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
We begin chapter 12 with an amazing shift in tone, yet it is a small section that is actually in the position of summing up the previous chapter. Remember that chapter 11 has been all about active faith, and here in summing that up the author, sounding very much like the Apostle Paul, uses a sports metaphor. We are surrounded by a “great cloud of witnesses” referring to all of those great people of faith who were named in chapter 11, and here they are the spectators at a great race; the stage is set…
The author now urges us to throw off everything that hinders, as an athlete would remove all hindering clothing, in preparation for a race. Then, he applies this to our reality when he says “and the sin that so easily entangles.” If we were athletes in a locker room before a great race, we would change out of our street clothes and into the garb of a runner; minimal clothing that allows full freedom of movement, with no extra weight, and nothing to limit our ability to run the race. Likewise, as servants of Jesus who are running the “race” of life, we must get rid of anything that would limit our ability to run our “race.” Sin, distractions and the like must be left behind, lest they should inhibit our efforts.
Then, we run our race that has been “marked out for us” with our eyes fixed on Jesus. When you run a race, you don’t just make up the course as you go along; it has been fixed by the racing officials. Likewise, the race that is our lives has been marked out by God, so that we run a certain course. We usually call this our “calling.” Each of us has been “called” to His service in a certain way, and the author is trying to encourage the people to fix their eyes on Jesus, and run the race we have been called to effectively and without distraction or restraint.
Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of our faith is our model for the race. Notice that He is author (pioneer); He is the One who has written this tale and marked out our race. He has perfected our faith by His work on the cross. As you read further, we see that Jesus is our model, for in His earthly ministry, He has done exactly what we are to do now in our own rights. He threw off sin and distraction, fixed His eyes upon the will of the Father, and ran His race to win. We are to throw off all distraction and sin and fix our eyes upon Jesus and run our race to win, just as those great people of faith in chapter 11 did.
Finally, Jesus sat down at the right hand of the throne on high; He reached the finish line. For just as He reached the finish line and as He sat down on high, so shall we, when we finish the course before us. I’m struck at this moment that the whole concept of this is so simple. It’s really easier to comprehend than it is to describe, which is the mark of a great metaphor. Will we get ready and run that race?
Jesus saw His death as formal covenant ratification, and that fact can be seen in the following verses:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
Luke 22:20
This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins
. Matt. 26:28
The words “this is the blood of the covenant” were intended to refer to a formal covenant oath taking (Exod. 24:8). God was promising in the oath remission of sins through Christ, and was signing the New Covenant in blood. As surely as Christ died on the cross, God will save to the “uttermost all that draw near to Him in Christ“ (Heb. 10:19-23). The cross was intended to show God’s goodness and mercy to Man, and to draw humanity to repentance…
But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself
John 12:32
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
Romans 2:4
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Romans 8:31-32
God did at the cross what the Old Covenant promises had not done; He broke men’s hearts and gained their allegiance… something that says quite a bit about God’s character and His love for us. The cross assured all of us of God’s love toward us:
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
1Cor. 15:20
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
You have made [known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Psalm 16:9-11
God had indeed kept His commitment to Christ by raising Him from the dead; the first of millions! Paul called the resurrection a “guarantee offering” using the old sacrificial system as a frame of reference, to illustrate the fact that the resurrection of Christ confirmed all that Christ had taught and promised.
In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.
Acts 17:30-31
Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
Hebrews 7:25
…and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 1:4
The Great Commission
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matt. 28:18-20
Jesus invoked authority to begin His commission. When someone invokes authority, what he is doing is communicating to his hearers that what follows is very important. If you ever read words that say something like: “I, __________ ____________, president of the United States of America…” you would know right away that the president is making an official statement placing the whole power of his office behind it. When Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” He is letting you know that you had better listen to what He is telling you, because it is coming from the highest authority in the entire universe, and that this official statement had better be taken seriously.
In the Great Commission, Jesus was laying out terms of service: go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey. These four actions are not suggestions, or something to be left to the professionals: they are direct covenant commands from God Almighty through Jesus Christ to each of us. In fact, they look an awful lot like a covenant:
Parties: God, and the disciples of Christ
Terms: Go, make disciples, baptizing, teaching to obey Christ
Promises: “I will be with you always”
This is not a command that will be measured by the attempt, but by the results. It isn’t enough just to go; we must MAKE DISCIPLES. More than any other single passage of scripture, the Great Commission illustrates the end of the Old Covenant.
By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
Hebrews 11:24-28
In these few verses, the author of Hebrews reveals something truly incredible: Moses knew about Jesus!
