The theme of Hebrews 11:29-12:2 is to encourage faithfulness.
The theme of Hebrews 11:29-40, which concludes a segment that began in 11:1, is to bring ancient examples of faithfulness. The author utilizes the rhetorical tool of epanaphora, or repetition of key words, to highlight the importance of the key term, faith. The focus of faith in this chapter is on human acts and attitudes.[1] Issues of "faith" and the act of "faithfulness" were central concerns of the author of Hebrews. The author uses the word more in this epistle than in any other book of the New Testament. Chapter 11 uses it 24 times. This entire unit is almost wholly focused on what has occurred "by faith" throughout the history of God's people.
Hebrews 11: 29-38, we have further examples of righteousness, obedience, and those tested by suffering. 29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians attempted to do so they were drowned. The commendation for this group of people is striking because the author holds them up as the prime negative example of disbelief (3:19) in chapters 3-4. They serve as testimony that one act of faithfulness does not inoculate against all future possibilities of disbelief. One’s faith is not solidified in a moment, but, as the author will assert in chapter 12, by a lifetime of endurance (12:5-11). Nevertheless, the comparison with the Egyptians does serve to highlight the faith of the Israelites. Both groups took the step of walking through the sea, but, according to the author’s retelling, the faith of the Israelites made the difference between miraculous survival and death. 30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace. Her story is in Joshua 2 and 6. James will also ponder whether God justified “Rahab the prostitute” by her works when she welcomed the Hebrew messengers (2:25). Rahab believed the Israelite report, became a believer, and was a gracious host. Talk about a truly uncommon choice in a litany of faithful role models -- Rahab! Although some translations and commentators have tried to rehabilitate Rahab as some sort of "innkeeper," her job description in the Hebrew is clearly that of a "secular (as opposed to a temple) prostitute." Nevertheless, the author singles out Rahab here as a paragon of faith because, like Abraham and Moses, she had faith in the future. Trusting that God was with the Israelite spies, she bravely cast her lot with them, believing in God's promises. She recognized that the future belongs to Israel and Israel's God (Joshua 2:10-11) and helped the "spies" escape. Although the fleeing Israelites had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate their lack of faith later in the Exodus story, at this crucial moment in their salvation history their faithfulness stood strong. The Egyptians who pursued hot on their heels felt the watery weight of the Red Sea crush down on them. While the Egyptians had the courage and daring to attempt to cross over, absence of faith sealed their fate.[2]
In Hebrews 11: 32-38, he offers a quick history from the judges to the Maccabees and some closing words. In verse 32-34, the author makes a compelling case that the readers are to imitate the faithful rather than become apostate. 32 And what more should I say? The author calls to mind a multitude of examples, all the while protesting that he has not the time to do so. Quickly, the author lists six ancient heroes. For time would fail me to tell (the participle that refers to the author is masculine — the only explicit indication of the author’s gender in the entire sermon) of Gideon (Judges 6-8), Barak (Judges 4-5), Samson (Judges 13-16), Jephthah (Judges 11-12), of David (the founder of the royal dynasty) and Samuel (the end of the judges and the first in the extensive line of prophets) and the prophets. The list is unusual for some of the heroes inventoried were renowned for hesitation, poor judgment or rash behavior. Among those highlighted, there were notable character flaws as well as enduring faith -- think of Barak's hesitancy; Samson's entanglement with Delilah; Jephthah's horrible, boastful promise; David's moral failure. The point is that judges, generals, warriors, and kings received promises of a better kingdom. Some scholars look upon verses 33-34 as a poem about the heroes of the faith. The author provides just what the hearers need to know about these figures by providing a very succinct list of their achievements of faith. Nine short clauses describe what these people who trusted in God achieved 33 who through faith (1) conquered kingdoms, (2) administered justice, (3) obtained promises. Through faith, God delivered them from peril: (4) the prophet Daniel shut the mouths of lions (Daniel 6:22), (5) 34 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego quenched raging fire (Daniel 3:27), (6) escaped the edge of the sword (Elijah fled from Jezebel in I Kings 19:1-8). Further, they (7) won strength out of weakness. Paul also saw how the Spirit helps us in our weakness so that even we do not know how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us (Romans 8:26). As Paul dealt with his thorn in the flesh, he heard God say to him that the grace of God was sufficient, for power perfects itself in weakness, leading Paul to boast in his weakness so that the power of Christ would dwell in him (II Corinthians 12:9). Further still, like David confronting Goliath (I Samuel 17) and leaders ranging from David to Judas Maccabeus, they (8) became mighty in war, (9) put foreign armies to flight. In verses 35-38, another series of clauses describes who they are in the world's eyes: shamed and defeated humans; but from God's perspective loyal followers of God, who trust in God's work. The vocabulary here resonates with Maccabees, part of the apocrypha. The author continues to inventory the horrors. He may or may not have had historical episodes in mind. (1) 35 Women received their dead by resurrection. He refers to the widow of Zarephath (I Kings 17:17-24)[3] and the Shunammite woman II Kings 4:8, 18-37).[4] Even in these astonishing cases, the focus of the author is on the faith of the women, not on the actions of the prophets (Elijah and Elisha). Nevertheless, this talk of "resurrections" serves to shift the author's attention away from triumphant works accomplished by faithfulness to the triumph of faith itself in the lives and deaths of believers. While the faith of these women resulted in wondrous resurrections, the faith of others now mentioned leads to a future victory -- a "better resurrection" that is beyond mere physical revival. These young men received just a temporary stay of the power of death. A final victory over death would come only in endless life with God. The author contrasts these women with others not so fortunate. (2) Others were tortured, refusing to accept release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. They maintained their loyalty to God and trusted in the reward God would give to the faithful who suffered torture. They rejected the easy escape and instead endured suffering to receive “a better resurrection.” (3) 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. Pashhur struck Jeremiah and put him in prison (Jeremiah 20:2).[5] Officials in Jerusalem had Jeremiah beaten and imprisoned (Jeremiah 37:15).[6] (4) 37 They were stoned to death, (5) they were sawn in two, (6) they were killed by the sword. In the quite different list of faith victories, we have a list of triumphs that ended in extended hardship and even martyrdom for the faithful. Despite their pain and torture, we remember them for their unwavering faith. Tradition has the prophet Isaiah sawn in two during the reign of Manasseh. (7) They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, persecuted, tormented. Not all died, but they lived less like humans and more like wild animals, always shadowed by their enemies. Going around in sheepskins recalls Elijah's garments, as does his hiding from Jezebel in a cave. Here the author has the clothing associated with the living conditions of a faithful prophet on the run. For the punishments in verses 36-37, consider the following.
