A Look at the Fierce Strength of Jesus in Hardship :

The strongest men in life are those that learn to persevere through suffering and hardship. This ability to push through and stay focused on their mission is what makes men successful. The victory goes not to the most talented man but rather to the man who does not give up when faced with difficult times. This kind of grit always serves men well in life.

Contents hide

1 Jesus: Persevering through Hardship

2 The Savior that Can Relate

3 No Silver Spoon

4 Doing Hard Things

5 Confronting Opposition

6 Dealing with Rejection

7 Being Misunderstood

8 Called to Be that Man

Jesus: Persevering through Hardship

As I thought about this past Christmas, my thoughts naturally turned to Jesus Christ. As mankind, we have much to celebrate regarding Christ. Jesus Christ is God’s gift to us. In him, through faith, we have the opportunity to seal our eternal destiny and know where we will end up when we breathe our last. He paid the price for our penalty. He paved the way through his death and resurrection for us to be reconciled to God, the Almighty Consuming Fire. There is great freedom in knowing this is settled.

Though the eternal reasons will always be paramount, there are additional reasons men should look to Christ. One of those reasons is that in Christ, we have a model and a source of power to push through hardship in this life. Jesus was a man that persevered through tough circumstances, suffering, and hardship. He did this without sin, honoring God in everything he did. He demonstrated a resolve and strength that every masculine man should strive for. He was a solid rock, and through it all, remained steadfast in his purpose and his mission.

In this, he provides us with a model to do the same. He desires to express his power in our lives so that we too can overcome and honor God in hardship.

But what hardships did Jesus face and overcome? How do they relate to modern men who desire to persevere through difficulties and live strong lives today?

The Savior that Can Relate

For we do not have a high priest (speaking of Jesus) who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:15

Jesus knows the common battles of this life because he lived them. He knows by firsthand experience. He walked through challenges similar to those we face and did it in a way that honored God.

His strength was proven out in hard times. So when we face hard times, we know we have a Savior that understands. He felt and experienced the impact of tough times. He knows the stress that hardships put on the body, mind, and soul. He is a Savior that gets us because he is one of us.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he (Jesus) himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery …
Hebrews 2:14-15

… he (Jesus) had to be made like his brothers in every respect … because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18

No Silver Spoon

Think about how Jesus came into this world. He did not enter into human history like a king. In this, we see the wisdom of God. After all, how many people would be able to personally relate to royalty?

Jesus was born in a barn. He was born in an animal pen among animals. This had to be a hard birth for Mary, unsanitary, and full of risk. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of an overcrowded town with people struggling to find shelter for the night, Jesus was born. The magi did not show up until later when they were in a house. A few shepherds were directed by God but to most, his birth went unnoticed. The most significant life in history was born as if he were the least significant of all. Right from the start, Jesus came into this world in a tough situation.

Almighty God sent the Savior to us through a family that lived in the background of life. Joseph and Mary were common people living a common life. To the majority of mankind, they were “nobodies.” Yet, they were chosen by God to give birth to the Savior of the world. I like that about God. He picks many “nobodies” to become somebody in his plan. I am grateful for that.

So Jesus came into the world the son of a blue-collar worker. Joseph was a carpenter. So I am certain that Jesus experienced hard work, sweat, and dirt under the fingernails. He knows what it feels like to be tired and sore due to a hard day’s work.

Because of this, we know Jesus can relate to the hardships of the common, hardworking man. He can relate to the men that are often the backbone of any society, those that work with their hands. The truth is we have a Savior that understands because he has experienced the struggles of the daily grind.

I like thinking about these things in regards to the life of Jesus. Jesus wasn’t born into this world with a silver spoon in his mouth. In many ways, it was just the opposite. I think this is why people so easily related to him. This made him down to earth and approachable. He was/is the type of man most of us can relate to.

Doing Hard Things

Right from the start, we read about Jesus traveling into the wilderness alone. He spends 40 days in the wild without eating. While there, we are told he was with wild animals (Mark 1:13). In those days, in that area of the world, “wild animals” included bears, leopards, wolves, hyenas, jackals, and wild boars. So he had encounters with some of these animals.

Often we don’t take the time to really think about how hard a man Jesus was. I’ve slept in the wild in a tent, many times. I have encountered wild animals many times. Jesus did not have modern equipment for those 40 days. Jesus also didn’t have my 7mm Remington Magnum rifle or my 9mm pistol by his side. Jesus was a hard man that endured hard things.

When Jesus was at the end of this 40-day battle, Satan came at him rapid-fire with strong temptations. In his weakest time, he was tested. He had no food for 40 days, had been battling the elements, had been battling wild animals, and then was tempted by Satan. It is worth stopping and really thinking through what that would be like.

Now think about how we respond to hardship when we’ve gone two hours past our normal mealtime and get a few hours less sleep in our soft bed! When we are tired and hungry, we often miss the mark. Our behavior is rarely strong in these conditions. But Jesus did not back down. He went toe to toe with Satan and came out the other side in victory.

