's infinite path. Only forward.
Brothers and sisters, not everything ahead is wonderful.
But everything wonderful is ahead.
Of course it is. Where else would it be if not ahead?
There is no other direction, no other way, no other life, no other truth, except for Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. And having Him, we have everything. So, forward! With Jesus. No matter what, every step is a step of triumph, because His way IS eternal triumph.
