"But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." [Gal 4:8]
Jesus holds many titles and many functions. One of these is that of Forerunner. As it says in Hebrews,
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the unchangeableness of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus…” [Heb 6:17-20]
Jesus is He who has ran before us in this great race of faith. As it is written, Jesus is “the Originator and Completer of the faith; who for the joy being set before Him endured the cross.” [Heb 12:2] Jesus, our Great High Priest, our Elder Brother, our King, has ran before us unto heaven in complete victory, gloriously enthroned in heaven as “The King of Glory,” [F.f., Psa 24:7] being “highly exalted…and given…a name which is above every name.” [Phil 2:9]
Our Lord did not just run and finish the race, being a victor by one or two strides: He zealously and overwhelmingly conquered, fulfilling all righteousness and paving the way for all men to be saved. As it is said of Jesus when He overturned the tables in the temple, “the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.” [Psa 69:9, Jn 2:17] Jesus’ zeal and passion for God is unmatched, even as it is written regarding His attitude toward sin, “thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” [Heb 1:9] Jesus was zealous toward God and for righteousness above all His brethren, above all the apostles and anyone else who loved God or presently loves and follows after God. Surely of Jesus’ intensity and zeal, none would argue. Again, Hebrews says to us,
“For consider Him that endured such opposition of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your souls. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.” [Heb 12:3-4]
Jesus was exceedingly passionate about righteousness, resisting temptation and sin even unto bloodshed, whereas there is hardly a man among us who has done such a thing. And Jesus did not just suffer for us, being tempted as a normal man, but He was exceedingly tempted, insomuch that it could be rightly said, “for we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our weaknesses; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” [Heb 4:15] Jesus had to endure the harshest degree of temptation and trial in every area, that this verse might rightly be true and laid hold of for any man who would.
To understand this point more, let us turn our minds to diets and exercises. Have you ever seen a proposed diet or exercise and wondered if it really works? Have you ever seen the boastful claims of this thing or that, and wondered if it really did all that it claimed to do? Through Jesus’ life, we can be assured that a zeal for God and for righteousness is well worth it. We can be assured because Jesus tested it as it were to the uttermost. Jesus took the law and as He said, fulfilled every jot and tittle of it. [Mt 5:17-18] Jesus completely gave Himself for us, and without reserve plunged Himself into this work of salvation, emptying Himself [Phil 2:7] and coming to earth to live as us. He took God’s word and law at face value and to the furthest possible degree, exercising all faith and obedience, so much so that we can look at the results of Jesus’ life and be assured that we might find the same result if we live as He lived. For again, as it is written, “whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.” [Rom 10:11]
The pursuit of God and His righteousness is not as a shabby commercial, whose paid actors have not even tested the claims. Nor is it as a fat man peddling a miracle diet, proving through his experience the diet does not even work. No, but Jesus was The Word who became flesh, [Jn 1:14] who tabernacled among us, who fulfilled the righteousness of the law in all aspects, and has proved to us and shown us the assured and certain results, seeing that He rose from the dead.
So then, let us pursue on to know The LORD, resting our minds upon His faithfulness to grant us the same promises and results that were granted Jesus, our forerunner. As certain as the sun will rise, is as certain as Jesus’ example is for us. “Let us know, let us pursue to know The LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” [Hos 6:3] Let us take heed to the verse for today, and be zealous always for God, knowing that we shall not be ashamed.