Psalm 80:1–2, 8–19 • Isaiah 5:1–7 • Hebrews 11:29–12:2 • Luke 12:49–56

This week’s theme is faithful judgement. In our call to worship psalm, Israel is pictured as a vine that was once fruitful but now ravaged because of the Lord’s rebuke. Our Old Testament reading in Isaiah offers a parable of a vineyard that contains a message of judgement for Israel’s unrighteousness. In our reading from Hebrews, we have a list of models of faith from Israel’s history that serve as forerunners to Christ, the founder and perfecter of our faith. The Gospel reading from Luke contains some strong words of judgement from our faithful Lord.

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A Great Cloud of Witnesses

Hebrews 11:29–12:2 ESV

Today we will continue in the Book of Hebrews and the author’s focus on faith. Last week, we discussed how the first 10 chapters of Hebrews laid the indicatives, the groundwork, for the command that is developed in chapter 11. [It’s a good idea to give the explanation of indicative and imperative from the Proper 13 sermon again.] Today, we will conclude this section with the command that the author has been building up to. It has been implied up to this point in chapter 11, but it will be stated plainly when we move into chapter 12, which will conclude our time in Hebrews. But before the author does that, he continues giving us a survey of many heroes of faith as seen throughout Israel’s history. Last week we focused on Abraham and Sarah and noted some results of living in faith or trusting in God. We also read a definition of Christian faith that we compared with some competing views of belief that circulate in our culture today.

As we continue in this section on faith, we will notice in today’s reading that not only do we have many more examples of faith to observe, but we move into seeing what faith requires. As we noted last week, faith is active. When we put our trust in the Lord, that trust will make demands on us. Sometimes, as we will see in today’s text, those demands may alienate us from our own communities. Faith may lead to all kinds of suffering and demand endurance. Faith also creates a witness in our world, a witness that will be received by some and rejected by others. But we will also be encouraged that we are not on this journey alone but belong to a “great cloud of witnesses” that have gone before us. What’s more, we will see that this faith is not even our own, but a faith that originates with the perfect faith of our Lord and Savior who shares and perfects his faith in us. This will be a see-saw and up-and-down journey of faith examples, but in the end, we will find ourselves on solid ground.

The lectionary skips over the details of the section in Hebrews 11:17–28 that focuses on Abraham and Moses’ example of faith. In that section, we see that Moses’ faith was active and dynamic and even subversive and costly. I refer to this section because that theme gets echoed in today’s reading. If we were to go back and read the account of Moses, we would see that it was the faith of Moses’ parents that led them to disobey Pharaoh, the highest ruler of the land. Once Moses grows up, he too stops associating with Pharaoh and chooses “rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25). We are to see that faith in God not only enables us to obey God’s commands, but it also enables us to disobey the commands of man when they do not align with God’s will and purposes. Moses’ example of faith sets up our reading today that highlights this bold and costly aspect of faith. Let’s jump right in.

By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11:29–31 ESV

As the author continues his survey of faith heroes from Israel’s history, we read a couple of important points. First, with the example of the crossing of the Red Sea, we are shown that it does matter who you put your faith in. By faith, the Israelites crossed safely to the other side of the Red Sea, whereas the Egyptians did not. This shows that there is a distinction to be made between believers and unbelievers. This doesn’t mean that God does not love all, but it does mean that a relationship with him requires trust in him over our chariots and armies.

The story of the walls of Jericho falling down and Rahab being saved makes the same point. These three examples show that who you put your trust in is a matter of life and death. Second, these examples seem to emphasize the greatness of God over the greatness of men. It wasn’t the might of the Israelites that enabled them to cross the sea. It was their trust in the one who was going to free them. Also, Rahab is noted as “the prostitute,” yet this does not disqualify her from being saved. She trusted the one who was working through the spies, and she participated by faith in what God was doing.

You can also notice that the author is working his way chronologically through Israel’s history. He had already talked about Abraham and Moses, and here he relates the Exodus, which starts Israel’s journey to the promise land. The example of Jericho and Rahab takes us right up to the point before the Israelites enter the promise land. Next, he will fast forward to some examples during the period of the judges, followed quickly by examples from the time of the kings. We can look at those now.

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated—of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. Hebrews 11:32–38 ESV

Clearly, the author is not naming all who could be listed in this faith hall of fame. There are many others who lived faithful lives but may not be recognized in the history books. Nonetheless, this sample list illustrates that God is faithfully working through all history, and he includes his faithful servants in what he is doing. We all may have different parts to play, but it is all part of what God is doing and receives the same “well done good and faithful servant” from our Lord.

What emerges in this list of examples is an increasing intensity of suffering and hardships. The picture begins with faith enabling great accomplishments and miraculous experiences. But as the author works his way down the list, we begin to see that faith also carries a heavy cost that may require all types of suffering and even death. One thing remains consistent throughout, and that is a faithfulness to God that does not shrink back from being ostracized, criticized, and marginalized by a society and its rulers who are resistant and rebellious to God. In this way, acting out of faith becomes a witness in our world. When people choose to pay the consequences of disobeying the powers that be in order to remain faithful to God, it speaks loudly to all who are watching that, at least for these few, there is a higher power at play. These few are obeying another, even at great cost. That will get the attention of onlookers, and it becomes a major witness to the one who is worth obeying. As the author states, “the world was not worthy” of these faithful ones who by their actions bore witness to the one and only living God.

And on that point, the author has these words:

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Hebrews 11:39–40 ESV

Similar to the author’s words we read last week, the faithful don’t always receive the fullness of God’s promises in this life. But we can trust that our trust in the Lord will add up to far more than we can imagine in this life. Every good thing we do receive is only a sign of more to come. As we grow in our trust of God, who is a generous giver, we grow in our capacity to receive all things from him. When we see him face-to-face, then we will be able to receive from him the “something better” that he gives, right along those who came before.

Now that the author has spent an entire chapter highlighting one example after another of those who exercised trust in God, he will now deliver his overall imperative. For 11 chapters now the author has been leading up to this one thing he wants for us to take act on. This is the imperative, the command, that comes from all the indicatives of who Jesus is and all the promises kept.

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 endurance the race that is set before us, 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. Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

The command is straight forward, “lay aside every weight, and sin” and “run with endurance.” This is the life of faith. And this is possible, because on one end we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses who have done the same. They weren’t perfect. They had many of the same flaws and shortcomings as we do. However, they still ran with endurance and paid whatever cost was demanded. More importantly, on the other end, we have Jesus our Lord who is the “founder and perfecter of our faith.” He is the one who will grow our faith in him. And he does that through faithful examples like we have in this passage, and he does that by reminding us in his written word of who he is and what he has done for us.

In short, he shows us time and again that he is trustworthy, so we can respond by turning to him again and placing our trust in him. If you notice from the description of Jesus in this concluding verse, his life of faith in the Father sounds very similar to the examples painted throughout Israel’s history. He suffered and died knowing that he could trust the Father and that the Father had something better in store. Our Lord did not cease trusting the Father when faced with suffering, shame, and death. That is the faith he now gives to us. We are invited to participate in his trust of the Father. And we can do that by laying “aside every weight, and sin” and running “with endurance.” It may not be easy, but in the end, it makes all the difference. We will not be disappointed that we put our trust in Jesus, and we will join that great cloud of witnesses for others to see.

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