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by Katie Erickson

“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, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and 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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” -Hebrews 12:1-3

This section of the letter to the Hebrews is both a conclusion and an introduction. While Hebrews 11:39-40 concludes the “heroes of the faith” section, these verses tell us what to do with the stories of everyone the author just described. It introduces the topic for the rest of the letter - practical ideas on how to live a Christian life.

The “therefore” at the beginning of verse 1 is that hinge point that connects the previous stories with what we should do about them. Because of all those who have lived by faith and were commended for that faith, we need to live like that as well! The people and stories mentioned in the previous chapter are not just imaginary stories, but they were real people who actually lived out their witness to the faith. The author includes himself in being surrounded by all of those witnesses to the faith; he, too, is striving to live the life of faith.

The Greek word used for “cloud” can refer to the clouds in the sky, but it also refers to a throng of people. When used in that way, it emphasizes the great number people included in the group. The author only had space to mention a handful in their stories and a few more by name, and many others were referenced by general events in life. But there were far too many to list in that chapter, and many, many more have lived between tha time Hebrews was written and today as well!

Because of all those who have gone before us, “let us throw off everything that hinders” us (verse 1). The word translated “everything that hinders” is a Greek word meaning any kind of weight. Sometimes it refers to any excess body weight, like an athlete would need to shed during their training process. This fits with the metaphor of the race at the end of verse 1. Throwing off this weight also means to carry nothing excessive with us; you never see athletes competing in a race with backpacks of stuff on them! Anything that we don’t need will just hinder our progress of living out our Christian faith. This is especially of true of the sins we get entangled by.

The race we are to run is not a sprint but a marathon. We need to be prepared for the long haul of living the life of faith. It’s not something we do quickly once and then it’s over, but something that requires endurance and perseverance. That is what the witnesses who came before us did, especially in light of the fact that most of them never received the “prize” they were running for, the fulfillment of the great promises of God. We, too, need to strive to run this race. We have seen the fulfillment of God’s promise of sending a savior in Jesus, but we will not be truly victorious until our race is over on this earth.

In verse 2, we see the focus that is required to run this race. Our eyes need to be fixed on Jesus! A runner cannot be distracted by the fans in the stands, what the clouds in the sky are doing, look that that flower over there, etc. A runner fixes her eyes on the goal of the race – the finish line. We need to have our eyes fixed on our goal – Jesus Christ. He is “the pioneer and perfector of faith.” Faith is all about Him, not about us. He originated the faith and He perfects and completes the faith. Even though He was not yet on earth in physical form during the days of the Old Testament and the witnesses that the author spent chapter 11 describing, Jesus was still present as God. He existed since before time began and before people were created to have faith. Faith all points to Jesus, no matter when the faithful people have lived or will live.

Why is faith all about Jesus? Because “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” (verse 2b). Was death on the cross a joyful experience for Jesus? Definitely not! But He knew there would be joy at what He accomplished through that torturous death – salvation for all of humanity who has faith in Him. He endured what He needed to endure so that we would be able to experience salvation in Him through our faith. After accomplishing His work on the cross, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, which symbolizes that His work is complete and He is now reigning over the entire world because of it.

Verse 3 shows us that Jesus’ endurance of the cross gives us benefit. The word “endured” is in the perfect tense in Greek, which indicates that it is a completed action with an ongoing effect. Jesus has already died on the cross; that is complete, yet it has an ongoing effect of bringing salvation to all of us sinners. He endured the opposition that He needed to endure so that we can be encouraged in our faith.

There is weariness involved with running a long race, and runners can easily be tempted to quit when it gets difficult. But that is not what we are called to in our life of faith! The witnesses that came before us endured their situations by faith. Jesus endured death on a cross for the joy that was coming after it. We, too, are called to endure whatever is in the race set before us, and we can do that when our eyes are fixed on Jesus!

What has God called you to endure at this point in your life? Perhaps you’re at an easier point in your race, or perhaps you’re climbing a steep hill and feel you can’t take one more step. Either way, fix your eyes on Jesus! He began this faith and He fulfills this faith, and His work is done. Do not grow weary and lose heart, but keep your faith in Him, being encouraged by all those who have come before to run the race marked out for you with perseverance.

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