Continuing our walk through the book of Hebrews, this week we come to chapter 12. This is arguably the most important chapter of the book, where the author draws on all the information presented to encourage and endorse their intended audience. To provide a quick sketch of what has already been discussed, the letter focuses upon four arguments whereby the authors major goal is to elevate Jesus as superior, and secondly, to challenge its readers to remain faithful despite suffering. Chapters 1 and 2 focus upon Jesus being greater than the Angels and the Torah (being the first five books of the Old Testament, what we call the Law) because He is God’s Word, the Logos. Chapters 3 and 4 focus upon Jesus being greater than Moses and the Promised Land, He provides hope for a New Creation – one that is not fallen and is pure and good. Chapters 5 through 7 argue that He’s greater than the Levitical priestly line-up, He comes from the ancient order of Melchizedek. Jesus is the perfect, eternal mediator between the Father and humanity. Finally, in chapters 8 through 10, Jesus is presented as greater than the sacrificial system and the original covenant: He is the perfect sacrifice.
After this discussion about Jesus’ superiority, the author moves on to discuss the idea of living by faith, despite the circumstances that may surround you. Dad talked about this last week: chapter 11 is filled with many Old Testament characters, or heroes of our faith. They don’t always get their way. They don’t always get what’s promised in this life: sometimes they just got a glimpse of it. Whatever the circumstance, good or bad, they relied on God. To us, these people are heroes because they held firm to their faith. Sure, at times they fell short, they sinned, they backslid; but continually, these people returned to their faith and trusted God. Thomas Schreiner concludes that “Faith trusts God in triumphs and tragedies, in the highs and lows of life. Faith gives itself entirely to God. If he ordains victory through faith, as he did through many of the judges and David, faith rejoices in the goodness God gives. If there is torture, death, and suffering, faith holds on to God, knowing that a “better resurrection” is coming and that the pain and torment of the present world will not last. The readers are called upon to imitate those who have gone before them and to entrust themselves to God. Those who trust God will receive the promise, and the ultimate promise is the resurrection itself”.
And so, we come to today’s passage in chapter 12.
The text begins by introducing the idea of running a race: “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” When was the last time you ran a race? I suspect that for many, the last race you ran was back in school. Most of us will remember these races with fondness – the feeling of the wind rushing through our hair. Pushing ourselves to see how quickly we could finish. Were we fast enough to win? And what’s the reward at the end? Was it for a medal? A slap on the back from your coach saying, “good job buddy?” Or was it for the glory? I’m the fastest kid at school.
Some memories are great. For others, you may not have been a runner. The idea just didn’t interest you. Either way, the race the author describes isn’t any old race. It’s not a 100m sprint. It’s tough and it’s brutal, taking every ounce of effort out of you. The marathon is a great example. It’s a 42.2km race, testing out the endurance of every athlete that dares to tackle it. Legend suggests that the original marathon runner, Pheidippides, delivered a message from the Greek town of Marathon to Athens around 490BC. The distance between the two settlements being approximately 42km, and upon delivering his message, Pheidippides dropped to the ground and died. Whether historical or not, it paints a picture of the brutality of the race we’re in – it takes everything out of us, and we have to give it everything we’ve got.
When talking about running the race, the author uses the term ὑπομονῆς (hupomonēs). Modern Bibles typically use the translation endurance, which provides the idea of persistence and continuing through pain and hardship. But it falls short in that hupomonēs in the New Testament is characteristic of a person who is not swerved from their deliberate purpose and their loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings. These people hold fast, they’re resilient: they don’t sway to the left or right – they remain on the path ahead of them. But in the journey of life, of faith and trusting our lives to Jesus, how can we remain faithful to the Gospel? How can we remain on the path set before us? How do we endure, to run the race well? There are numerous things this passage points to, but we’ll begin by looking at our preparation.
