Res Biblica

After his summary retelling of the faith of the ancients, the author begins to exhort his listeners to Christian living. The imperatives in this section are Christological in nature with some sapiential flavor (parent-children relationship). The exhortation is suspended in vv. 18-29 -- a meditation on the status of the Christians who have approached the altar of God's mercies in Zion and not the mountain of Sinai1 -- and is continued in Hebrews 13:1-21.

Outline of Hebrews 12:1-13

Hebrews 12:1-13 can be outlined thus:

• Rid yourselves of every burden and sin(1)
• Persevere in running the race
  • Fix your gaze on Jesus (2-6)
• Endure your trials as discipline (7)
  • God is treating you as sons when he disciplines you
  • If you are not being disciplined, then you are bastards (8 )
  • Our parents disciplined us, so why not let ourselves be disciplined by God? (9-11)
• Strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees (12)
• Make straight paths for your feet (13)

Persevere in the Race

This exhortation to perseverance echoes other passages from Paul that pictures the Christian life in terms of athletic events as in the following:

Do you not know that all the runners in a stadium compete, but only one receives the prize? So run to win. (1 Cor. 9:24)

I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith (2 Tim 4:7)

Not that I have already attained this - that is, I have not already been perfected - but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:12-14)

Compete well for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession for in the presence of many witnesses. (1 Tim. 6:12)

I put this charge before you, Timothy my child, in keeping with the prophecies once spoken about you, in order that with such encouragement you may fight the good fight. (1 Tim. 1:18)

At the same time, it also evokes what the author has said about how the Christians should be unwavering in their hope (10:23) and the ancients who saw what was promised from afar , strove for it but did not obtain it, because God wished that they be perfected "with us" (11:13.40). "Perseverance" is "to go on per severa, through severe things." The Greek word, "hypomone" is translated not only by "perseverance" but also by "standing firm", "persistence", "patience", "endurance", "long suffering". Christians are exhorted to perseverance precisely because events, both internal and external to the community, can weaken their faith and hope.

Christ as Example

The exhortation to persevere is followed by the phrase "as we look upon Christ." The example for Christian perseverance is therefore Christ Himself, whose endurance of the trials and sufferings of his life and passion is described thus:

For the sake of the joy that lay before him

he endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.

Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,

in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.

(In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.)

The "joy that lay before him" is the joy of the resurrection and the joy of standing in the midst of his brothers to proclaim God's praise (see Ps. 22:23 in the context of Heb.2:10-13). Jesus -- the leader and perfecter of faith -- endured opposition that those whom he calls brothers and sisters may not "grow weary and lose heart". This "opposition from sinners" is what Christ endured throughout his ministry, climaxing in the final resistance with the crucifixion. Parenthetically, the author also points out that his listeners have not been struggling to the point of death, and therefore have no grounds for resignation.

Endure Discipline

The exhortation to persevere through "the opposition" presented by "sinners" (internal obstacles) is followed up by an exhortation to endure th sufferings of daily life (external obstacles). Here, the author switches to sapiential theme inspired by Prov. 3:11-12. Sufferings are to be considered as "discipline/training". The Greek word used here is "paideia", that is, t training given to children who are not only taught how to read and write but also undergo sessions in athletics. The exhortation then ties up well with verse 1b and with the one in v. 12, "strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees", which also evokes images from the gymnasium.

The author states that the sufferings endured in one's daily life should be considered as God's training. This parent-child imagery should be understood in the light of the author's opening statements regarding those who have become God's children through Christ.

For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you." (Ps 22:22) Again he says, "I will be confident in him," and again, "Here I am, with the children God has given me. (Is. 8:18)" (Heb. 2:10-13)

Since Christians have become members of God's family, consecrated to God in the blood of Christ, they are to consider their "training" as deriving from their new status as children. Children who are not disciplined are "bastards". Further, training is only for a "short while"; it lasts only until child has become mature and when ended, one can look back at it with satisfaction. This statement is similar to the one found in John about the "short while".

(Jesus said) "In a little while you will see me no longer; again after a lit while, you will see me."
Then some of his disciples said to one another, "What is the meaning of what he is saying, 'In a little while you will not see me; again after a lit while, you will see me,' and, 'because I am going to the Father'?" 18 So they kept on repeating, "What is the meaning of what he says, 'In a little while'? We do not understand what he is talking about."
Jesus could see that they wanted to ask him about these things, so he said to them, "Are you asking each other about this - that I said, 'In a little w you will not see me; again after a little while, you will see me'? 20 I tell the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy.
When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. (John 16:16-22)

The author of Hebrews compares the Christian's sufferings to the training of children. And the "Father of spirits (v.9)" subjects us to discipline so that "we may share His holiness". After the period of training, one can look back at that painful time with gratitude, as one who reaps from the fruits of that training. In passage cited from John, Jesus compares present suffering to the pain of giving birth. After the child is born and the woman bears the baby for the first time, the suffering endured does not come to mind any longer, but only the joy of motherhood.

