Hebrews 12:1-13

Hebrews 12:1-13

The heroes of the past reach the finish line by faith, not by ritual nor by law, but by faith. It is now our turn. The passage is filled with practical help for the disciple, both Jew and Gentile, who struggles when they find that it is hard to follow the Lord. Nowhere, except among corrupt and false teachers, do we find that being a disciple will be easy. The word used in verse 1 for race is the Greek word agona, from which we get the English word agony. The promises of an easy life as a disciple are the lies that are given to set us up for disappointment. These lies originate in the heart of the father of all lies.

There are two things that make it easy for us to get sidetracked or hobbled in our race. First is “every encumbrance,” those things that are not evil, but we'll slowly consume more and more of our lives and will replace the running of our race as a priority of our lives. There is nothing wrong with hobbies, sports, and recreation; in fact, they can be helpful and healthy. But given the opportunity, they can become the reason for our living. The second danger is the “sin that easily entangles us.” The word “easily entangles” is a compound word that means “well established around us.” The sin that is everywhere around us, the sin that is an easy habit of life, the sin that is convenient and close at hand, this sin we can slip into without even thinking about it is what the author has in mind here. The solution is interesting. The way forward is not to fight the sin but to focus on Jesus. Obsession with stopping a specific sin will only take us so far. Rather, the answer is to fix our attention on Jesus. In the original language, this “looking to Jesus” means to look in such a way that we don't notice anything else.

Finally In this passage we see that the life of a disciple is marked by the external discipline of God. Certainly we must be self-disciplined, but there is an external discipline or hardship that we need. We would rather not see or think of God as one who disciplines us, but as the author of Hebrews puts it so directly, He does. Sometimes God does so by allowing things to happen, sometimes by actually causing them. In either case, He disciplines us. In verse 6 he is described as “scourging” or “whipping” us. That is not the picture of God that is currently popular. But sometimes we can only learn our lessons the hard way. In fact, if you want your best life now, the Christian faith is certainly not for you.

“Grant me the wisdom to accept with strength the discipline of God.  AMEN”