And Joseph's master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. (Genesis 39:20)
4 when Jezebel was killing off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets, hid them fifty to a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) (I Kings 18:4)
He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away." (I Kings 19:10)
and they took Uriah from Egypt and brought him to King Jehoiakim, who struck him down with the sword and threw his dead body into the burial place of the common people. (Jeremiah 26:23)
1 Now the priest Pashhur son of Immer, who was chief officer in the house of the Lord, heard Jeremiah prophesying these things. 2 Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. 3 The next morning when Pashhur released Jeremiah from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, The Lord has named you not Pashhur but "Terror-all-around." (Jeremiah 20:1-3)
The officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of the secretary Jonathan, for it had been made a prison. (Jeremiah 37:15)
20 Then the spirit of God took possession of Zechariah son of the priest Jehoiada; he stood above the people and said to them, "Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, he has also forsaken you." 21 But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him to death in the court of the house of the Lord. 22 King Joash did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. As he was dying, he said, "May the Lord see and avenge!" (II Chronicles 24:20-22)
But Judas Maccabeus, with about nine others, got away to the wilderness, and kept himself and his companions alive in the mountains as wild animals do; they continued to live on what grew wild, so that they might not share in the defilement. (II Maccabees 5:27)
[Ascension of Isaiah, 150-200 AD]
ON account of these visions, therefore, Beliar was wroth with Isaiah, and he dwelt in the heart of Manasseh and he sawed him in sunder with a wooden saw.
2. And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, Belchira stood up, accusing him, and all the false prophets stood up, laughing and rejoicing because of Isaiah.
3. And Belchira, with the aid of Mechembechus, stood up before Isaiah, [laughing] deriding;
4. And Belchira said to Isaiah: 'Say, "I have lied in all that I have spoken, and likewise the ways of Manasseh are good and right.
5. And the ways also of Belchira and of his associates are good."
6. And this he said to him when he began to be sawn in sunder.
7. But Isaiah was (absorbed) in a vision of the Lord, and though his eyes were open, he saw them (not).
8. And Belchira spake thus to Isaiah: "Say what I say unto thee and I will turn their hearts, and I will compel Manasseh and the princes of Judah and the people and all Jerusalem to reverence thee.
9. And Isaiah answered and said: "So far as I have utterance (I say): Damned and accused be thou and all they powers and all thy house.
10. For thou canst not take (from me) aught save the skin of my body."
11. And they seized and sawed in sunder Isaiah, the son of Amoz, with a wooden saw.
12. And Manasseh and Belchira and the false prophets and the princes and the people [and] all stood looking on.
13. And to the prophets who were with him he said before he had been sawn in sunder: "Go ye to the region of Tyre and Sidon; for for me only hath God mingled the cup."
14. And when Isaiah was being sawn in sunder, he neither cried aloud nor wept, but his lips spake with the Holy Spirit until he was sawn in twain.
The author then notes that while the world despised them, from the standpoint of faith we can conclude: 38 of whom the world was not worthy. (8) They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground. The author seems aware of the Jewish history of martyrdom under Antiochus IV, recorded in II Maccabees 6-7[7] and IV Maccabees 5-18. For the reference to “caves and holes,” consider the following.
