This blog is from Hebrews 12. The key verses is 12:³ For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The Jewish Christians being written to had suffered much at the hands of the Romans and even their Jewish non-Christian brethren like Saul of Tarsus who tortured and killed Christians. 10:³² But remember the former days,when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, ³³ partly by being made a public spectacle through insults and distress, and partly by becoming companions with those who were so treated. ³⁴ For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better and lasting possession.” Many of them were “growing weary and losing heart” and leaving the faith to return to Judaism.The Hebrew writer encourages them to keep their eyes of Jesus who suffered so much as an example of faithful sufferings for the Lord. 1 Peter 2:²¹ For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps, ²² He who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³ and while being abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

So how did Jesus make it through His suffering? 12:2 who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Jesus kept his eyes on the joy that He would receive after he would be raised and ascend back to the Father to be restored to the glory that He had with the Father before he became flesh. John 17:⁴ I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do. ⁵ And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.” So Jesus kept his eyes on that future glory and those who are suffering should keep their eyes on Jesus, their example of suffering. Of course, they could also contemplate their future glory when they would be glorifed and given immortality. Romans 8:¹⁶ The Spirit himself doth testify with our spirit, that we are children of God; ¹⁷ and if children, also heirs, heirs, indeed, of God, and heirs together of Christ — if, indeed, we suffer together, that we may also be glorified together. ¹⁸ For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to be revealed in us. A lot of Bible sholars think this glorification of the sons of God is still in our future as of today, but notice that it was “about to be” revealed in the lifetime of those reading Romans. The Greek word is mello and it always in the New Testament refers to something about to happen or about to be at a certain place. So this glorification of the sons of God had to be something soon in the lifetime of the readers. It could only refer to 70 AD and the destruction of. the temple and of Jerusalem. In 70 AD it was revealed by God that the true sons of God were the Christians and followers of Jesus and not the rebellious unbelieving Jews whom God sent the Romans to punish and kill. Josephus said that a million Jewish non-believers died in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. That glorification of the Jewish Christians in 70 AD might not some visible bright light that we might expect, but it was a glorification of the sons of God nevertheless. The rest of Romans 8:19 ff describes the new creation to be revealed in 70 AD which is a spiritual new creation and not a physical restoration of the earth to the Garden of Eden state, which is what many say that it is. It is something that also was “about to happen” and a restored earth did not happen soon after writing Romans. A spiritual new heavens and earth did happen in 70 AD (2 Peter 3) which refers to the new Messianic order of things after the old heavens and earth, i.e. the Jewish system, were destroyed in 70 AD. A new spiritual heavens and earth, the Messianic system, the new covenant church system, would indeed be a re-creation of the old earth (Judaism) in a spiritual sense.

The Hebrews writer follows with 11:⁴ You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; ⁵ and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor faint when you are punished by Him; ⁶ for whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He punishes every son whom He accepts.” The Hebrews writer consider their suffering to be “discipline” from the Lord. The Greek word is paideia: Discipline, instruction, training, education. Instruction that trains someone to reach full development (maturity). AI: “In every setting it points to the formative process by which character, faith, and obedience are shaped through purposeful training that may include corrective measures.” The word is used of the the whole training and education of children.

The Hebrews writer almost sarcastically says that they haven’t even shed blood yet (like Jesus did) so they should put their suffering in perspective. It could be worse and would be worse for many Christians in the Roman Empire in the first 300 years with many Christians shedding blood in the collosseum, eaten by lions or killed with the Roman sword. But apparently many of the readers dif not see their suffering as the discipline of the Lord. Now that doesn’t mean that God is punishing them for their sins by their suffering, although God’s discipline could include punishment for sin just as the discipline a father gives his son can include punishment. But God’s discipline is often just allowing us to suffer and we should take that suffering as a sign that God loves us and is training and perfecting our character and faith just as Jesus was perfected by his suffering.

The writer adds, Hebrews 11:⁹ Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. ¹¹ For the moment, all discipline seems not to be pleasant, but painful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.” Earthly fathers can only discipline and train their children the best they know how and their discipline will be full of mistakes, but the Father’s discipline is perfect, just what we need. It might be painful but it will produce holiness in us if we accept it with faith, trusting God that it can make us stronger.

Hebrews 12:¹² Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, ¹³ and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is impaired may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.” We have a responsibility to help those who are struggling with their faith, who are growing weary and losing heart. They are compared to someone with weak hands and feeble knees, unable to stand and walk properly (spiritually the same). Or to someone who has an injured leg, maybe a dislocated joint, and who can’t walk straight (spiritually the same). Go to them, encourage them, rebuke them if necessary, try to show them that their suffering is discipline of a loving Father who wants to make them stronger spiritually.

The writer closes this section with 12:¹⁴ Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. ¹⁵ See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; ¹⁶ that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. ¹⁷ For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.” Apparently there were a lot of Jews who were trying get their Jewish Christian brethren to leave the Chrisitan faith and return to Judaism. Some might have been bitter toward Christianity, complaining that Jesus hadn’t come soon like He predicted, complaining that Jesus hadn’t restored the Jewish kingdom to its former power like in the days of King David, freeing the Jews from Roman oppression and establishing a free Jewish state like in the Maccabean period (1st century BC). Those troublemakers were probably sexually immoral and godless like Esau who no longer listened to Jesus. Jesus had indeed predicted that He was coming soon (Mt 10:23; 16:27,.28; 24:30-34; 26:64) in the lifetime of His listeners and He would still do so with His 2nd coming in 70 AD to judge the Jews and send the Romans to destroy the temple and Jerusalem. He never intended to establish a physical kingdom (John 18:36 “my kingdom is not of this world), but instead did establish a spiritual kingdom, the church. Most Jews expected a restoration of the Jewish physical kingdom and totally missed the spiritual kingdom. The Hebrews writer warns the readers to not let any such bitter person corrupt the other Jewish Chrisitians.

I hope this hasn’t been too long, but these verses are all connected. If you are suffering in any way, I hope that this section encourages you and helps you to “not grow weary and lose heart (get discouraged)”.