TEXT: John 12:27-28

SUBJECT: Attributes of Christ #2: Bravery

Four weeks ago at the Lord’s Table, we began a monthly study of the Attributes of Christ. I chose the time carefully because—in recalling what the Lord did for us--we must not forget Who did it.

For most people, Jesus Christ is a vague and uncertain figure obscured in the darkness of ancient history. In fact, He is the most clear-cut Man in the world! No one is described more truly and fully than He is. The Gospels are real history written by men who saw Him, who listened to Him, who touched Him and—moved by the Holy Spirit—who left us a perfect record of His character and His work: of what He did and what He was. Peter says,

Though they did not tell us everything we’d like to know about the Lord, they told us everything we need to know about Him. Last month, we looked at His great wisdom. Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived: people came from the end of the world to hear him—and no one went home disappointed. But when men watched and listened to the humble carpenter from Nazareth, they said,

They were right: In Christ "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge". This means we can rely on His Word. Whatever the experts say, we know our Lord knows best.

But that was last time. Today, we’ll take a short look at the Lord’s bravery.

What does it mean to be brave? Most people would say it’s the opposite of being afraid. But the definition won’t do! Both stupidity and pride will make a man unafraid. He rushes in because he doesn’t know what’s there. Or, he stands up to great danger because, if he backs down, his friends will laugh at him. Russian Roulette is dangerous, but the man who plays it is not brave; he’s stupid and vain.

True courage respects danger and accepts it as part of doing God’s will. It does not like danger or look for it, but when scary things get in the way of duty, courage fights through them.

The Lord’s bravery is on wonderful display in our verses. He knows what lies ahead for Him—and shudders at the prospect. There’s no machismo in the Lord—no strutting around like a big man! He knows what a cross is—and recoils from its pain and humiliation. But if going to the cross is His Father’s will, He goes to the cross.

This is not a one-time act; the Lord was always brave. We see His courage, first, in the wilderness. After His baptism, He marched off to the desert—without food, water, a guide or anyone to come get Him if He needed help. He had nothing but the command of God. Which He obeyed without flinching. That’s courage.

We see His bravery in His early sermons. The first thing He preached was repentance. That is, He told people they were not okay with God and if they were to have His favor, they had to become new creatures! The words were spoken, you recall, to the Jews of the First Century, who were the most self-righteous people who ever lived! He knew they had a way of shutting up preachers, but He didn’t shut up. He told them what they needed to hear—not what they wanted to hear.

The first detailed sermon of His is even bolder. It was in the synagogue at Capernaum. The people knew Him well and respected Him as a reader and teacher of God’s Word. But one Sabbath He read from Isaiah about the Messiah and then said,

In other words, "I’m the Messiah!" The claim was not a safe one to make. To call yourself Messiah also made you a rival to King Herod, to Caesar, and to the Ruling Court of Israel. Now, since none of the above was eager to give up its power, to make such a claim put you in grave danger. But the Lord accepted the danger because He cared more for the Gospel than He did personal safety.

And note, too, how open and clear He was in making the claim. He didn’t tell a few trusted friends, but announced it to the whole synagogue. And He didn’t speak in riddles, but in plain English! (well, not English, but you know what I mean!).

As the months and years went by, His preaching became even riskier. He denounced the most powerful men in Israel. He called Herod "a fox" and the Hebrew Council things a lot worse than that! …

Again, He said these things openly—and often right to their faces! His sermons were often met with menacing words, and sometimes, even with an open attack on Him. Once they tried to push Him off a cliff; another time, they took up stones to kill Him. And the record we have is not even close to being complete! Who knows how many times He put His life on the line to preach the Gospel?

His choice of friends was an amazing act of courage. Being a gifted teacher, He might have climbed the social ladder and become somebody in Israel. Poor boy makes good! Carpenter meets the king; unlettered rabbi lectures the doctors of the Law. All very alluring.

But instead of choosing this way of life and the friends that came from it, He went the other way, befriending fishermen—and even publicans! He didn’t crave approval; He didn’t want to be cool. He was satisfied doing God’s will. If God is the friend of the poor, the uneducated, the dregs, then His Son will be too!

Though the Lord was brave His whole life long, He was doubly brave in the shadow of the cross. Think of:

The Last Supper. He was among friends and one of them was a traitor. He could have sicked them on Judas and never been betrayed. But He didn’t. Though He knew who the traitor was, He did not expose him to wiggle out of danger.

The Prayer in Gethsemane. Never was a Man in greater agony of soul than our Lord was that night. Think of the desperate praying and sweating great drops of blood. Oh, how sweet it would have been to get out of His duty (or even to postpone it), but He’ll have none of that!

The Arrest. When the authorities came to arrest Him, it was night. And it was hard to see a man by torchlight. When they came to the Lord, they asked if He knew where Jesus of Nazareth was. He might have said, "He went thatta way!" But He didn’t. Despite the churning stomach and the throbbing head, He said,

The courage of an angel does not impress us because—evidently—an angel cannot be threatened or hurt. But the courage of a man—a real man with all the nerve endings that you and I have—is impressive. The Russian novelist and survivor of the Soviet labor camps said, "There is always something more they can take away from you".

The Lord Jesus Christ was totally exposed to the wrath of Satan and the malice of bad men. There was nothing more they could have taken from Him. Yet He stood firm and did His Father’s will.

That is courage.

The Lord’s courage makes us respect Him. You can like a coward, but it’s hart to take him seriously. But Jesus Christ can be taken seriously—and must be. The fear you owe to God equally belongs to Jesus Christ.

His courage makes us love Him. His hands didn’t like the nails any more than your hands would. Yet they took the nails for your salvation. Oh, how His bravery to die for sinners ought to make sinners love Him and delight in His Word and service!

His courage sets an example. How many of us are manly when it comes to witnessing or doing the right thing even if it costs us dearly. It’s so easy to bargain with your conscience, but it is not right. You’ll be afraid whether you trust God or not. But trusting God will give you the power to not yield to your fears. And to be like Christ.