"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us runwith perseverancethe race marked out for us,2 fixing our eyes on Jesus,the pioneerand perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross,scorning its shame,and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"
The book of Hebrews is one of the most fascinating books of the Bible and though authorship is disputed with some suggesting it was written by Paul and others that perhaps it was a sermon given by Paul and transcribed by Luke, the first century church and Christians ever since have been gripped to the core by it’s theological depth and the glory it places on the work and person of Jesus Christ.
Because verse 12 starts with the phrase “therefore”, it is key for us to understand the point the author has been making thus far in the book. We can only truly grasp the weight of what he is about to say by tracking along with him.
The book doesn’t even start with a greeting, there is no time for it. He has one goal in mind, get “the Hebrews”, and you and I, to understand this truth; That Jesus is in God in the flesh; Immanuel - God with us, that He “radiates” (proceeds) from the Father and that He is the author and sustainer not only of you and I, but of everything that has and will be made. That he is the pioneer that started this work of faith and he is the one that brings it to perfect completion. That His work was finished on the Cross and that he now is seated next to God the father.
Before concluding, the author encourages us with the “large cloud of witnesses” surrounding us, by which he means those who have gone before us; and specifically those mentioned in Hebrews 11 - the hall of Faith. Those whom by Faith had endured to the end and received the greatest prize on offer.
The recipients of the letter would have been well acquainted with persecution and imprisonment. They would have likely known people who had been martyred for their faith. They had every reason from a worldly perspective to surrender to the authorities and abandon their beliefs. And it’s into this very context that we receive this encouragement.
Don’t back down. Get up and run again. “Lay aside” - Rid yourself of anything which is a hindrance. Fear, anxiety, distraction, doubts all have been dealt with at the Cross. Kill the sin that ensnares you and wants to keep you stuck in those repetitive destructive cycles. Run with endurance the race that lies before you. Not looking to the left or the right to “compare” and see what others are or aren’t doing.
JUST FIX. YOUR EYES. ON JESUS.
“He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion” In the midst of trial and tribulations, it’s the joy set before us of receiving the everlasting crown that allows us to run right now. We receive access to ultimate reality where Jesus is already seated on the throne and that gives us the strength and courage to overcome right now.
Hebrews 12:1-2 (CSB)
12 Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, 2 keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
