Hebrews 12:1-13
All the examples of
faithfulness in chapter 11 were mere men and women. The writer now turns to
Christ as His ultimate example of endurance. He also changes the way he speaks.
All of chapter 11 was a report of facts; 11:40 switches from ‘they’ to ‘we’ and
begins to exhort. The reflection on the suffering of Christ will be followed by
a major pastoral concern, namely the suffering of his readers. Though these
sufferings are not the same – Jesus’ death was atoning and ours is not – there
is still a connection. The writer wants them to know what good purpose there is
in their sufferings.
A cycle is now completed. In
the early part of Hebrews our Priest helps the tempted (2:18) and the weak
(4:15) who come to Him. The writer continued noting their suffering in 10:32-34
and urged a persevering faith; he illustrated with the OT saints the faith he
wanted to see produced in them. In chapter 12, He follows with the cross of
Christ, His glory at the right hand of God, and comes back to their suffering
again. The writer is concerned that they be faithful in their trials, and
encouraged by the witness of others. If we think of Hebrews as chiefly a
doctrinal writing and do not see the strong pastoral motivation in it, we
simply do not understand the book. The writer’s agenda now is to delve deeper
into the purpose of their trials with careful explanation to support the
exhortation coming with it.
Early in Hebrews the writer
defended the deity of the Son and then the uniqueness of the Priest in the
order of Melchizedek. By using the OT he
showed no Jew could reject Christ and support the sacrifices and priests of Levi
without rejecting the Scriptures they claimed to believe. It was a vigorous intellectual and
theological defense of the faith. Along
with this, was the issue that turning from Christ was apostasy from which there
could be no recovery. The issue was not just an intellectual debate. Having or rejecting
Christ has eternal consequences. Chapters 6 & 10 mention their personal
trials. In Chapter 12 before final the
two warnings, Hebrews becomes very pastoral, paying careful attention to their
need of gentle rebuke and giving patient teaching from Scripture about their
sufferings. Both are mixed with a large
dose of encouragement, with more to come in 13:5,6.
Hebrews has such a pastoral side to it, that the author calls it in his closing
comments “a word of exhortation” (13:22).
12:1-3 Two encouragements
begin chapter 12: the witnesses of the OT and the example of Christ. We always
have comfort when we know our trials are not unique to us (Philippians 1:29,30; 1 Corinthians 10:13).
The struggles we face are the same in every age. The more we see that,
the more encouragement we will receive from the testimony of those who have run
a good race and finished their course. Just as believers in different locations
had fellowship in giving (2 Corinthians 9), Hebrews
reveals a unity among saints in different ages.
12:1 Many suppose that this verse is teaching
that the OT saints are in the stands of a great stadium observing the lives of
later believers. The word “witness” in the NT never means observer. The OT
saints are witnesses in what they show and exemplify, not in what they
supposedly observe of later generations. They witness to us of the
reality of a lifetime of faithfulness. God is pleased with them. They are
testimonies of endurance and patient faith. Those readers of Hebrews who might be
engrossed in their own trouble should be encouraged by the similar experience
of OT saints. They ran well and died
well; they looked forward to a better resurrection (11:35) and God commended
them (11:2). The message is clear - let us endure well so we too may have such
a commendation.
This
verse is not limited to the few OT saints mentioned in chapter 11. They were a
small sample; the true picture is of a vast number of faithful “finishers” – in
fact, a great cloud of them. In this race we are not involved in a petty,
soon-to-be-forgotten sideshow; we are called into a huge enterprise of God that
involves a multitude. God encourages us with the immense number of saints
(Revelation 7:9).
We
do not yet see the city of
The
writer is a pastor who places himself with his people. He says let us
throw off, let us run, let us fix our eyes on Jesus. The readers
know he is in their struggle. This is side-by-side fellowship. The verse assumes
that we have sin. A call to holiness (12:14) is never an assumption that we
will ever be free of sin in this life.