Others who had assembled in the caves nearby, in order to observe the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their regard for that most holy day. (II Maccabees 6:11)
They celebrated it for eight days with rejoicing, in the manner of the festival of booths, remembering how not long before, during the festival of booths, they had been wandering in the mountains and caves like wild animals. (II Maccabees 10:6)
Hebrews 11: 39-40 are closing remarks. 39 Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 since God had provided something better so that they would not, apart from us, be made perfect. But just as this parade of faith has nearly reached the church door, the drumbeat stops and the Preacher halts — or, more accurately, pauses. He stares at the congregation for half a beat, then sweeps his arm in a slow backward movement, as if to wend his way back down the pathway his words have just traveled, as if to gather in a single gesture the whole assembly of faithful ancestors. … Then he says, slowly and deliberately, these telling words: “Yet all these, though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised” (11:39). All that faith, all that righteousness, all that suffering, all those endless miles of journeying, and they “did not receive what was promised.” … the protest “But why?” begins to rise in their throats. Before it can find a voice, though, the Preacher explains: “God provided something better …” (11:40). The congregation knows, of course, that the Preacher means Jesus.[8] They still needed Jesus. His point is that the high-priestly ministry of Jesus Christ establishes a great unbroken cord of faith that stretches from the beginning of human history all the way into the heavenly sanctuary in the City of God, where Jesus securely fastens and anchors the cord. This lack occurred, not because God had broken the divine promise to Israel, but because God had improved upon that promise and extended it to all creation. This new promise is the "something better" that has been a repeating refrain in Hebrews (see 1:4; 6:9; 7:7; 7:19; 7:22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34; 11:16; 11:35). This verse might take one by surprise. The writer shifts from earthly promises (the Conquest of Canaan) to the heavenly homeland God has yet to reveal. After having poured out the faithful men and women of the past, the author delivers the stunning message that they did not receive what God had promised, despite their incredible faith, righteousness, and suffering. The reason was that God provided something better. The "something better" is Jesus. The Law could not perfect the saints of the Old Testament. They had to wait until the resurrection of Christ before they could enter the perfect life of heaven. Other New Testament passages reflect the similar sentiments.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11 inquiring about the person or time that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look! (I Peter 1:10-12)
in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, (I Peter 3:19)
The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. (Matthew 27:52)
As people of faith, they were hoping, searching for the homeland whose builder is God (cf. 11:10). Nevertheless, they could not achieve their hope; not until there was a better high priest. These faithful heroes needed Jesus.
Hebrews 12:1-13 has the theme of the cloud of witnesses and the call for endurance. The author applies the preceding arguments.
Hebrews 12: 1-3 begin with the author's call to step up and join those who through the ages held on by faith. The author concludes Chapter 11 in the opening verses of Chapter 12. He gathers up the cloud of witnesses, inviting us to look forward in hope and on the way to the fulfillment of which the author speaks.[9]Following this glass-case exhibit of national victory faith had won for Israel, the letter raises the example of some very personal triumphs made possible by faith. As he looks to this new day and new perfection, the author employs a new set of images for faithfulness.
Therefore, since we are surrounded, by so great a cloud (a metaphor for the immense size) of witnesses, namely, the multitude of the faithful who have come before this generation listed in Chapter 11. These gathered faithful assemble to observe each new generation as they undertake the challenge to remain faithful. He is forming a sense of an unbroken community of faith, where the heroes of ages gone by "would not, apart from us, be made perfect." No part of the true Christian community can be complete without the rest. Let us also lay aside every weight, good for training but not for the contest, and the sin (ἁμαρτίαν) that clings so closely. Not named explicitly, it is likely that stubborn unbelief is the sin that most commonly "hinders" or "entangles" his audience since it has been the author's focus. Further, let us run with perseverance (ὑπομονῆς) or endurance the race that is set before us. The message of Hebrews is all about perseverance. And how does it make any sense to talk about perseverance unless there is something to persevere through? It is only natural to fear suffering, and to hope for a long, healthy, prosperous, and pain-free life. But let us face it: the chances that such a dream will come true for any of us are zero. It is better to acknowledge that misconception for the fantasy it is and keep an eye out for signs of that cloud of witnesses, both living and dead. They have a way of finding us when we need them most. They have a way of directing us to the God of peace. The author shifts the metaphor from the unbroken chain of faith to the sports arena (cf. 10:36) and conscripts his listeners for the final run. The baton passed from Abel to Abraham to Moses, and now it is time for this congregation to run. The author pictures the Christian life as a long-distance race rather than a short sprint. Some Hebrew Christians were tempted to drop out of the contest. The history of the faithful lays out the course for the contest. It is running a race or fighting in a contest. They are to participate seriously in what lies ahead. The author describes a lifelong effort as a "race" to be "run with perseverance." A Jewish author from first century BC to first century AD also used the image.
None of the seven youths proved coward or shrank from death, but all of them, as though running the course toward immortality, hastened to death by torture. (IV Maccabees 14:4-5)
The imagery of running for the Christian life is one in which everything hinges on running well.
I went up in response to a revelation. Then I laid before them (though only in a private meeting with the acknowledged leaders) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure that I was not running, or had not run, in vain. (Galatians 2:2)
You were running well; who prevented you from obeying the truth? (Galatians 5:7)
Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it. 25 Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one. 26 So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air; (I Corinthians 9:24-26)
It is by your holding fast to the word of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. (Philippians 2:16)
But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace. (Acts 20:24)
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. (II Timothy 4:7)
This race really counts, so it is important to throw off anything that might cause one to slow down - every weight and sin and run our portion of the race with endurance. One would do this in preparation for this momentous event. They are 2 looking to Jesus the pioneer (ἀρχηγὸν, author, originator, founder, chief leader). As the first one around this course, Jesus has prepared the way for all believers who follow. Because of that choice the outcome of all the races we run has already been determined -- redemption, the "better way." Jesus has already run the race, the lead runner. He shows us how to run, since Jesus makes it possible for us to run at all. They are looking to Jesus, perfecter of our faith. He is the one who brings our faith to its culmination in fulfillment of the plan of God. The goal and objective of our faith and hope is Jesus.