On the screen, you’ll notice that the athletes are dressed appropriately for the race. They’re in lightweight gear, that’s tight to their bodies. If they were to wear jumpers and jackets, large, heavy items of clothing, it will weigh them down. They won’t be able to run the race as efficiently, or as effectively. Imagine trying to run a marathon in formal dress shoes. Very quickly, you’ll get sore feet, because they’re not designed for that purpose. You need to be clothed appropriately. In this race called faith, we need similar. The author of Hebrews tells us “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely”. I will tackle this in two parts, firstly looking at “laying aside every weight”. The NIV translates this as “throw off everything that hinders”. Now, a jacket like what I’m wearing today, can be a good thing. On a cold day, it helps to keep the warmth inside, which in turn, helps me to be warm. But it may not always be necessary. If the weather is warm enough, I might not wear this jacket. And I absolutely guarantee, I will not be wearing this jacket for a race. It’s too restrictive, too heavy and I wouldn’t want to blemish it with sweat. It’s not designed for that purpose. And so, sometimes we may have good things in our lives, that are actually hindering us. It could be technology. While waiting in line for your coffee, you jump on your social feed. Easy to do, most of us do it. But is it the most beneficial thing in that instance? We could spend the time in silence, listening and watching what goes on inside the café. You never know when God might speak to you. But you might also miss an important conversation with someone if you’re looking at your screen. Technology can be a great gift, but we ought to put boundaries on it. An unhealthy addiction is a weight that we need to throw off. There could be millions of examples in everyday life, but the only way for you to determine what’s beneficial, healthy and appropriate for your journey with Christ, is through reflection and prayer with God.
Secondly, the author talks about laying aside the “sin which clings so closely”. We know that the wages of sin is death. Due to the Fall, way back in Genesis, sin entered the world. Our relationship with God was shattered. Relationship restoration was attempted through the Old Covenant, but it was never a permanent solution. However, the author of Hebrews determined that Jesus is, He’s the perfect, eternal sacrifice, forever interceding with God the Father on our behalf. Relationship restored. And yet, sin still abounds. It would be easy for me to say that if there is sin in your life, stopping you from fulfilling God’s plan, you need to remove it! But most of us don’t actively go out seeking to sin. Most sin within our lives lay under the surface. Sometimes we’re aware of it, sometimes we’re not. And certainly, getting rid of it is harder said than done!
Now, I haven’t run a marathon yet, but I am training to do so. I couldn’t just step up and run a marathon. Why? Because my body isn’t prepared for it. It takes months, years perhaps, to get your body into shape to run such a distance. The muscles and joints need to be conditioned for that type of exertion. If they’re not, you may still finish the race, but you will take considerably longer, with a higher risk of injury. If running a marathon is something you’re aiming to do, wisdom suggests that you must train for it. Failure to do so, is a wasted opportunity.
When training for a marathon, there are different types of runs that you want to spend your time on. First of all, there’s a plan that you ought to stick to. Secondly, there are some sessions that are just brutal. They bring a lot of pain, as the old saying goes: no pain, no gain. But thirdly, there are other sessions where the running is easy, its light and it just feels so good. Life can be like that sometimes. It’s filled with seasons where you feel like you’re on cloud nine. Everything is just going so well. You’re happy, you’re joyful. These are the moments we typically long for. We long for peace, rest and happiness. If ever there is something our culture worships, it’s our own happiness. But there are also seasons of suffering. You may have lost a loved one. Perhaps depression has set in and you don’t have the desire to get out of bed. Maybe a colleague’s snide remark struck you deeper than it should – reminding you of pain from the past. In a broken world, we all experience suffering. And while we’re in it… well it can just be quite painful. Continuing on from verse 3:
“3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. 4 In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” In your suffering, consider the suffering of Christ. He knows… truly knows, where you’re at. He’s been there. Remember that he’s been tested in every way as we are, He’s fully able to sympathise with us. While I may be able to empathise with you in your pain, Jesus can sympathise. It’s so much deeper. Our God has been through all of it. Cast your cares on Him. From verse 5:
