How would you like it, if in one of your darkest moments, someone sat next to you and said, “Be of good cheer!” Yeah, me too. I think I would give them a look that said, “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I’m having a really hard time and you’re telling me, “Be of good cheer?”
Jesus says this exact thing to five people. In fact, these are the only five times this word, tharseō (thar-seh’-o)—meaning to take heart, have courage, or be of good cheer–is used in the Bible. Being Jesus, it was the exact right thing to say to each of these people and I’m going to show you why.
The Paralytic
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
Matthew 9:2 (NKJV)
A paralytic in these times would have lived in poverty, dependent on family and the generosity of others for their livelihood. They were not able to work. They literally were good for nothing, looked down on by society. What a depressing way to live! Be of good cheer? Really?
But Jesus gives this man, in his destitution, something to finally have courage to do. Walk. His sins forgiven him, he is now whole body, mind, and spirit.
In what area of your life are you paralyzed? Have faith in Christ to make you well so you may be of good cheer and walk in the Holy Spirit and overcome your paralyzation.
The Disciples on the Sea of Galilee
After a long day of ministering to the crowds, Jesus makes his disciples go before him and go to the other side of the sea of Galilee. They were all tired. They had ministered to the crowds late into the day. They were hungry, but the crowds remained, so Jesus fed them. Thousands! They needed to get away and be refreshed, so they departed on the journey on the sea that is about thirteen miles long and eight miles wide. Let’s say they took the shortest path to their destination–that’s still a long way to go late into the night after an exhausting day.
Jesus stays behind to refresh his soul, by himself, in the presence of his Father. Around 3am-6am, the boat was in the middle of a rough windy sea when the disciples were scared out of their minds, for they thought they were seeing a ghost appearing out of the dark horizon.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”
Matthew 14:27, Mark 6:50b (NKJV)
As I mentioned, “be of good cheer” can also mean “have courage.” And Peter did gain courage as he walked out on the water toward Jesus, no longer afraid.
Are you too exhausted to see Jesus’s presence in your life? Are you so tired from facing daily trials that it’s hard to see how God is there with you? Get out of the boat and be of good cheer as you run towards Jesus. He’s there to catch you when you fall.
The Woman with the Flow of Blood
Jesus was famous. Everywhere he went, the masses crowded around him. He couldn’t walk through a town without being swarmed by people. Can you imagine it?
As he went, a woman followed behind him. She’d been suffering for years with a flow of blood. This means that, for twelve years, she was ceremonially and socially unclean. “According to the Jewish ideas of the time, if this woman touched anyone, she imparted her uncleanness to them, an uncleanness that would not allow them to take part in any aspect of Israel’s worship,” says commentator, David Guzik. She was probably cast out by her family and friends, lest they too become unclean. Not only that, but she spent her life savings on doctors, so was impoverished as well. What a destitute life!
This poor woman hears about Jesus’s miracles, sneaks in behind him and touches the fringe of his garment. Immediately she was healed.
And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?”
When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ”
But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately.
And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Luke 8:42-50 (NKJV)
Not only should she be of good cheer, but she needed to know that it wasn’t the act of touching his tassel that healed her, but her faith. And then he tells her to go in peace. After the tragedy her life was for the past twelve years, now she can now have peace.
Are you lacking peace in some area of your life? Have you been dealing with a trial so long that you can’t see any other way to overcome it? Be of good cheer for Jesus is there to help you resolve your issue and give you peace.
The Disciples Concerning Death and Persecution
In John 16, Jesus gives the disciples a stern warning of what they will be facing in the future. He was preparing them for two things. First, his death, and second, the persecution of the early Christians by the Jews. The disciples didn’t understand what he was talking about. Several times Jesus warned them and they struggled to understand. They were with their messiah and they didn’t understand that he needed to die, that they were to pick up where he left off, and that their ministry would be hard. What Jesus was telling them seemed really dark and disconcerting. They didn’t understand the necessity of Jesus leaving them, nor of their persecution after he was gone.
