Hebrews 11:1-12:3

What’s Happening?

The book of Hebrews was written to a primarily Jewish audience. As Jews, their future hope was a place to live with God—a coming city. This faith led them to see their Hebrew Scriptures, their Temple, and their Law as the means by which God would bring them to this future city. All faithful Hebrews, including their founders Abraham and Moses, endured hardship for the hope of seeing this city with God come to them. Yet, throughout Hebrews’ pages, the author has demonstrated that these institutions pointed to Jesus (Hebrews 10:1). Jesus fulfilled what these institutions hoped for. He is bringing the city of God to man. 

This has made some of his audience wonder if following Jesus meant a break from everything their Jewish ancestors had expected. If they became Christian, would they cease to be Jewish?  But the author of Hebrews argues that the most Jewish thing they can do is put their hope in Jesus. Because he is the goal all their ancestors were running toward. To prove this the author shows how the heroes of the Jewish faith looked not to these institutions, but to the coming city that Jesus would bring (Hebrews 11:2-12). 

Every faithful Hebrew had one goal—to get God. All of them were running toward the future city where they could be with him (Hebrews 11:13-15). So they trusted that God would reward their pursuit of him by giving them himself and bringing them to this future home (Hebrews 11:16). This faith made them endure any obstacle or hardship. Noah endured the flood by trusting God would bring him into a new, restored earth with him (Hebrews 11:7). Abraham endured homelessness, barrenness, and the potential death of his beloved son by trusting God for a home, children, and eternal life with him (Hebrews 11:8-12, 17-19). Moses endured the loss of Egypt’s wealth and protection by trusting that seeing God in the wilderness would be worth everything he left behind (Hebrews 11:24-27). Faithful Hebrews from all generations endured torture, martyrdom, destitution, and all kinds of hardship by trusting that they would get God and the future city he promised (Hebrews 11:35-38). They were hoping that God would bring his city to earth and raise them up from suffering and death. 

Yet, the author of Hebrews says that none of these heroes have received what they hoped for. Because every faithful Hebrew was waiting for the city of God to come to earth. They were waiting for God to dwell with humanity again (Hebrews 11:39). 

Where is the Gospel?

The hope of every faithful Hebrew was fulfilled in Jesus. That’s because Jesus is God with us and it is through Jesus that the future city will come. And he brings this city through the same means as the Jewish heroes before him. Jesus endured the shame, hostility, and torture of the cross by trusting God to raise him from the dead and seat him in the highest place of honor in his future city (Hebrews 12:2-3). By doing so, Jesus shows that he is the one who can fulfill all the hopes of the Hebrew people. He will come to earth again, bring the city of God, and raise up all who trust in him from suffering and death. Therefore, every faithful Hebrew who trusted God for the future city was ultimately trusting in Jesus. 

The most Jewish thing to do is to continue running the race that Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus have run. All of them were running toward the goal of being with God in his future city. Now it is our turn to run this relay race of faith. The heroes of the faith have placed the baton of hope in our hands. That is why the author of Hebrews tells us to run with endurance, because the race is not over yet (Hebrews 12:1). The only way Noah, Abraham, and Moses’ hope will be complete is when our leg of the race is run (Hebrews 11:40). That is why we look to Jesus, the one who started the race and the one who will finish it (Hebrews 12:2). We do what all our Jewish ancestors have done. We trust in Jesus to bring us to our future city with him no matter what hardships we have to endure (Hebrews 11:16). 

So run your race. Trust that Jesus wants to give you himself. Jesus wants to bring you home. That is a hope so good that it will get you through any flood, any homelessness, any loss, and any cross. This is the hope that will bring you to a restored earth, a future home, and an eternal life with the Jesus you faithfully seek (Hebrews 10:23). 

See for Yourself

I pray that the Holy Spirit will open your eyes to see the God wants to be with us. And may you see Jesus as the one who will help us finish the race we are running toward him.