13 Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)
Jesus, who for the sake of[10] the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. When given a choice between the way of joy and the way of the cross, Jesus voluntarily chooses to endure the cross. Paul had a similar thought.
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8)
Thus, the greatest help that we can expect as we enter the race is not through our own preparations, but through the pacesetting presence of Jesus. The ultimate "something better" God has provided is Jesus Christ. The goal for Jesus was not to be the one at the right had of the throne of God, but to have the joy of bringing other runners across the finish line (2:10). To achieve this joy, Jesus endured the pain of the cross, "disregarding its shame." Seeing the disciplined, passionate, zealous, merciful, and steadfast way that Jesus ran the race helps us to take our turn with the baton and sprint to the finish line. The point is a continued, steady gaze at Jesus. Jesus' willingness to accept a cross instead of joy perfectly fit the author's view of righteousness. The implication is that Jesus gave up a privileged position. Based on this, one might wonder whether Jesus came from a wealthy family. One might note his parables about lending, giving, hiring, as well as friend of tax collectors and rulers, as support for this possibility. In despising the cross, he may have easily dismissed it, or he may have endured it despite his desire to avoid it. This author emphasizes ascension and Jesus' present position, rather than the cross and resurrection, as Paul does.
Christian life is not sedentary. A sedentary life can be dangerous.
John Newton and Benjamin Franklin both suffered from gout, an extremely painful and debilitating form of arthritis. According to numerous studies, cases of gout have doubled in the last few decades, with an estimated 6 million Americans suffering from the disease. Historians have called gout “the disease of kings.” Throughout history, people have viewed it as a disease afflicting people who have access to opulent amounts of fine food and drink and who enjoy a more sedentary lifestyle. For example, Henry VIII spent his final days barely able to move. The famously indulgent, plus-sized king was bedridden and covered in painful, suppurating boils, which are known side effects of a nasty case of gout.
Not surprisingly in modern America, where access to sugary food and a slower pace of living have led to sky-high levels of obesity and diabetes, it has also brought on a resurgence of the same disease that left the likes of Galileo and President Teddy Roosevelt writhing in pain. As a result, what many people in history have thought of as a disease for the old and aristocratic is on the rise among the young and the middle class. Today everyone would be wise to heed Benjamin Franklin’s famous warning: “Be temperate in wine, in eating, girls and sloth; or the gout will seize you and plague you both.”
Even while the temptation to a sedentary life is strong, human beings can also go to great lengths to test their physical limits.
XTERRA is a series of off-road triathlon races, (three-sport races that include swimming, mountain biking, and trail running). Most people consider XTERRA to be the de-facto world championship of the sport. It began in 1996 on the island of Maui as the Aquaterra, and organizers later renamed the XTERRA. The Nissan Motor Corporation named their popular SUV line after the race and was the race series' primary sponsor until 2006.
Contestants who have attempted the Xterra think of it as a race to hell and back. The race begins with a one-mile ocean swim off the coast of Maui. It continues as a contestant gets on the bike: 18 killer miles, mostly off-road. Uphill, downhill, over dirt paths, dry lava, and tree roots, at speeds topping 30 mph. Crashes are common. If you do not break the bike or your neck, you get up and keep going. "It's like riding on ball bearings," says Canadian triathlete Peter Reid. "I've got a death grip on those handlebars." The race ends with a 6.7-mile run, first on sand, then on 400 yards of softball-size coral. They call it "Ankle Snapper Beach."
Please understand - people do this voluntarily. Why? They sign up for this abuse because they want to be the best. They want to be numbered among others who have fought the fight and finished the course. It is certainly not for the money. The Xterra World Championship has a purse of $100,000 that splits among the top 10 women and top 15 men. This means that the top 25, out of a field of 350 participants, rake in - on average - a measly $4,000 each.
People will go to great lengths to be in shape physically.
Called the “Self-Transcendence 3100 Mile Race,” it is the longest certified footrace in the world. Held in Queens, New York, the event challenges athletes to run 3,100 miles in 52 days. The runners begin at 6 a.m. every day and run for extended periods, taking breaks when needed. To meet the goal of 3,100 miles, they must run an average of 59.6 miles per day. Throughout this long and rigorous race, they try to set records and gain spiritual insights. A documentary called 3,100: Run and Become examines the philosophical side of long-distance running. One athlete in the movie says that running is “a prayer and a teacher and a celebration of life.”
The apostle Paul would certainly agree. He asks the Corinthians, “Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it” (I Corinthians 9:24). In addition, to Timothy he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4:7).
On his 40th birthday, a Catholic priest challenged Presbyterian pastor Henry Brinton to run the Marine Corps Marathon. The goal seemed crazy, since Brinton had no experience as a runner, and the prospect of running 26.2 miles was daunting. Nevertheless, Brinton needed a midlife challenge. His priest friend had run several marathons, so he gave him some tips and turned him loose. The first time the pastor hit the road, he ran for three minutes and had to stop, gasping for breath. However, after walking for seven minutes, he was able to run for another three, and then he walked another seven and ran three. Over several weeks, his running increased and his walking decreased until he could run for an hour. Then he ran two hours. “If you can run two hours, you can run four hours,” the priest said. “If you can run four hours, you can do a marathon.” The priest was right. Six months after beginning his training, Brinton finished the Marine Corps Marathon in a respectable four hours and 12 minutes. He felt as if he had been through boot camp, but his wobbly elation at the finish line made the pain worthwhile.
