Hero?

 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.Hebrews 12:2  NASB

Joy set before him– Our final example of joy connects the ideas we found in the Pauline writings to the role of the Messiah.  This author describes the comprehensive work of the Messiah.  He is both author and perfecter of faith.  The Greek term, archēgós, means that Yeshua is the founder and leader.  The translation “author” might be understood as originator, as if Yeshua were the one who brought faith into existence. This view relies on the fact that the word archḗ can mean beginning (as in Hebrews 1:10, “from the beginning”).  The word can also be understood as “power” or “dominion.” But archēgós, found in this verse, needs some nuance.  There are several possibilities:

1. The “hero” of a city, its founder or guardian; b. the “originator” or “author” (e.g., Zeus of nature or Apollo of piety); c. “captain.” Philo uses the term for Abraham, and once for God, while the LXX mostly has it for “military leader.” In the NT Christ is archēgós in Acts 5:31: we bear his name and he both looks after us and gives us a share of his glory, especially his life (3:15) and salvation (Heb. 2:10); he is also the archēgós of our faith both as its founder and as the first example when in his death he practiced his faith in God’s love and its overcoming of the barrier of human sin (Heb. 12:2).^[1]

If we translate archēgós in this way, then we are not necessarily forced to treat Yeshua as if he originated the faith.  He serves as the hero, leader, example, and overseer, assigned by YHVH to carry out this role and provide a witness to God’s faithfulness.

Coupled with this is the idea of “perfecter.”  The Greek term is tĕlĕiōtēs, better translated as “finisher” or “one who completes.”  Unfortunately, the original sense of “perfecter” has been lost in English as it was first connected with reaching a goal, not with mathematical certainty.  The Latin perfectus, meaning, “completed, excellent, accomplished,” or “exquisite,” merges the two distinct ideas so that we often confuse “complete” with “excellent” when we use the word “perfect.”  Therefore, it is important to recognize that the Greek text here does not imply “without defect, excellent,” but rather “finished.”  Yeshua is the one who acts as our leader assigned to oversee those who follow YHVH and he is the one who finished the task, ensuring that the process of first-fruits could be applied to all who serve him.

With this background, the author of Hebrews notes that despite shame and suffering, Yeshua remained resolute because “of the joy set before him.”  The question is:  What was this joy that was so powerful it motivated him to endure the vicissitudes of his mission?

We should recognize that the author has more in mind than execution on the cross. It is probably accurate to say that the whole mission of the Messiah was fraught with shame and suffering, perhaps not always physical.  He experienced rejection, abuse, misunderstanding, blame, criticism, betrayal, and skepticism virtually throughout his ministry.  Even when he provided evidence of divine authorization, he was typically misinterpreted and rarely given thanks.  The emotional and psychological suffering and shame accompanied him every day.  Of course, this does not diminish the torture of Roman execution, but it reminds us that whatever this particular quality of joy is, it must have been present from the beginning of his ministry or before.

Perhaps the enormity of the assignment provided some motivation and contributed to “the joy set before him,” but I suspect that even this would not have been enough to see him through.  His prayer in the garden before arrest indicates just this.  A joy that overwhelms even self-doubt must be more powerful than simply the importance of the mission.

It seems to me that the quality of joy powerful enough to inspire unflagging commitment to this arduous assignment must come from the grandeur of the result. The value of the goal must be enough to motivate its accomplishment.  Perhaps an example from our own experience helps us understand.  What parent would not immediately sacrifice himself or herself if the result was rescuing a loved child from immediate threat to life?  The sacrifice is not the motivating factor.  The love of the child is.  The goal is to ensure that the child does not die, and the parent willingly does whatever is necessary to accomplish that end. Perhaps the joy set before him was motivated by the love of those who would be rescued and the love of the God who sent him.  Joy is, therefore, a product of love.  It is not the goal itself.  It is the experience that comes about when the goal of love is accomplished.

In the end, this verse in Hebrews provides a summation of what we have learned about joy.

Topical Index: archēgós, leader, tĕlĕiōtēs, finisher, joy, Hebrews 12:2

^[1]Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament: Abridged (p. 83). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.