The
appeal to run with perseverance means we cannot be satisfied with faithfulness
in the past as a reason to become lazy or dull (5:11). He makes a similar point in 10:32-39. Since
the race is marked out for us – obviously by God – it is our obligation to
participate. Anything less is rebellion. Laxity amounts to choosing the wrong
example (4:11) such as those who, in unbelief, would not enter the promised
land (3:16 – 4:11).
12:2,3
The Example of Jesus It is a distortion of the gospel to present
Jesus only as an example. In His unique redeeming ministry He is a Substitute
for us as well as the Lord God over us. Scripture does show Him an example in
some passages (John 13:12-17 & 1 Peter 2:21-23).
The
call to fix our eyes on Jesus brings back the volume of material about Christ
as our high priest in previous chapters. The common tendency to treat doctrine
and life as detached from each other is impossible to defend in Scripture. Fixing eyes on Jesus is essentially the same
as fixing thoughts on Jesus in 3:1, and in assimilating truth about him. Fixing
eyes on Jesus is not a call to mysticism. It is a call to reflection on the
divine revelation of Christ. One longstanding way to distract our attention to
Christ is to fix our eyes on pictures God has not given,
pictures invented and painted by some man with no idea what Jesus really looked
like. The tendency is to make the Lord look effeminate. One
of the chief gifts to aid us in fixing the mind on the real Jesus in the letter
to the Hebrews.
Jesus, the Author and
Finisher of Faith “Author” has no reference to a writer; the
word in Greek has the sense of a beginner of something, and even better the
leader who is out front as the first. This may seems strange when all the OT
examples of faith precede Jesus in time.
Their faith was not perfect, while Jesus in His human experience was
perfect in obedience, something which cannot be said of any other man. The same
Greek word appears only three other times in the NT (Acts 3:15; 5:31 & Hebrews 2:10).
The context of 2:10 has Jesus defeating the devil to set His people free. This
also sets Him apart from all the other examples of faith, for that is a unique
accomplishment of Christ which precedes and enables His people to resist the
devil as a consequence (1 Peter
5:9). For this reason some like to translate the word “champion”. He is the Champion of faith, because He too
battled sin and all opposition to God, and He has done so as our leader. We are
called into fellowship with Jesus not only in a moral sense of personal
sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:8,9) but also in
purposeful sharing of His sufferings (Philippians 3:10). We could be sanctified
in a moment, as in death (12:23) or the Second Coming (1 John 3:2), but sanctification
requires suffering for a while in a hostile world.
The burden of Hebrews is that the readers should finish their race in faith. We fix our eyes of Jesus in the sense of His completing His mission. Being seated at the right hand (again from Psalm 110:1!) emphasizes completion. In Christ we have eternal life, but not eternal conflict. One great privilege of this brief time prior to His Coming is that this is our only opportunity to suffer for Him. He has finished His race; now He is getting us through ours. The word for Finisher is not found anywhere else in the Bible or in any other Greek writing of the time of Hebrews. It is a form of “perfect” (5:9), perhaps coined for this verse! We should remember that many things have been accomplished. The incarnation, offering, resurrection and ascension are all history. Those called to finish their race need the clear sense that much has been done. One of us, One Who became a man, is already resurrected and glorified in heaven. He is the forerunner (6:20), already there with more to follow. We are not called to frustration but to active involvement in a great contest with a large number of winners as examples, plus Jesus the Champion Who is already home.
“For the joy set before Him” – this is often taken to
mean Jesus’ motivation in suffering; He knew what good He would accomplish.
That interpretation may be correct; if so, we ought to see it as the joy He would
have in His finished mission and the ultimate answer to His prayer in John 17:
24. Since Christ is presented here as an
example, the implication is that we too will be satisfied and joyful for
finishing the race well (2 Timothy 4: 6-8).
Perhaps
the joy Jesus faced has reference to the joy He declined in favor of
going to the cross, knowing the shame and pain but refusing to consider that a
reason to divert Him in His race. This interpretation means there the “joy” in
view is a desirable alternative which could tempt Him to turn to it and away
from the race marked out for Him by the Father. He chose the Father’s will
(10:7-10) instead of a different “joy”, and that is the example He is for us.