“Marathon training has become a meditation for me,” says Brinton, “an opportunity to think, dream, pray and solve problems. Besides enjoying the fabled endorphin rush, the clarity of mind I experience amazes me. I have come to appreciate how exercise cuts through the clutter of life and gives me the gift of simplicity for a few hours each week. In a career dominated by phone calls, emails, meetings, counseling sessions and sermon preparation, it’s calming to spend time focused only on the path ahead.”
Running really is a prayer and a teacher and a celebration of life. Run and become.
This part of the letter to the Hebrews is instructing its readers, and therefore us as well, how to be in shape to run the Christian race. The people in this letter have grown weary. They are not so sure that the race is worth it. Some think it would be better to drop out of the race. That is why much of Chapter 11 is a record of people who lived by faith. They persevered by staying in the race until the end, when they crossed the finish line and received their reward. In this part of the letter, the writer stresses that faith is what allows each of us, in a well-conditioned body of Christ, to run with perseverance “the race that is set before us.”
The life of a Christian is not sedentary. It is not about simply sitting and listening to a sermon on Sunday morning or passively taking in Christian radio on the way to work. No, the Christian life is moving and working. As illustrated in the lives of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the children of Israel and all those mentioned in the verses leading up to today’s text, the Christian life is much more like a race.
It is a battle to stay in shape. The truth is that in the middle of this race of faith, we are each fighting a daily battle against becoming stagnant. The writer of Hebrews warns us that there are weights that threaten to slow our pace and sins that cling to us, wanting to pull us off course. If we sit back too long, if we are too passive in our pursuit of God, worldly distractions and the way our sins constrict us, it becomes almost impossible to move.
Jules Verne's story The Mysterious Island (1875, 1958, 1-7) begins by relating the adventures of five men who escape a Civil War prison camp by hijacking a hot-air balloon. As they rise into the air, they realize the wind is carrying them over the ocean. Watching their homeland disappear on the horizon, they wonder how much longer the balloon can stay in the air. As the hours pass and the surface of the ocean draws closer, the men decide they must cast overboard some of the weight, for they had no way to heat the air in the balloon. They reluctantly discard shoes, overcoats, and weapons, and the men feel their balloon rise, but only temporarily. Soon they find themselves dangerously close to the waves again, so they toss their food. Unfortunately, this, too, is only a temporary solution, and the craft again threatens to lower the men into the sea. Surely, there was nothing else to do. Then, one man has an idea: they can tie the ropes that hold the passenger car and sit on those ropes. Then they can cut away the basket beneath them. As they sever the very thing they had been standing on, it drops into the ocean, and the balloon rose. Not a minute too soon, they spot land. Eager to stand on land again, the five jump into the water and swim to the island. They live, spared because they were able to discern the difference between what they really needed and what they did not. The necessities they once thought they could not live without were the very weights that almost cost them their lives.
This portion of Hebrews invites us to consider what are we holding on to, that we think is so necessary to our lives, when it may be what is holding us back.
Have you ever been at the place the receivers of this letter have been? Has your fire for all things Jesus ever been so weak that it is honestly tough even to utter a prayer? Has there ever been a time when it was hard to hear God’s word without rolling your eyes? Alternatively, perhaps you know what it feels like to be so disconnected from the power and promises of God in Christ that even life’s simplest of struggles overwhelms you with fear.
What are we to do?
First, we must train on the truth of God’s Word. Running a race is not something into which you just jump. Not if you are smart, anyway. It may tell you how smart I am when the first time I ran the mini-marathon in Indianapolis, it was with two weeks notice, taking the place of a friend. He had worked himself up to one of the first few stalls, which meant he had a good running time. I took care of that for him. To be a successful marathoner, you have to go through rigorous training — preparing your body through diet and practice to take on the rigors of running 26.2 miles. The same is true in our spiritual lives.
Training can be a beast.
Yet the Word of God is where we receive training in a life of faith-racing. Through Scripture, God reveals and redirects our steps. God gives us a pattern for living. However, most of all, through Scripture God stirs up faith and strengthens our trust in Jesus Christ. In II Timothy, we are reminded that
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (II Timothy 3:16-17, ESV).
Famous 19th-century British preacher Charles Spurgeon once quipped that he could find 10 men willing to die for the Bible for everyone who was willing to read it. Most everyone will say he or she is willing to die for Christ. Well, maybe not. Still, it is another thing entirely to feast on God’s Word so you can live strongly and resolutely for Christ.
New Testament professor Bart Ehrman says that he will ask his students in his introductory class if they believe the Bible is the word of God. Most of the students will raise their hands. He then asks how many of them have read the book. Very few will raise their hands then. Early in my Christian life, with my first study Bible, I read the letter of Paul to the Romans, studying the footnotes and references. I assume that you can tell that I have not stopped reading, studying, and teaching. If the only Bible you own is some gigantic beast of a book, given to you as a wedding gift — you know, the kind that gets cracked open only when you need to write down the name of some family member who died — then you need a Bible that is readable and portable.
Sir Francis Bacon (Of Studies) once said,
"Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man; and therefore if a man write little, he had need have a good memory; if he confer little, he had need of much cunning, to appear to know what he doth not."
“Reading maketh a full man.” He was writing of people who read any good literature. I suggest to you when we fill our minds and hearts with the Word of God, it helps us to be “full,” thoroughly trained to both accomplish wonderful things for God and to endure the difficulties that life may bring our way.