The author's mention of the phrase "short while" is based on Is. 26:20 which he combines with Habbakuk 2:3b-4 in Hebrews 10:32-39. In that section of Hebrews, he reminds his listeners of the sufferings they have endured (vv. 32-33), their imprisonment and loss of property (vv. 34-36) and the exhortation to further endure (vv. 35-36). The passages from the prophets he quotes in this passage highlight the short time of suffering (Is. 26:20) until the coming of the Lord who does not delay (Hab. 2:3b), expecting the just to trust in Him and not draw back (Hab.2:4). The section ends with the author declaring: "We are not among those who draw back and perish but among those who have faith and will possess life." The author's mention of "short while" in Heb. 12:10 when seen in the light of Heb. 10:32-39 has an eschatological flavor.

Strengthen ... Straighten

In the Liturgy

The selection for the 21st Sunday in OT --C includes 5-7 and 11-13; verses 8-10 are left out. The emphasis of the reading is on enduring suffering as coming from God, the Father and that such a discipline is only for a short time. There it is followed by the reading from Luke 13:22-30 which is Jesus' response to the question "Will only a few be saved?" Here, the key idea is to persevere in the struggle:

“Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.

In the Catechism

The Catechism employs three verses from Hebrews 12 in five numbered paragraphs. The "cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1 are those who have preceded us into the kingdom, among whom are numbered in a special way the Church's recognized saints (2683). These are represented in our liturgical celebrations by icons and sacred images (1161). It is to Jesus however that we fix our gaze (12:2) for believing in Him is the better thing that God has foreseen for us (147). He went up to Jerusalem to die due to the opposition of sinners (12:3, 569). In CCC 598, it is made clear that sinners -- not any ethnic group -- were the ones who administered the sufferings of Christ. In this paragraph, quotes from the Roman Catechism and St. Francis of Assisi underscore the true source of Christ's death and suffering: continued sinfulness. Finally, in CCC 165, Hebrews 12:1-2 is quoted, in calling our minds to the examples of the saints, and especially Abraham and the Virgin Mary, who continued on in their pilgrimage of faith despite the difficulties they endured.

12:1-2

165. It is then we must turn to the witnesses of faith: to Abraham, who "in hope... believed against hope"; to the Virgin Mary, who, in "her pilgrimage of faith", walked into the "night of faith" in sharing the darkness of her son's suffering and death; and to so many others: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith."

12:1

1161 All the signs in the liturgical celebrations are related to Christ: as are sacred images of the holy Mother of God and of the saints as well. They truly signify Christ, who is glorified in them. They make manifest the "cloud of witnesses" who continue to participate in the salvation of the world and to whom we are united, above all in sacramental celebrations. Through their icons, it is man "in the image of God," finally transfigured "into his likeness," who is revealed to our faith. So too are the angels, who also are recapitulated in Christ:

Following the divinely inspired teaching of our holy Fathers and the tradition of the Catholic Church (for we know that this tradition comes from the Holy Spirit who dwells in her) we rightly define with full certainty and correctness that, like the figure of the precious and life-giving cross, venerable and holy images of our Lord and God and Savior, Jesus Christ, our inviolate Lady, the holy Mother of God, and the venerated angels, all the saints and the just, whether painted or made of mosaic or another suitable material, are to be exhibited in the holy churches of God, on sacred vessels and vestments, walls and panels, in houses and on streets.

2683 The witnesses who have preceded us into the kingdom, especially those whom the Church recognizes as saints, share in the living tradition of prayer by the example of their lives, the transmission of their writings, and their prayer today. They contemplate God, praise him and constantly care for those whom they have left on earth. When they entered into the joy of their Master, they were "put in charge of many things." Their intercession is their most exalted service to God's plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world.

12:2

147 The Old Testament is rich in witnesses to this faith. The Letter to the Hebrews proclaims its eulogy of the exemplary faith of the ancestors who "received divine approval". Yet "God had foreseen something better for us": the grace of believing in his Son Jesus, "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith".

12:3

569 Jesus went up to Jerusalem voluntarily, knowing well that there he would die a violent death because of the opposition of sinners (cf. Heb 12:3).

598 In her Magisterial teaching of the faith and in the witness of her saints, the Church has never forgotten that "sinners were the authors and the ministers of all the sufferings that the divine Redeemer endured." Taking into account the fact that our sins affect Christ himself, the Church does not hesitate to impute to Christians the gravest responsibility for the torments inflicted upon Jesus, a responsibility with which they have all too often burdened the Jews alone:

We must regard as guilty all those who continue to relapse into their sins. Since our sins made the Lord Christ suffer the torment of the cross, those who plunge themselves into disorders and crimes crucify the Son of God anew in their hearts (for he is in them) and hold him up to contempt. And it can be seen that our crime in this case is greater in us than in the Jews. As for them, according to the witness of the Apostle, "None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." We, however, profess to know him. And when we deny him by our deeds, we in some way seem to lay violent hands on him.

Nor did demons crucify him; it is you who have crucified him and crucify him still, when you delight in your vices and sins.

1. 1. This section actually recalls Hebrews 10:19-23 which is evoked by the passage through the phrase "you have approached..."