Jesus Cheered

What Did Jesus Do?

Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14.27

No, Jesus didn’t go around cheering,

“Peter, Peter, he’s my man!
And on this rock my church will stand!”

But the Lord’s presence, His teaching, His faith, His hope, His prayers, His assurance of the Kingdom, and His trust in the Father, all these cheered those around Him. In fact, Jesus so cheered the people that they actually cheered Him in to Jerusalem on what we know as Palm Sunday, shouting,

“Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
Matthew 21.9

It was only right that the people should be pronouncing blessings on the Son of David, after all, very early in His ministry, Jesus had cheered them by promising blessings to the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, those persecuted for righteousness sake, and those persecuted and reviled on account of the Lord. (See the Beatitudes of Matthew 5.2-12)

Teaching like no rabbi ever heard before, Jesus cheered those in attendance at the synagogue in Capernaum. Why His authority was such that even unclean spirits obeyed Him! And immediately, the excited people started to spread the name of Jesus throughout Galilee. (Mark 1.27-28)

When a desperate woman who had been healed when she dared to reach out and touch Jesus’ cloak fell down in fear and trembling before the Lord He cheered her, saying, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” (Mark 5.34) When word reached Jairus that his daughter had died, Jesus cheered him with these words, “Do not fear, only believe.” (Mark 5.36)

A despised chief tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus was so cheered when Jesus told him, “I must stay at your house today” that he all but jumped out of the tree which he had climbed in order to get a look at the Lord, and spontaneously repented of his sins and promised unprecedented restitution to any he may have cheated. (Luke 19.1-10)

Having told His disciples that His death was imminent, Jesus cheered them by promising that they would be parted for only a short while and that, upon seeing Him again, their sorrow would be turned into joy. (John 16.20) And, when the time came that He was to return to the Father, Jesus cheered the apostles by assuring them that, even though He would be in heaven, He would also be with them to the end of the age. (Matthew 28.20)

Dour and grim Christians, and there is no shortage of them, would seem not to know the Jesus of the Scriptures, who was a consistently cheering presence and friend to all who were broken, discouraged, frightened, and lost. Do we set out each day to cheer others by our countenance, our actions, our faith, and our words? That’s what Jesus did.

S.D.G.

Jim
www.jimwilkenministries.org
Marion, NC
PS 37.4