Second, you cannot run this race alone. You must run with other men and women of the faith. Once you have purchased that new Bible, it is time to connect to a community of Christian men and women so you can study, read, and allow the Word of God to change you together.
Patrick Morley suggests that human beings are a lot like redwood trees. Redwoods grow for millennia and reach as high as 350 feet. Yet their roots run only six to 10 feet below the surface. The only way these monster trees can stand tall and withstand the crazy California weather is to grow close together, intermingling their roots. They make each other strong.
God intends for no one to live as a lonely tree. To do so is death. God has not designed us to run the race of faith alone. Yet many choose to do just that. Earlier in the book of Hebrews, the writer pleads with his audience — and with us — not to attempt life in this world as a solo act. He writes,
“[L]et us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another” (Hebrews 10:24-25a, NIV).
The fruit of fellowship in the race of faith is a spurring on, or a mutual inspiration, in the right direction. When you run with others, you will get a loving smack on the back of the head when you are tempted to weigh yourself down with some worldly concern, and you will receive encouragement and support when you are feeling entangled in some sin.
Francis Bacon’s quote from earlier continues to another point. Not only does “reading make[th] a full man,” but “conference” or community with others makes for a “ready man” who is able to run in the face of all life’s fears. Christ died for you. You are a fully forgiven member of God’s family. However, do not stop there. You have a race to run before you inherit that eternity. It is only with a regular diet of God’s Word, experienced in a community of God’s people, that you will be spiritually full, ready to run. You will fight against being sedentary.
Third, all runners in this race of faith must move forward each day with their eyes on their champion. Most successful athletes will tell you they draw inspiration for their own success from the success and story of someone they admire. For example, I understand that many NBA players wear the number 23, the number of Michael Jordan. He was their model of a basketball life well lived and a player whose success and standards they themselves pursue.
Keeping your eyes on a hero who inspires you encourages you to keep running, calls you to a higher standard and gives your heart hope on the hardest of days. Too often, when we get spiritually stagnant and feel distant from God, it is because we have begun to focus our eyes on other goals and other heroes.
In running the race of faith, we must keep our eyes focused on the cross of Jesus Christ. In considering “him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself,” we stave off weariness and gain strength of heart (Hebrews 12:3, ESV). Looking to Jesus, we see that he has already confronted in the cross the sins that weigh us down. Christ has freed us. Looking to Jesus, we see that following his lead may lead to great successes or strength to endure the difficult times. Either way, he is the perfecter of our faith. Looking to Jesus, we see that a life of faith is always with others. Looking to Jesus, we see that he is graciously guiding our every step.
The life of a Christian is not sedentary. Run the race and restore your health. May you feast on God’s word. May you train with others. May you fix your eyes on the champion.
[1] Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.2 [66.5], 597.
[2] Concerning Rahab, consider the following.
1 Then Joshua son of Nun sent two men secretly from Shittim as spies, saying, "Go, view the land, especially Jericho." So they went, and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and spent the night there. 2 The king of Jericho was told, "Some Israelites have come here tonight to search out the land." 3 Then the king of Jericho sent orders to Rahab, "Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come only to search out the whole land." 4 But the woman took the two men and hid them. Then she said, "True, the men came to me, but I did not know where they came from. 5 And when it was time to close the gate at dark, the men went out. Where the men went I do not know. Pursue them quickly, for you can overtake them." 6 She had, however, brought them up to the roof and hidden them with the stalks of flax that she had laid out on the roof. 7 So the men pursued them on the way to the Jordan as far as the fords. As soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut. 8 Before they went to sleep, she came up to them on the roof 9 and said to the men: "I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that dread of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before you. 10 For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 As soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no courage left in any of us because of you. The Lord your God is indeed God in heaven above and on earth below. 12 Now then, since I have dealt kindly with you, swear to me by the Lord that you in turn will deal kindly with my family. Give me a sign of good faith 13 that you will spare my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death." 14 The men said to her, "Our life for yours! If you do not tell this business of ours, then we will deal kindly and faithfully with you when the Lord gives us the land." 15 Then she let them down by a rope through the window, for her house was on the outer side of the city wall and she resided within the wall itself. 16 She said to them, "Go toward the hill country, so that the pursuers may not come upon you. Hide yourselves there three days, until the pursuers have returned; then afterward you may go your way." 17 The men said to her, "We will be released from this oath that you have made us swear to you 18 if we invade the land and you do not tie this crimson cord in the window through which you let us down, and you do not gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your family. 19 If any of you go out of the doors of your house into the street, they shall be responsible for their own death, and we shall be innocent; but if a hand is laid upon any who are with you in the house, we shall bear the responsibility for their death. 20 But if you tell this business of ours, then we shall be released from this oath that you made us swear to you." 21 She said, "According to your words, so be it." She sent them away and they departed. Then she tied the crimson cord in the window. 22 They departed and went into the hill country and stayed there three days, until the pursuers returned. The pursuers had searched all along the way and found nothing. 23 Then the two men came down again from the hill country. They crossed over, came to Joshua son of Nun, and told him all that had happened to them. 24 They said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands; moreover all the inhabitants of the land melt in fear before us." (Joshua 2)
The city and all that is in it shall be devoted to the Lord for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all who are with her in her house shall live because she hid the messengers we sent. … So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel. (Joshua 6:17, 23)
Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? (James 2:25)
[3] 17 After this the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became ill; his illness was so severe that there was no breath left in him. 18 She then said to Elijah, "What have you against me, O man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to cause the death of my son!" 19 But he said to her, "Give me your son." He took him from her bosom, carried him up into the upper chamber where he was lodging, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" 21 Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried out to the Lord, "O Lord my God, let this child's life come into him again." 22 The Lord listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23 Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upper chamber into the house, and gave him to his mother; then Elijah said, "See, your son is alive." 24 So the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." (I Kings 17:17-24)