That knowledge accounted for some of the actions that Moses took, and the author cites the fact that Moses made a choice to be numbered among the Hebrews rather than to continue in his place of privilege in the household of Pharaoh. Moses “regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt” and so he left the slave masters and joined with the slaves. Moses placed his priority in line with God’s covenant purpose, not because the New Covenant was in effect, for it was centuries in the future, but because God’s covenant with Abraham was in effect, and it contained a promise that the people would be set free from bondage in Egypt, a promise that was made over 400 years before his own lifetime.
In this, Moses was forward-looking, to his reward, to the exclusion of his current peril on the earth. How might that have inspired the original recipients of the letter? How might that inspire us?
It was by faith that he both left Egypt and incurred the anger of Pharaoh, and later that he applied the blood of the Passover.
By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.
Hebrews 11:29
The people Moses led had their moments of faith too, as when they crossed the Red Sea, but sadly they more often drifted away from their faith, and never received God’s land promise; even Moses rebelled and could only gaze upon the Land. But Joshua and Caleb never lost their faith:
By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.
By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.
Hebrews 11:30-31
The story of faith is an amazing one indeed, and it is a story that you and I are part of: What role will we play?
What is it about Autumn that stimulates the imagination?
I’m not sure. Maybe it’s the colors or the cooler air; maybe it’s the upcoming holidays or back to school…
While I have always been partial to summertime because of its warmth, the coming of Fall has always seemed like a special time; even when I was a little kid and wasn’t crazy about going back to school. As I’ve gotten older, I think it’s more than just cooling off a bit; I took the picture above several years ago and I recall vividly that according to my phone, the temp was over 90F. No, it isn’t that it’s cooler… I think it’s something else.
I really think that it is the colorful and spectacular display of God’s hand in nature that makes this a special time of year. The Fall is a time of year when it is particularly difficult for me to accept the notion that life on this planet is somehow just a matter of chance. Combine that with it being the time of harvest for so many crops and believing in happenstance life is just a bit too much, if you ask me.
Before you freak, I must point out that I stayed in school and learned all of the explanations for these things from science, but somehow, they ring hollow. For instance, isn’t it interesting that trees change color when the number of hours of sunlight reaches a certain point, and yet their turning times aren’t always the same. I must also point out that one professor I had required a different answer on his midterm; it was the temperature that had the biggest effect. As I mentioned above, the temp on this day was quite summer-like, and there had been no great cooling trend in that area previously.
They could at least get their stories straight!
OK, yes, that was unfair, I’ll admit that, and yes, sometimes educated people have different opinions, so back to mine…
Just to be able to look around and see God’s hand at work makes this an amazing time of year, and I hope that you have some time to take it all in this year! Of course, if you are in the southern hemisphere, you have a different change of seasons going on, and spring is pretty awesome too.
Yes, I think I’ll look around as much as I can, see God’s work, and give Him thanks for His wonderous Creation.
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.
Hebrews 11:17-19
What an amazing thing Abraham did when God told him to sacrifice Isaac! The author brings this out in these verses, and let’s just stop and think about it for a moment. God’s big promise to Abraham was that he would have offspring greater in number than the stars in the sky and the sand on the shore, pretty amazing considering his age. The greatest promise of all was that through his seed, all nations of the earth would be blessed, and when the son of promise finally comes along, nothing short of a miracle in itself, God tells Abraham to sacrifice him… and Abraham was about to do what God had told him to do; now that is putting faith into action!
I can’t imagine what Abraham must have been thinking… I really can’t; but our author tells us, and apparently it occurred to Abraham, that if God made this promise, and then told him to kill the boy, God must have a plan to raise Isaac from the dead. His faith was so strong, he wasn’t thinking that God had changed His mind. So, in a way, he did receive Isaac back from the dead, for at that critical moment, poor Isaac was a dead boy walking.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.
By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.
By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.
By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.
Hebrews 11:20-23
Take a close look at these “by faith” verses…. very close. What do they all have common, other than “by faith”? It’s no trick, there is a clear pattern…
Each one of these “by faith” incidents is directly related to covenant faithfulness. The main things mentioned about Abraham related to the land promise. In the verses above, it’s the son of promise. Isaac and Jacob verses are referring to their covenant birthrights. Joseph was concerned about the exodus, also a promise of the covenant. Moses was no ordinary child, because God would make another covenant with him… and later we’ll see more about Moses.
All of these people were imperfect, and the truth is that some of them were very imperfect. All, however, placed their priority on their covenant relationship with God, over all else, and when things were tough, that’s where their hearts were to be found. The really big question is this: What does that tell us about God’s priorities in relation to our sins?