Whether this is correct, it is clear that the order was the cross prior to
glory (1 Peter 1:11; Hebrews 2:9,10) and that order was
the Father’s will for Jesus, as it is for us. We cannot run a good race if our
attitude is different in this matter (Philippians 2:5).
12:3 Consider Him The language here is not the softer “let us”
speech of vv.1,2; it is an imperative. We are
commanded to think on Christ enduring opposition. If we do not, we will be
surprised by trials (1 Peter 4:12) and unprepared. Considering the kind of race
He ran and its conclusion will not discourage us, but not thinking about it
will. We deal with deep mysteries and we must still believe the truth, even
when we do not fathom the situation. God, in an intentional encounter with
evil, chose that the Son of God would face the opposition of sinful men. We must consider Him so we will be willing to
endure the same.
12:4-11 These verses
contain correction, but they mainly provide explanation before exhortation is
resumed. Here is an explanation from God
on the purpose of our suffering. It is hardly complete to tell the readers of
Hebrews that they ought to suffer well because others did. The readers’
hardship also had a purpose. It was a blessing to them, and a benefit their
loving heavenly Father will not deny them.
12:4,5 The struggle against “sin” is probably the same as
the opposition of sinners (v.3) faced by Jesus. If so it probably does not
refer to a private struggle with sin in the heart, but to the external
opposition of persecution. That kind of sin has the obvious possibility of
bloodshed, but they have not experienced death yet.
Two kinds of reproof appear here. The writer reminds them that they have not suffered to the point of death as Jesus did. This puts their trial is more accurate perspective. We are tempted to magnify our trouble beyond reality. The other is a gentle rebuke that they have forgotten some word of God that so directly addresses their situation. This means the text was indeed known to them and that it had fallen out of consideration in their thinking. We probably know many Scriptures that we fail to connect to our lives. Our lives will have more peace and righteousness when we remember Scripture that have faded in our minds. The writer repeats the Word of God to them from Proverbs. The rebuke is that they have overlooked an encouraging word from the Lord. The Proverbs text is Solomon speaking to his son, but the Holy Spirit had it recorded for us so that it would be our heavenly Father speaking to us.
12:5,6 The Scripture they forgot: Proverbs 3:11,12 The intimate language “my son”, begins a
loving explanation. The Lord’s
discipline means He owns us as His own; He loves us and has a good purpose in
His discipline. Their experience of sin against them, the opposition of
sinners, was what they could see. Proverbs 3 is what they needed to understand.
We face the danger of misreading God’s purpose and viewing trouble as the same
kind of treatment from the Lord as what the opposition delivers. That would be a serious mistake. God’s discipline comes in the bond of
sonship, in which God is not passive in His parental activity. In love, He
wants what is better for us. In His wise discipline, He trains us in
righteousness, and He may even use the sins others commit against us for our
benefit.
12:7-11 We have a model to
help us understand. This model is imperfect. Not all earthly fathers are alike;
many still realize that there was often a good motive in their discipline. If
we receive none from an earthly father it indicates more than carelessness; it
shows he does not consider his child as really his. It is a denial that we are
accepted as sons. The discipline of God (Deuteronomy 8:5) is much better. Its
motive is pure, and it comes in His wisdom.
So we believe His word in Hebrews 12 that it is good for us. We
respected earthly fathers for correction and training. We must respect God our
Father too.
God is called “the Father of spirits” (Numbers 16:22). This is another way to say we must remember that the One Who loves and disciplines us is God, God above all, above all these other beings referred to as spirits. No one is more exalted than God. If we can accept the discipline of a fallible father and respect him, surely we can submit to the sovereign wisdom in whatever the Lord has marked out for us (12:1). Sharing in God’s holiness may be a description of the final state of the believer, in the sense of being brought to glory (2:10). If so, it is still clear that current discipline in suffering is contributing to that goal. We enjoy a measure of the harvest of peace and righteousness now, a kind of before-dinner-taste (Ephesians 1:13,14), yet full salvation (9:28) is in the coming age (Isaiah 32:17). Being comfortable with the world is detrimental. The Lord has good ways to loosen us from it.
