Reflections on Hebrews 12

 

Hebrews 12 (Contemporary English Version)

1. Such a large crowd of witnesses is all around us! So we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially the sin that just won't let go. And we must be determined to run the race that is ahead of us.
2. We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross, because he knew that later on he would be glad he did. Now he is seated at the right side of God's throne!
3. So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up.
4. None of you have yet been hurt in your battle against sin.
5. But you have forgotten that the Scriptures say to God's children, "When the Lord punishes you, don't make light of it, and when he corrects you, don't be discouraged.
6. The Lord corrects the people he loves and disciplines those he calls his own."
7. Be patient when you are being corrected! This is how God treats his children. Don't all parents correct their children?
8. God corrects all of his children, and if he doesn't correct you, then you don't really belong to him.
9. Our earthly fathers correct us, and we still respect them. Isn't it even better to be given true life by letting our spiritual Father correct us?
10. Our human fathers correct us for a short time, and they do it as they think best. But God corrects us for our own good, because he wants us to be holy, as he is.
11. It is never fun to be corrected. In fact, at the time it is always painful. But if we learn to obey by being corrected, we will do right and live at peace.
12. Now stand up straight! Stop your knees from shaking
13. and walk a straight path. Then lame people will be healed, instead of getting worse.
14. Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. If you don't, you will never see the Lord.
15. Make sure that no one misses out on God's wonderful kindness. Don't let anyone become bitter and cause trouble for the rest of you.
16. Watch out for immoral and ungodly people like Esau, who sold his future blessing for only one meal.
17. You know how he later wanted it back. But there was nothing he could do to change things, even though he begged his father and cried.
18. You have not come to a place like Mount Sinai that can be seen and touched. There is no flaming fire or dark cloud or storm
19. or trumpet sound. The people of Israel heard a voice speak. But they begged it to stop,
20. because they could not obey its commands. They were even told to kill any animal that touched the mountain.
21. The sight was so frightening that Moses said he shook with fear.
22. You have now come to Mount Zion and to the heavenly Jerusalem. This is the city of the living God, where thousands and thousands of angels have come to celebrate.
23. Here you will find all of God's dearest children, whose names are written in heaven. And you will find God himself, who judges everyone. Here also are the spirits of those good people who have been made perfect.
24. And Jesus is here! He is the one who makes God's new agreement with us, and his sprinkled blood says much better things than the blood of Abel.
25. Make sure that you obey the one who speaks to you. The people did not escape, when they refused to obey the one who spoke to them at Mount Sinai. Do you think you can possibly escape, if you refuse to obey the one who speaks to you from heaven?
26. When God spoke the first time, his voice shook only the earth. This time he has promised to shake the earth once again, and heaven too.
27. The words "once again" mean that these created things will someday be shaken and removed. Then what cannot be shaken will last.
28. We should be grateful that we were given a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And in this kingdom we please God by worshiping him and by showing him great honor and respect.
29. Our God is like a destructive fire!
    

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    Another call to faithfulness is given in chapter 12 as follow up to the inspirational examples of Old Testament heroes of faith. The writer has his readers to envision these heroes of faith as a "large cloud of witnesses" that surround them, watching their faithfulness. We are all challenged to do our best in front of an audience, and this is the challenge he gives them and us. Do your very best before this large audience, he was telling them, to "lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us, and run with endurance the race that lies before us." (12:1) He then likens our life of faith to a race which we are running in view of this large audience of Old Testament heroes of faith.
    
    Although the audience is filled with those who have successfully run the race before us, it is not their examples on which we are to keep our eyes. The supreme example of faith was not mentioned in chapter 11 but is now placed before us as the example on which we should keep our eyes. This example is Jesus who is both the source and the perfecter of our faith. It is His example for which we are to strive. When we are tempted to drop out of the race we should "consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won't grow weary and lose heart." (12:3) And if the readers thought they had it bad, none of them had yet "resisted (sin) to the point of shedding your blood." (12:4)
    
    Having touched on the hardships Jesus endured, the writer now turns fuller attention to that topic, wanting them to think of hardships in their lives positively, as occasions that mark them as God's children. It is not the hardships they bring on themselves he is asking them to consider, but hardships they endure because of their faith. Hardships related to our faith can be seen as God's discipline. And if we are disciplined it is a sign that we are God's sons (children). We should remember that "the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and punishes every son whom He receives." (12:6) Therefore, we should endure hardship "as discipline: God is dealing with you as sons." (12:7) It is not discipline but lack of discipline that should concern us. For if we are not disciplined "then you are illegitimate children and not sons." (12:8) Though discipline is not enjoyable at the time, "it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (12:11)
    
    With this encouragement to accept God's discipline he then tells them to "strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but healed instead." (12:12-13)  They need to strengthen themselves to overcome their weaknesses and straighten their path so they don't stumble. He is speaking, of course, of spiritual strength and the course of their lives. This they can do by pursuing peace and holiness. If they should give up on these things and on the pursuit of God's reward the writer suggests they will be like Esau who "sold his birthright in exchange for one meal." (12:16)
    
    The final section in this discussion is a warning concerning the seriousness of their choice in this matter of faith. Faithfulness to the old covenant was serious enough, he said, giving a description of the awesomeness of Moses' experience on Mount Sinai. The experience was terrifying to Moses who said, "I am terrified and trembling." (12:21) But, he says, "you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect, to Jesus (mediator of a new covenant), and to the sprinkled blood, which says better things than the blood of Abel." (12:22-24) In other words, Moses' experience was nothing compared to what they wee dealing with in relation to the new covenant. Therefore, he says, "See that you do not reject the One who speaks; for if they did not escape when they rejected Him who warned them on earth, even less will we if we turn away from Him who warns us from heaven." (12:25)