“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.” Hebrews
12:1-2
Chapter 11 is called the “Faith Chapter” because it lists many of the most faithful
believers throughout scripture. That
is the great cloud of witnesses Paul is speaking of in verse one above. We know
that there are many things that can hinder our walk with God throughout our
life. Many temptations that can entangle
us in their web, causing us to stumble.
We are encouraged to run our race with perseverance, meaning
essentially, to never give up. The race
that is “marked out for us” is the
path that God means for us to follow.
We tend to struggle more when we fix our eyes on our
circumstances rather than the Lord. He
is the circumstance buster. Nothing is
impossible for Him. As we focus on Him
we are lifted up out of our anxious state and we find peace.
Christ knew and anticipated the joy that would result from
His death, which would provide forgiveness for all who would receive it. Becoming “saved” from sure death due to a
sinful life is a joyful event. A
person’s life has been revolutionized; it has been radically changed, but that
person has to allow the change to take root.
Execution on a cross was the most shameful way a person
could die, so much so that it was forbidden to be inflicted on Roman
citizens. It was also shameful because
Jews believed that anyone who died on a tree (cross) was cursed by God.
(Galatians 3:13; Deuteronomy 21:23) So
Jesus became cursed and separated from His own Father for our sake. It was a temporary separation though, for He
would be raised to new life and take His rightful place at the right hand of
Almighty God once He ascended in the beginning of Acts. This is good news and the reason why Easter
is such a special day for Christians. It
is Resurrection Day! Until next time,
walk with the King and be a blessing!
Reference used: The Reformation Study Bible; P & R
Publishing; 2010.
