1 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 run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
The great cloud of witnesses refers to the heroes of the faith from Chapter 11. Some preachers have taught that they are witnesses to our race, cheering us on. But most preachers teach that they are not witnesses to our race, but witnesses to the blessings of living by faith - the inspiration to encourage us on our race. Whether or not believers from heaven can see us on earth is up for debate. But they certainly wouldn't be preoccupied with us - they would be preoccupied with God.
Their amazing lives of faith, their obedience of faith, their courage of faith, their acts of faith - in the face of death, persecution, hardship, unobtained promises, obtained promises, blessings, all circumstances - is an encourage to us to run the race.
This is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need endurance and we need encouragement to keep on fighting, to keep on running to win. We are running with a purpose, not just aimlessly on a treadmill.
To do that we need to throw off sin and even things that are not necessarily sinful but that distract us from the race. Here, the writer was likely talking about the dead weight of Judaism, of legalism. We need to run by faith and faith alone. Not faith + ritual. Not faith + sacrifice. Not faith + works. Faith alone. But it could also apply to anything that distracts us from running with purpose.
We need to persevere through difficulty. We need endurance, patience, courage, hope, faith.
And the only way we can do that is to focus on Jesus - who endured the worst the world could throw at Him, for the sake of the glory of God His Father. We can't focus on the hurdles themselves. We need to keep our eyes off our feet, off the ground, off our surroundings - and focus firmly on Jesus Christ. Because He is the One and Only Perfect Example. He saw through the suffering to the ultimate and eternal victory that was His - and therefore, ours.
We need to remind ourselves that Jesus suffered opposition, that we can expect it ourselves, but that we can, and will, triumph over it!
Tomorrow's scripture focus: Hebrews 12:4-6
1 comment:
I love these verses. Do not grow weary & lose heart!
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