Jesus had to be a strong man, physically, mentally, and spiritually to do this. Enduring this kind of discomfort, hardship, temptation, and maintaining the frame to honor God through it all requires a level of strength few men have. He won these battles and, in doing so, provided great lessons in how we can win similar battles in our lives. Not only that, but we now know if we face the same, we can have victory in his power. He wants to show us this power in our lives.

I also think about Jesus facing violent storms in a boat on the sea. One time he was on the sea with his men, several of whom grew up on the water as fishermen. The storm was so bad even these men were panicking. When they looked to Jesus for help, they found him sleeping! They had to wake him up. He got up and chastised them for their lack of faith and calmed the storm.

Jesus was always in control of himself. Even in the worse conditions. He was a powerful man that was able to face hard situations and remain under control. He was a hard, resilient, tough man. This is a point that needs to be emphasized more often. These are things that made Jesus a model of strength for all men.

Confronting Opposition

Jesus understands the stress and pressures of confrontation. He confronted his opposition openly, always outnumbered and often on their home turf. Many times the men in his group seemed to cower into the background while he hammered down. There were times when Jesus was so bold it made his guys really uncomfortable. But he continued to confront the religious leaders of the day and point out how they were dishonoring God and their position as leaders.

Jesus stood toe to toe with these men even though they were the most powerful men in that culture. He spoke truth with power and conviction, knowing he would offend them. He did all of this while they were threatening to kill him. He never backed down! Jesus was no wimp. He was bold and courageous and fought the good fight.

Now think about this. The spirit of Jesus resides in those that know and follow him. The same spirit is bold, powerful, and courageous. That should challenge us to step out in faith more often. What would happen in our lives if we started stepping out from the background and led in the power of Jesus? I believe our part of the world would be revolutionized.

For more on Jesus confronting the leaders of his day read Luke 11:37–54, Matthew 23:1–39, Mark 12:35–40, and Luke 20:45–47

Dealing with Rejection

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief …
Isaiah 53:3

… when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.”
Mark 3:21

Now the betrayer (Judas) had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you came to do.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
Matthew 26:48-50

… about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:46

One of the hardest things we can experience in life is rejection. This is especially true if it comes from someone close to us. Rejection comes with heart-wrenching pain. It can be the source of many destructive things in a man’s life. These can derail him and make him ineffective if he does not know how to handle rejection. When rejected it takes great mental strength to stay on course and continue in your mission.

Jesus understands the pain of rejection. He experienced rejection from his nation, from his home town, from his family, from those closest to him in his inner circle, and on the cross from God himself. He is familiar with this pain. Rejection was common throughout his life. Yet Jesus stayed the course. He remained true to his purpose and his mission. Jesus gained strength from God and honored him in the midst of being rejected often.

We have a Savior that understands rejection and has overcome it. And now he is our source of strength to also overcome.

Being Misunderstood

When I think about Jesus and rejection I realize that Jesus was often misunderstood. He was misunderstood by the majority of those he came to save. He is still misunderstood by most people. Even those who eventually followed him misunderstood him while he was alive on earth. His family, those in his inner circle, those he came to save, a high majority of people Jesus made contact with, did not understand him or his mission. It wasn’t until he died and arose that God began to reveal his purpose and mission and what he accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection.

There is much to learn in the example of Jesus. In his power, we too can pursue our mission without concern for whether or not others understand. We do not always have to be understood. We just need to stay true to the purpose and mission God designed specifically for us. We need to stay the course. We cannot succumb to the pressure to justify ourselves before others and explain ourselves all the time. We need to grow in our faith so that we, too, are okay with being misunderstood.

Called to Be that Man

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2

There are many more examples of Jesus overcoming hardship in life. We only looked at a few. But the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible are full of them (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John). I think about Jesus praying in the garden before his death on the cross, and even the strength he showed in the beatings leading up to his crucifixion and finally his death on the cross. I would encourage you to read through these books again, thinking about the situations and how they show the incredible strength of Jesus. It is well worth the time!

As I read, I see the physical, mental, and spiritual strength in Jesus. He was a tough, masculine man on mission with a clear purpose given by God. This is the type of man I want to be. This is the type of man we should all want to be. We should strive to be strong in body, mind, and spirit and on mission with a clear purpose given by God.

Jesus stayed the course. He fixed his eyes on the mission and the purpose. With grit and determination, he pushed on. While enduring all these hardships and pains, Jesus looked ahead and saw the finish line. He could see that it would all be worth it. He was confident in his purpose, and he knew the mission God the Father gave him. He endured, and in the end, he achieved victory over sin and death.

… because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Hebrews 2:18

And so we look to Jesus as our Savior, our example, and our source of power. By faith in his power, we do the work to develop strength in body, mind, and spirit. We become capable men, strong in our mission, strong for our wives, children, and those we do life around. This is the life men are called to live.
We are called honor God, be true to the man in the mirror, and be a rock for those around us. Men, lets be that kind of man!

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In your corner,