But then Jesus tells them about the Holy Spirit. He comforts them by telling them that, even though he will be gone, he will send a Helper. While the disciples would grieve his absence, they will also have joy…greater joy than when he lived among them.
And suddenly they finally understood what he was telling them.
Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
John 16:31-33 (NKJV)
What would they have to “be of good cheer” about when he was gone? That Jesus has overcome the world.
Are you depressed thinking about the future? Is there an unknown in your life that is making it hard to live in the now? There are two things you must be of good cheer about as you remember: that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to help you through this time and that he will someday return to free you from your pain.
Paul Held Captive in Jerusalem
Much like Jesus, Paul walks to Jerusalem to be killed. After three tours of ministry, Paul knew his fate was to die at the hand of the Jews; killed just as he had killed Christians before his conversion to Christianity. Many warned him not to go, hearing from the Holy Spirit that danger was ahead, but the Holy Spirit made it clear to him that he was meant to go anyway. And sure enough, not long after arriving in Jerusalem, much like Jesus, the Jews falsely accused him of breaking the law and wanted him dead. Thankfully, the Roman soldiers came to his aid and saved him from being flogged. But, he was locked up in prison.
But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”
Acts 23:11
Here Paul is, sitting in prison thinking he is about to die, and Jesus comes to him! “Be of good cheer, Paul,” Jesus says. “Your ministry is not over. I need you in Rome.” And sure enough, through his imprisonment, he is eventually transferred to Rome.
Is God calling you to do something that seems impossible? If it’s truly the Holy Spirit, be of good cheer, for God will make a way.
Paul Emulates Jesus
I find it very interesting that Paul uses another word in a difficult situation. that can also be translated “be of good cheer.” I also find it interesting that it’s not the exact same word that Jesus uses, but one like tharseō.
Euthymeō means to put in good spirits, gladden, or make cheerful. Many translations use the phrase, “take heart.” This is a bit different than saying, “to take courage,” but the way Paul uses it is similar to how Jesus spoke to him.
We already looked at how Paul was imprisoned in Jerusalem. From there he spent two years in custody in Caesarea. He then boarded a ship for Rome, and now we catch up with him during a massive storm where the men feared for their lives.
But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island.”
Acts 27:21-26
In this passage, Paul is trying to encourage the men in the face of danger. He knows something they don’t because his God told him so. He has faith that God will see them through it. I think that’s the difference between the people Jesus said tharseō to and the people Paul said euthymeō to is that the people Jesus was talking to had faith in him, whereas the people Paul was talking to didn’t.
That said, Paul modeled Jesus’s encouragement in the way he spoke to these faithless men. Shouldn’t we, also, model Christ in this way?
What storm are you facing in your life that seems impossible? Will you make it through to the other side? Take heart, for you serve a faithful God who will rescue you.
Why should I be of good cheer?
Did you notice something? Every time we see “Be of good cheer,” the word is immediately followed by a reason to take heart.
“Be of good cheer” → “Your sins are forgiven”
“Be of good cheer” → “It is I; do not be afraid”
“Be of good cheer” → “Your faith has made you well”
“Be of good cheer” → “I have overcome the world”
“Be of good cheer → “You must also bear witness in Rome”
“Take heart” → “There will be no loss of life among you”
“Take heart” → “I believe God that it will be just as it was told me”
There are many reasons to be of good cheer. Because Christ has forgiven us. Because he is here with us through his Holy Spirit. Because we have a faith that heals us. Because Christ is Lord of all. Because Jesus has given us a purpose, a ministry, in this life. Because we can believe in God’s word.
We need to know the reasons to be of good cheer in our cheerful days so we can be comforted in the days when we need the reminder. What is the biggest reason to be of good cheer? Because Christ has come and Christ will come again!
Bethany Marinelli is an author and speaker out of Orlando, Florida. She also supports her husband, Andrew, in his auto repair business and homeschools her son, Arthur.
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