In case I haven’t made this quite clear enough, let’s go about this in a slightly different way. None of the patriarchs was a saint. A few of them were a mess, and I’m including Abraham in this group. How many times did he allow Sarah, the woman who was to bear the son of promise, go into the harem of a pagan king? Not once, but twice! Now I haven’t been so perfect in my lifetime, but I most certainly have never done anything like that, have you? Probably not… Yet Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, because Abraham, in spite of his faults, placed his highest priority on his covenant with God; in this area, he was faultless. The same can also be said of his son and grandsons.
Back to the original recipients… Everything in this letter is in the context of covenant. Just think about all of the amazing things we’ve learned about the New Covenant in Hebrews. Think about what we’ve learned about our relationship with God in Hebrews. With all of that in mind, can you see what an insult it would be to God if we, after all He has done, and after all He has given to us, would turn our backs and walk away from this covenant relationship when the going got tough? You see, these warnings aren’t so much about our petty sins which are already forgiven anyway, they are about protecting and maintaining our covenant relationship with God.
Another day begins in the morning mists; what kind of day will this be?
For many, there is hard work ahead, there may be tasks at hand that are not pleasant, so will the day be a bad one? I should hope not…
Whatever our plans today might be, take a minute and recall that God is near at hand, that He is right there to see us through. When our tasks are not pleasant, do we dwell on the unpleasantness or do we focus on Him? I say let’s focus on Him as we go through our day. Oh, how often I blog on this subject! But why do I keep coming back to it?
Probably to remind myself!
Like you, I have struggles and challenges most of the time, and when I see only the struggles, the day is long indeed. As I go through those days, my mood begins to darken and sometimes I even wonder what the point of it all is. Usually, right about at then, a thought comes into my mind: Why should I despair when God is right here? Why should I tire when the source of my strength is within me in the person of His Spirit?
Then, everything changes for me. My strength returns, I am fresh with determination and hope and filled with His peace, and then, do you know what happens then?
Those problems and struggles don’t seem so big after all, and I am amazed at how easily they can be remedied. So, as we begin our day in the morning mists, let’s draw near to God, the source of all strength and goodness and let Him lead us through our day’s work, praising and thanking Him as we go through another great day!
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.
Hebrews 11:13-16
“These people,” Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their families, lived in a time and place where the fullness of God’s promises to them had not entirely come to pass. They looked forward to complete fulfillment to their dying days, but they did so with joy, for the fulfillment of God’s promises was never in doubt; they lived by faith. They saw from a distance, but they held on. You’ll recall that our author said that the Old Covenant worship was but an illustration, a shadow of the reality to come. Here the author uses the words “at a distance” to describe the same thing, for the reality of all of God’s promises came in the person of Christ.
There’s something really interesting developing in these verses, something that is very relevant for the original recipients of the letter, and very relevant for us as well. Did you notice that the author keeps pointing out that they were foreigners? They were strangers in a strange land when Abraham and his household entered the promised land, for there were already people there with a different culture, different language, and different values. Abraham had followed God to a place he didn’t know, and where the inhabitants didn’t know him. But that isn’t the point the author is making. Notice verse 13, “…they were foreigners and strangers on earth.” It wasn’t just that they had left Ur and travelled to Canaan, they had left the kingdom of this earth, and entered a covenant with God. They were no longer like the other people in a way that is much more significant than mere language and culture, for they have become people of God, in an environment that was in rebellion against God. Returning to Ur wouldn’t bring them home, for they were no longer citizens there, their orientation was now a heavenly one, and they could only look forward to the day when it became a reality.
Now, consider the implications of this upon the Jewish Christians in Rome during Nero’s persecution. Even if they had lived in Rome all of their lives, even if the State recognized them as Roman citizens, they had been transformed into citizens of a different realm, for in Christ they had become citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. They were now strangers in a strange land, a land that was in open rebellion against God… and Rome was acting the part. Rome persecuted them because they were of God now; that’s what the world does, and it should surprise no one. Yet through this trial, they had thus far remained faithful to their new Kingdom, and in the course of that, they had declared a testimony for Christ, and as we now know as we study the past, the Gospel spread rapidly by their testimony of faith in Jesus, even in the face of terrible persecution. Thus, God was not ashamed to be their God.
The historical context of this is very interesting, but it also cries out to us in an important way. What is it telling us…? It tells us that we too, are strangers in a strange land, for no longer are we citizens of an earthly nation; we too are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven, and we too have a role to play in its development. As Paul tells us, we are its Ambassadors here on earth; what will our testimony be?