12:10 “That we may share in His holiness” 12:11 “A harvest” Confessing
Christ is probably what provoked opposition. Boasting in Christ (3:6) and
confessing boldly brought a stiff reaction from sinners. Hebrews teaches that the pain is short term,
but life (v.9) and the harvest of righteousness and peace is the lasting good
we gain (v.10). We come to share in God’s holiness. Suffering is handed out by
men. Training, strengthening, and
sanctifying is the gracious work of God comprehended
by faith. Issues become clearer to us when we are hated for Christ’s sake.
Surely we see our pilgrim life more clearly in this world. Surely we look much
more to the city of
The absence of discipline would indicate the absence of fatherly attention to us! The experience of discipline is the Father training us for running the race. He not only put us in it but trains us for it (5:14). “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word” (Psalm 119:67).
12:12,13 Feeble hands and unsteady knees – this is the body language of discouragement in Isaiah 35:3,4, which Isaiah connects to a fearful heart. Hebrews quotes a little of Proverbs 4:26. In its larger context, Proverbs 4:20-27 mentions many parts of the body in father–son counsel, urging the son in the path of righteousness. By choosing “level paths” for their feet in Proverbs 4, the writer maintains his analogy of running a good race. The call to strengthen arms and knees is simply to take to heart all that has been said earlier in chapter 12. To fix the eyes on Jesus, to consider Him, and to remember God’s word of encouragement will strengthen the heart. Hebrews does not pump up enthusiasm by drawing on our internal resources. Instead, the heart is “strengthened by grace” (13:9). Weariness (12:3) and losing heart (12:5) are serious threats to the health of the church. This kind of issue requires pastoral attention and teaching, and this very doctrinal book does not leave it out.
The sense of a level path in Proverbs 4 is ethical since the counsel there is choosing righteousness over sin. Sin hinders running the race marked out for us (12:2). The Lord taught that the level path is straight (Matthew 7:13,14), so it does not turn in any direction contrary to God’s revelation. The level path heads heavenward (Philippians 3:13,14) to the city that is to come (13:14). Here we run as pilgrims going somewhere; in the New Jerusalem we shall walk (Revelation 21:24) relaxed because we are at home with the Lord.
Christ has arrived at home (12:2). It is right that He should be seated and that we should still be running. We do not coast to heaven. We arrive in God’s rest only by ceasing from our works (4:9,10). We are safe and assured through faith in the blood and righteousness of Christ; then we make every effort to enter His rest (4:11). We do this with diligence to make our hope sure (6:11). The church should be warned that the real problem with slackers is that they may not be headed to heaven at all! (More people should read Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress.)
The writer probably does not describe everyone in the church as lame. Only some had the habit of absence in 10:25, not all. The continuing good works in 6:10 show they were not all lame. The recurring burden of “not one” in 3:12 and 4:1, reveals the writer’s burden for those who alter. Thus I conclude the lame are the weaker ones. The strong must think of them (Romans 15:1). When the strong run a good race, it encourages others to do the same. The strategy of ministry in Hebrews stresses the effect of mutual encouragement (3:13). Fellowship is not for fun; it is for a joint pilgrimage to the city with foundations. “ May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus…” (Romans 15:5).
A little review! Our suffering is a fellowship of the
suffering of Christ since we face the same opposition and hostility that Jesus
endured. In finishing well, He is our chief example. Our suffering has been
wonderfully “marked out for us” by our loving Father in the peculiar time,
place and opportunity in which He has placed us. We are to believe His
encouraging explanation of these things, submit to it in faith, and respect Him
as the Supreme “Father of spirits”. In combining suffering with confessing
Christ (remember, the hostility endured was in reaction to something!) He
trains us and works in us an increase of peace and righteousness anticipating
the goal of sharing His holiness. On the path we run we are to help each other.