“5 And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
6 For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.
7 It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. 11 For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.”
In the text today, the author uses the idea of discipline as a means of strengthening us for the race. It’s a means of removing sin from our lives and transforming us into Christ-likeness. It is more than just correction for misbehaviour, such as sin, rather, it is the wholistic training and education of children. We are God’s children and the seasons of life are tools by which we learn and grow. When I am in times of suffering and pain, I do not enjoy it. Nobody does. I may not know the reasons for it, but I can trust that God has a plan. When suffering hits, it often brings about deep reflection. And in these periods, the Spirit can work in our hearts, forming us closer to Christ. Something I have noticed is that people who have gone through suffering are often easier to relate to than those with the ‘perfect life’. These people have more to give, more wisdom to pass on and a greater peace with God. They have run the race set out for them and they now bear the peaceful fruit of righteousness as a result. It’s a long journey, a marathon.
Returning to verse 1, in this race “we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses”. Last year when I signed up for my first race since high-school, I was amazed by the culture. There were so many people there! People I didn’t know from a bar of soap, yet as I sprinted towards the finish line, they cheered me onwards. In my mind’s eye, these people cheering me on were the ones who have gone before. The likes of Peter, Paul, Martin Luther, John Wesley, and Bonhoeffer come to mind. They are cheering us on. But there are also those in the race with us. I ought not to have been surprised, but I was, in all the races I have run, there have been other runners who encouraged me when I was struggling to keep the pace. My legs were hurting, my hips were aching. Every muscle was burning, and it seemed that the end was so far away. It can be so easy to give in, to slow down and let the race beat you. Oh how tempted I was! As Christians, our role is to build each other up. We run alongside each other, encouraging each other to press on! Why then do we make it appear that we have it all together? You may not receive the encouragement you need if you look like you are running fine. We need to be honest and vulnerable with our fellow brothers and sisters. We are here to care for each other, challenging one another to remain on the path set ahead of us. So, if you’re struggling right now, use this resource available to you. Catch up with another member of the church over coffee. Let them know what is on your heart. Let us walk alongside each other in our seasons of suffering.
No doubt, you will have noticed that I skipped verse two. This is perhaps the most important verse of the passage and I want to conclude with it. Why all this talk about running a race? What is our motivation? The author writes “let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 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.” We run the race, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. Jesus has already run, and won, the race. He endured the cross, because of the joy that was set before him. I wonder, do you know what that joy was? Was it a desire for divinity, to be like God? No, we know that Jesus was God’s Son and by consequence, was already fully divine. Was it a desire for power and authority? No, Satan’s effort to tempt Jesus in this regard failed and we know that Jesus was there at creation. He is the Logos, the Word of God made flesh. Was it a desire to return to the intimacy He had with the Father as the Triune God before he came to be human? Perhaps, but he still had relationship with the Father here on earth, regularly seeking out solace from his ministry so that he could speak with the Father. Instead, I would suggest, and so do many scholars, that the joy set before Jesus, as he endured torture at the hands of the Romans, as he carried the cross up to Golgotha that Friday morning, as he endured the nails that pierced his hands and ultimately, as he endured death; it was you. You were on his mind. You were the joy that was set before him. He endured so much because he wanted to restore relationship with you.
So, will you run to Jesus? Will you fix your eyes upon him? Will you throw off the good things in your life that hinder your race towards Christ? In the suffering, the hard moments of your life, will you keep your eyes on Jesus, trusting that he has a plan? Will you endure, continuing on the path set before you? And as dad mentioned last week, whether you see the fruit of the suffering in this lifetime or not, we all can look forward to a holy city built by God, where our bodies will be resurrected and relationship with our Father will be restored. Pain will be no more, and the curse of the Fall will be broken. As Christians, we have so much to look forward to. Will you fix your eyes on Jesus? We’re about to sing the closing song. If you want to reaffirm your faith this morning, or perhaps begin this journey this morning, please come forward as we sing.