[4] One day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to have a meal. So whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for a meal. … 18 When the child was older, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. 19 He complained to his father, "Oh, my head, my head!" The father said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother." 20 He carried him and brought him to his mother; the child sat on her lap until noon, and he died. 21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, closed the door on him, and left. 22 Then she called to her husband, and said, "Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again." 23 He said, "Why go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath." She said, "It will be all right." 24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Urge the animal on; do not hold back for me unless I tell you." 25 So she set out, and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, "Look, there is the Shunammite woman; 26 run at once to meet her, and say to her, Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the child all right?" She answered, "It is all right." 27 When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the man of God said, "Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me." 28 Then she said, "Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, Do not mislead me?" 29 He said to Gehazi, "Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, give no greeting, and if anyone greets you, do not answer; and lay my staff on the face of the child." 30 Then the mother of the child said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you." So he rose up and followed her. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. He came back to meet him and told him, "The child has not awakened." 32 When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. 33 So he went in and closed the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he got up on the bed and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and while he lay bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. 35 He got down, walked once to and fro in the room, then got up again and bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite woman." So he called her. When she came to him, he said, "Take your son." 37 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground; then she took her son and left. (II Kings 4:8, 18-37)
[5] Then Pashhur struck the prophet Jeremiah, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper Benjamin Gate of the house of the Lord. (Jeremiah 20:2)
[6] The officials were enraged at Jeremiah, and they beat him and imprisoned him in the house of the secretary Jonathan, for it had been made a prison. (Jeremiah 37:15)
[7] II Maccabees 6-7
6:1 Not long after this, the king sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their ancestors and no longer to live by the laws of God; 2 also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and to call it the temple of Olympian Zeus, and to call the one in Gerizim the temple of Zeus-the-Friend-of-Strangers, as did the people who lived in that place. 3 Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil. 4 For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with prostitutes and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit. 5 The altar was covered with abominable offerings that were forbidden by the laws. 6 People could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the festivals of their ancestors, nor so much as confess themselves to be Jews. 7 On the monthly celebration of the king's birthday, the Jews were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when a festival of Dionysus was celebrated, they were compelled to wear wreathes of ivy and to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus. 8 At the suggestion of the people of Ptolemais a decree was issued to the neighboring Greek cities that they should adopt the same policy toward the Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices, 9 and should kill those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs. One could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them. 10 For example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their children. They publicly paraded them around the city, with their babies hanging at their breasts, and then hurled them down headlong from the wall. 11 Others who had assembled in the caves nearby, in order to observe the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their regard for that most holy day. 12 Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities, but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to discipline our people. 13 In fact, it is a sign of great kindness not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately. 14 For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, 15 in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height. 16 Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Although he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake his own people. 17 Let what we have said serve as a reminder; we must go on briefly with the story. 18 Eleazar, one of the scribes in high position, a man now advanced in age and of noble presence, was being forced to open his mouth to eat swine's flesh. 19 But he, welcoming death with honor rather than life with pollution, went up to the rack of his own accord, spitting out the flesh, 20 as all ought to go who have the courage to refuse things that it is not right to taste, even for the natural love of life. 21 Those who were in charge of that unlawful sacrifice took the man aside because of their long acquaintance with him, and privately urged him to bring meat of his own providing, proper for him to use, and to pretend that he was eating the flesh of the sacrificial meal that had been commanded by the king, 22 so that by doing this he might be saved from death, and be treated kindly on account of his old friendship with them. 23 But making a high resolve, worthy of his years and the dignity of his old age and the gray hairs that he had reached with distinction and his excellent life even from childhood, and moreover according to the holy God-given law, he declared himself quickly, telling them to send him to Hades. 24 "Such pretense is not worthy of our time of life," he said, "for many of the young might suppose that Eleazar in his ninetieth year had gone over to an alien religion, 25 and through my pretense, for the sake of living a brief moment longer, they would be led astray because of me, while I defile and disgrace my old age. 26 Even if for the present I would avoid the punishment of mortals, yet whether I live or die I shall not escape the hands of the Almighty. 27 Therefore, by bravely giving up my life now, I will show myself worthy of my old age 28 and leave to the young a noble example of how to die a good death willingly and nobly for the revered and holy laws." When he had said this, he went at once to the rack. 29 Those who a little before had acted toward him with goodwill now changed to ill will, because the words he had uttered were in their opinion sheer madness. 30 When he was about to die under the blows, he groaned aloud and said: "It is clear to the Lord in his holy knowledge that, though I might have been saved from death, I am enduring terrible sufferings in my body under this beating, but in my soul I am glad to suffer these things because I fear him." 31 So in this way he died, leaving in his death an example of nobility and a memorial of courage, not only to the young but to the great body of his nation.
