Hebrews 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us..."
The passage begins with the word “therefore” in verse one. Any time that a conjunction of this sort appears, one must look to the preceding section to determine from where the author is coming. This use of grammar shows why understanding a passage in context can help aid one to understanding the passage as a whole. Lane comments on this shift stating that it goes “from historical recital (11:1-40) to pastoral exhortation.”[1] The author chooses to move away from the great examples of the past and begins to give his encouragement for their endurance in the race.
This smooth transition can further be seen in the reference to the “cloud of witnesses,” a direct connection to chapter eleven. When thinking about a witness, two different ideas can come to mind. Elwell and Comfort explain these in the Tyndale Bible Dictionary. They say that a witness can be “one who tells what he or she has seen…often in a court” or it may refer to “the testimony the person has given.”[2] The first possible meaning of this word provides the image of a spectator, and coupled with the athletic imagery, this person sits in the stadium watching the new competitors compete in the race. Franz Delitzsch seems to agree with this idea suggesting that the witnesses or spectators are still sitting around the competitors serving as “judges and umpires.”[3] But many other commentators disagree with this notion and tend to side more with the second definition. R.C.H. Lenski is one of these, and he promotes this second view stating that these past men and women’s “souls…are at rest, they are no longer concerned about the trials that occur on earth.” Instead of testifying about us, their “life, works, sufferings, and death attest their own faith, testifying to us.”[4] This second view seems more logical in that the rest of the verse provides an exhortation for the author’s audience, suggesting that those currently running in the race look up to their positive example rather than the witnesses looking down to see how the present competitors are running the race.
Next, the author moves into two important exhortations. First, runners in the race must lay aside anything that would slow them down and prevent them from completing the race. Secondly, runners are commanded to run with endurance in the race. These two exhortations are placed between the uses of positive examples: those from chapter eleven, referred to as witnesses, and that of Jesus, the ultimate example.
Two things are mentioned that would slow a runner down, and John Owen comments on what entangles runners in a race. He mentions how weights and burdens were heavy and would prevent men from running quickly. He also states that some items, like long clothing, would get in the way during the race.[5] These are things that must be laid aside. Again, the author makes use of a clever metaphor. Long clothing or training weights are symbolic items that prevent Christians from running effectively in the race. The author is making yet another parallel to the racing arena. He specifically states that sin will entangle a runner, drawing a parallel between sin and long clothing. But there is no specific connection made to the weight. Attridge does not separate the two ideas. Instead, he refers to both the weight and the sin as “moral impediments” hindering the runner in the race.[6] Furthermore, Lane mentions specific examples such as love of money, the world, or self, and he comments on how the passage suggests that these things distract the runner.[7] Before the runner can run the race effectively, all distractions must be dealt with, and that is why the author first mentions the importance of removing the sins that would prevent them from running the race. Sin is an “evildoing that is not only against humanity, society, others, or oneself, but against God.”[8] Notice that this definition mentions that sin is against one’s self. This makes sin quite personal, showing why sin, when entangled in a person’s life, can become a hindrance.
He then moves into his second point, that of running the race with endurance. This idea really stems from the first point, and some may not consider it as a new idea given by the author. But it is important to realize that unless a runner removes the weights and sin, then he will not be able to run with endurance. Along the same lines, someone may remove those things from their life, but that does not mean that they will continue to run the race with endurance. But why should there be endurance? Attridge says that “‘with endurance’ suggests that the race is more [of a] marathon than [a] short sprint.”[9] Guthrie uses this same idea and comments on how the runners (Christians) see the “past of the faith life stretch into the future.”[10] This image presents the idea of perseverance where the runners are encouraged not to give up. Instead, they must continue to look down the track so that they may continue to press on toward the goal.
So what is down the track that Christians are called to look toward? That will be seen in verse 2, which we will look at next time.
[1] Ibid, 403.
[2] Walter A. Elwell and Philip P. Comfort, eds, Tyndale Bible Dictionary (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001) CD-ROM.
[3] Franz Delitzsch, Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews Volume II (Grand Rapids, Michigan: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1952) 297.
[4] R.C.H. Lenski, Commentary on the New Testament: The Interpretation of the Epistle to the Hebrews and of the Epistle of James (United States of America: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998) 424.
[5] John Owen, The Works of John Owen: An Exposition of the Epistle to the Hebrews with Preliminary Exercitations Volume VII (Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Banner of Truth Trust, 1991) 224.
[6] Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistles to the Hebrews, 355.
[7] Lane, World Biblical Commentary: Hebrews 9-13, 409.
[8] Elwell and Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, CD-ROM.
[9] Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews: A Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Fortress Press, 1989) 355.
[10] Guthrie, The NIV Application Commentary: Hebrews, 398.
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