“For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed”—Isaiah 50:7.

This prophetic statement from Isaiah is a picture of the resolute Savior. Flint is known to be one of the hardest stones in existence. The Bible makes it clear that there was no flint in the heart of Jesus. But there was much in His face. He was as resolute as He was submissive. At Calvary He did not hide His face from shame and spitting (Isaiah 50:6). Through it all, gentleness and resolve were married. Even a short while before the crucifixion, the scriptures said of Him in Luke 9:51, “He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.”

In Jesus there was no turning aside, though no one helped Him and everyone seemed to be hindering Him. He was neither confounded by thoughts within His soul nor made ashamed by the scorn of others.

Another author said it this way: “In the heart of Christ, where reigned perfect harmony with God, there was perfect peace. He was never elated by applause, nor dejected by censure or disappointment. Amid the greatest opposition and the most cruel treatment, He was still of good courage”—The Desire of Ages, p. 330.

Christ’s steadfast resolve was tested as no other person’s on Planet Earth. People offered to make Him king. His relatives sought a very different career for Him. The one who ate bread with Jesus betrayed Him. Disciples forsook Him and ran. People conspired to destroy Him and, in response, He could have called legions of angels. The notion of coming down from the cross never had greater appeal. When He cried “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?,” the mocking multitude responded, “Let us see whether Elias will come to save him”—Matthew 27:49. But neither pain, thirst, fever, fainting, desertion, or death could move Jesus from His invincible resolve. The Redeemer had set His face like a flint!

What a marvelous exhibit of resolve for the glory of God. Like Jesus, our strength must hold on to God’s strength. Isaiah 50:10 declares: “Who is among you that feareth the Lord...? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.”

The faithful of all ages have endeavored to imitate the strong resolve of our Lord. Said one peasant, dying as a martyr on a Scottish scaffold, “I came here to die for Christ, and if I had as many lives in my hand as I have hairs on my head, I would lay them all down for Christ.”

Faith in God is the foundation for steadfast resolve. And firm resolve is the best preparation for a difficult undertaking. The harder Christ’s work became, the more determined He became. You could not turn Him from His mission or melt Him into self-pity. He was fixed upon His task. He must die because He must save His people. And He must save His people because He loved them better than Himself. His face was set like flint, but His heart was pure as gold.

As I reflect upon the face of Jesus, I am reminded of the immortal words of William H. Bathurst:

“O for a faith that will not shrink, though pressed by many a foe;
That will not tremble on the brink of poverty or woe;
That will not murmur or complain beneath the chastening rod,
But in the hour of grief or pain, can lean upon its God.
As faith that shines more bright and clear when tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear, in darkness fears no doubt.
Lord, give me such a faith as this, and then, whate’er may come
I’ll taste e’en here the hallowed bliss of an eternal home.”

As we go about the task of fulfilling the gospel commission, may we model the resolve of Christ while also possessing a heart of compassion for souls.

Donald G. King is president of the Atlantic Union Conference and chairman of the Atlantic Union College Board of Trustees.