7:1 It happened also that seven brothers and their mother were arrested and were being compelled by the king, under torture with whips and thongs, to partake of unlawful swine's flesh. 2 One of them, acting as their spokesman, said, "What do you intend to ask and learn from us? For we are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." 3 The king fell into a rage, and gave orders to have pans and caldrons heated. 4 These were heated immediately, and he commanded that the tongue of their spokesman be cut out and that they scalp him and cut off his hands and feet, while the rest of the brothers and the mother looked on. 5 When he was utterly helpless, the king ordered them to take him to the fire, still breathing, and to fry him in a pan. The smoke from the pan spread widely, but the brothers and their mother encouraged one another to die nobly, saying, 6 "The Lord God is watching over us and in truth has compassion on us, as Moses declared in his song that bore witness against the people to their faces, when he said, 'And he will have compassion on his servants.'" 7 After the first brother had died in this way, they brought forward the second for their sport. They tore off the skin of his head with the hair, and asked him, "Will you eat rather than have your body punished limb by limb?" 8 He replied in the language of his ancestors and said to them, "No." Therefore he in turn underwent tortures as the first brother had done. 9 And when he was at his last breath, he said, "You accursed wretch, you dismiss us from this present life, but the King of the universe will raise us up to an everlasting renewal of life, because we have died for his laws." 10 After him, the third was the victim of their sport. When it was demanded, he quickly put out his tongue and courageously stretched forth his hands, 11 and said nobly, "I got these from Heaven, and because of his laws I disdain them, and from him I hope to get them back again." 12 As a result the king himself and those with him were astonished at the young man's spirit, for he regarded his sufferings as nothing. 13 After he too had died, they maltreated and tortured the fourth in the same way. 14 When he was near death, he said, "One cannot but choose to die at the hands of mortals and to cherish the hope God gives of being raised again by him. But for you there will be no resurrection to life!" 15 Next they brought forward the fifth and maltreated him. 16 But he looked at the king, and said, "Because you have authority among mortals, though you also are mortal, you do what you please. But do not think that God has forsaken our people. 17 Keep on, and see how his mighty power will torture you and your descendants!" 18 After him they brought forward the sixth. And when he was about to die, he said, "Do not deceive yourself in vain. For we are suffering these things on our own account, because of our sins against our own God. Therefore astounding things have happened. 19 But do not think that you will go unpunished for having tried to fight against God!" 20 The mother was especially admirable and worthy of honorable memory. Although she saw her seven sons perish within a single day, she bore it with good courage because of her hope in the Lord. 21 She encouraged each of them in the language of their ancestors. Filled with a noble spirit, she reinforced her woman's reasoning with a man's courage, and said to them, 22 "I do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of you. 23 Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of humankind and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws." 24 Antiochus felt that he was being treated with contempt, and he was suspicious of her reproachful tone. The youngest brother being still alive, Antiochus not only appealed to him in words, but promised with oaths that he would make him rich and enviable if he would turn from the ways of his ancestors, and that he would take him for his Friend and entrust him with public affairs. 25 Since the young man would not listen to him at all, the king called the mother to him and urged her to advise the youth to save himself. 26 After much urging on his part, she undertook to persuade her son. 27 But, leaning close to him, she spoke in their native language as follows, deriding the cruel tyrant: "My son, have pity on me. I carried you nine months in my womb, and nursed you for three years, and have reared you and brought you up to this point in your life, and have taken care of you. 28 I beg you, my child, to look at the heaven and the earth and see everything that is in them, and recognize that God did not make them out of things that existed. And in the same way the human race came into being. 29 Do not fear this butcher, but prove worthy of your brothers. Accept death, so that in God's mercy I may get you back again along with your brothers." 30 While she was still speaking, the young man said, "What are you waiting for? I will not obey the king's command, but I obey the command of the law that was given to our ancestors through Moses. 31 But you, who have contrived all sorts of evil against the Hebrews, will certainly not escape the hands of God. 32 For we are suffering because of our own sins. 33 And if our living Lord is angry for a little while, to rebuke and discipline us, he will again be reconciled with his own servants. 34 But you, unholy wretch, you most defiled of all mortals, do not be elated in vain and puffed up by uncertain hopes, when you raise your hand against the children of heaven. 35 You have not yet escaped the judgment of the almighty, all-seeing God. 36 For our brothers after enduring a brief suffering have drunk of ever-flowing life, under God's covenant; but you, by the judgment of God, will receive just punishment for your arrogance. 37 I, like my brothers, give up body and life for the laws of our ancestors, appealing to God to show mercy soon to our nation and by trials and plagues to make you confess that he alone is God, 38 and through me and my brothers to bring to an end the wrath of the Almighty that has justly fallen on our whole nation." 39 The king fell into a rage, and handled him worse than the others, being exasperated at his scorn. 40 So he died in his integrity, putting his whole trust in the Lord. 41 Last of all, the mother died, after her sons. 42 Let this be enough, then, about the eating of sacrifices and the extreme tortures.
[8] —Thomas G. Long, Hebrews (John Knox Press, 1997), 124-126.
[9] Barth, Church Dogmatics IV.1 [59.3], 331.
[10] What is the preposition here: "For the sake of" or "instead of?" Textual fuzziness has led translators to interpret 12:2 in either an idiomatic or a more literal manner. "For the sake of the joy that was set before him" we may translate as "instead of the joy set before him."
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