"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely..." (Hebrews 12:1b).
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" (vv. 1a).
This is the beginning of verse one. This is one of our motivations for running the race. Many commentaries would say that it is like being in a stadium with all the great saints of the past filling the stands. Well, I think it is much more than that. Sure that is a motivation to run, but that is a self-centered analogy with some fallacies along with it. The saints are all up in heaven giving all praise and glory and honor to the living God, not peering out of heaven watching us trot along a dirt road.
What this is referring to is that, since all the saints ran the race and endured with great patience and faith, as in the previous chapter, we too need to run with such faith and endurance (Heb 10:38). Even Jesus Christ who endured such hostility from sinners (Heb 12:3). Because they ran, so can we!
"Let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (vv. 1b).
The weight and sin are two things we need to put off, but are clearly two different objects. The weight most likely referred to legalism, or the old ceremonial and judicial laws to the Jews. The writer of Hebrews has been making a case throughout the whole book to lay aside all those things because they were merely shadows. Now that we are in Christ, all they amount to is legalism. So in a sense he is saying, "Understand your liberty in Christ, lay aside the rules that were merely a shadow, and run the race as a free man in Christ."
The second aspect is to lay aside the sin. Stop sinning! Sin resembles the guy who showed up to the race and never took off his sweatsuit. Or the guy who is on the side lines drinking soda. Or the person eating a giant burger before the race. We need to lay aside everything that might hinder us from running freely so as to win and glorify God. Therefore, stop lusting, stop bickering and gossiping, stop complaining and lying, stop being angry and lazy. Instead, get up and run with endurance, laying aside all of those things.
The question then arises: why should we run this race? Can't we just believe in Jesus and that's it? Why do we have to be obedient and stop sinning? The simple answer: Because Jesus did.
Look at verse two:
"Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God" (vv. 2).
There are two things we gain from this passage. The first is that Jesus ran the race, so should we. He saw His life as a mission, a goal that had been given to Him from the Father and He needed to fulfill it (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 12:49). He was determined to finish the race. He knew that it meant enduring being crucified on a cross; He knew it would mean despising the sinful, shameful things of the world, and He knew the glory that would be His in the end. He ran for joy and for reward. So should we.
The other thing we see in this verse is practical: Don't run while looking at your feet; don't run while looking at the crowd; don't run while glancing at the soda on the sides, but run with your eyes fixed on Jesus Christ. Why? because He ran far better than any of us ever could run. Run to be more like Christ!
"Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted" (vv. 3).Verse three tells us not to grow weary in the fight; don't grow fainthearted in the race, but endure with patience and joy, looking to Christ and the reward! Jesus endured so much on our behalf. He lived the life that we should have lived. He died on the cross where we should have died. We are a sinful and immoral people and we ultimately deserve judgement. And yet it was Jesus' joy to die on that cross. One, because He loved us that much. And two, because it was the will of the Father to do so. In the end, the reason for everything was to bring God the glory in everything.
Shouldn't we run in such a way that everything we do would glorify God? We run against anything and everything that might stifle our running, we do it while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, and we run with endurance in order to bring Him glory.
We are going to continue in this thought by looking at ways to root out whatever may hinder us from running the race, so that we can run so as to glorify God in everything.
"In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Hebrews 12:4).