The coming f the Christ was foretold by many of the Old Testament prophets, and it was prepared for by the last and final prophet of the Old Covenant: John. When the Christ came, He had several issues to resolve, they are:
1) What is it that God wanted in a person? Jesus demonstrated what God had intended when he made Adam, and consequently is called the second Adam (1Cor. 15:22). Christ was the “image” in which Man had been cast (Heb. 1:1-3). What God wanted in the Law of Moses was someone like Christ (Rom. 8:1-3). Jesus fulfilled the Law as God had wanted it fulfilled when He gave it at Mount Sinai (Matt. 5:17). What God wanted in the remnant, He demonstrated in Christ, the true suffering servant (Matt. 12:17). He was what God wanted of the church that He was to establish (Eph. 4:12-16). He is the model for the new humanity that God intended to create in Christ (Eph. 2:15 ff.). God had intended for all humanity to have the character and personality of Christ from the very beginning (Rom. 8:29). As a consequence, Jesus needed to show that the Law was just and right and that Man could, and should have kept it all along; He kept it as God had intended for it to be kept.
2) Jesus needed to re-interpret the Law placing things in their proper perspective. The Law had been intended to be the rule for the House of Israel, and not the guide for all humanity. If it had been, the specific ceremonies and one location Temple would be inappropriate. For this reason, Christ needed to set forth what ethic and duty would be when the Kingdom came… He frequently contrasted what had been written with what He would bring, see Matt. 5:21 ff. Many of His teachings separated the principles contained in the Law from the specific statures.
Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ’This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matt. 22:36-39
Here Jesus shows the application of the principle: if you love the Lord your God, you must also love your neighbor, as God loves all Men. Jesus understood that all Law must have a priority system that takes into account the conflicts that will naturally arise, and His biggest charge against the Jewish legal authorities was that they had no sane priority system, instead preferring to apply whatever Law made them look good, and the other fellow look bad. (Mark 7:1 ff.)
(Heb. 1:3) When He died on the cross, the last sacrifice was finished; it was for that reason he had come into the world (John 12:27-28). When the goal was achieved, Jesus ended the Law: 3) Jesus came to put an end to the Mosaic system by being its last sacrifice.
It is finished. (John 19:28) In that moment the curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Matt. 27:51)
Paul interpreted the meaning of this:
…having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Col. 2:14-15
The Law had outlived its usefulness and had actually been used to crucify the Son of God. As always, if anything that placed the mission of God, the relationship with His people, or the success of the relationship, it became a vile thing. The very Torah was nailed to a tree, and as Torah says, “Cursed be anyone that hangeth on a tree.” (Deut. 21:23) Jesus and the Torah, both servants of God, were nailed to a tree. Jesus died for the sins identified by the Torah. When Jesus died, the Torah died with him. This is something that only Jesus could do, because He was God in a body (John 1:1, 14) and was therefore party of the first part in the Covenant; the Covenant was His to terminate and replace.
Jesus’ Covenant Orientation
The word covenant is not used much in the Gospels because it’s a given. It is the only framework in which a religious discussion can take place; thus it need not be mentioned as pre-requisite. It was very clear however that significant tension developed between Jesus and the Jewish authorities because Jesus was intent on making significant changes in the three elements of the Covenant: the parties, terms and promises. Much of what He did in the Gospels is to demonstrate His authority to do so, and much is also said about each of these elements.
In the case of the parties, the Old Covenant parties are God and the blood descendants of Abraham through Isaac. Jesus had come to sweep that away:
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
John 1:11-13
Christ’s philosophy of covenant is similar to the Old Covenant in certain ways. He saw a covenant relationship as being about mutuality, but He held humanity responsible for evidence presented, and realized that words open peoples’ hearts. Words opened hearts so that we could be born of the Spirit.
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
John 6:63
Jesus said several times that men who do not choose the blessings of God do so because they prefer the praise of Men. In so stating, He indicates not that Men are depraved, but rather holds them responsible for their choices:
How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God?
John 5:44
Jesus also set about to change the terms of covenant. In so doing, His approach focused on the positive benefits rather than upon the penalties for breech. Whereas the Law focused on “Cursed be…” Jesus’ focus was on “Blessed are…” and the differences are striking:
Old
New
Cursed is the man who carves an image
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom
Cursed is the man who moves a boundary stone
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
Cursed is the man who dishonors…
Blessed are the merciful…
Cursed is the man who withholds justice
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God
Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law (Deut. 27:15 ff.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. (Matt. 5:1 ff.)
Jesus summed up all His ethical principles into one definition: Godliness was the sum of ethic… “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt. 5:48) This is inadequate without a thorough description of what our heavenly Father is like, and Jesus provided that explanation. He described God as being much like an earthly father who loves his children. Our Heavenly Father loves His children and does well for them (Matt. 7:7). He lets His children go their own way (Luke 15:11 ff.). He welcomed home the prodigal son with joy and weeping. The best definition of God-likeness was Jesus; He and the Father were one (John 10:30). Jesus embodied God’s personality and character, Christ-likeness was God-likeness.
A student is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher
Luke 6:40
Our next post on Covenant will conclude this section about the end of the Old Covenant― see you then.
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