“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Our Scripture today is actually part of the previous one. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,” (Hebrews 12:1). We are looking to Jesus in order to “lay aside every weight and sin which” easily thwarts our efforts to live a righteous life. Paul encourages us to run the race set before us by looking to Jesus. He is the author of our faith. The word author that Paul used means the beginner, the chief leader or captain of our faith. He led the way to the Father. He showed us the way to live in faith believing and trusting completely on the Father.
Paul knew the weaknesses of men. He understood that we would get weary in living righteously because we have so many things coming against us. It was true then and is more true now. There are so many distractions and things pressuring us to join the world in thought, word and deed. So he encourages us to look to Jesus. He’s our captain. He’s our chief leader. When we take our eyes off Jesus, we will get weary. “For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Hebrews 12:3) But we look to Jesus Who endured the cross for our sake. He took the wrath of God toward sin. He took the death of sin for us. He took the shame of the cross. But now Jesus is exalted and glorified sitting at the right hand of God.
Jesus is the finisher of our faith. He is the completer or consummator of our faith. Jesus completed all that was necessary for our faith. We couldn’t do it. But when all the wrath of God was poured out on Him and He was ready to take death for us He declared it. “After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to His mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:28-30)
Jesus endured the cross our Scripture says because of the joy that was to come. When Judas Iscariot left the table at the Last Supper, Jesus knew the events were starting up for His crucifixion. The times was close. The events that would lead to His crucifixion would begin that night. But He wasn’t thinking about the crucifixion. Jesus was thinking of His return to the Father. He was thinking of the glory of being home with the Father. “Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. If God be glorified in Him, God shall also glorify Him in Himself, and shall straightway glorify Him.” (John 13:31-32) Right before going to the garden where He knew He would be arrested, Jesus taught His disciples many things. He prayed a prayer of a high priest. Again, it reveals that His thoughts were not about the crucifixion that was to come, but of the glory of being home with the Father. “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee: As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him. And this is life eternal, that They might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent. I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” (John 17:1-5)
And that, my brothers and sisters is what we should be thinking about day in and day out, in our good days and in our hardships. Our thoughts should be of the joy that is to come. Let us live in righteousness. Paul wrote: “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Hebrews 10:36) That word that was translated patience is the Greek word meaning cheerful or hopeful endurance and constancy and patient continuance in waiting. And like our chief leader and chief captain, we wait for the time coming when we will be face to face with Jesus in glory. That is how we will be able to live righteously without weariness.
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