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A COMPREHENSIVE APPEAL, BASED ON THE PRECEDING RETROSPECT
I
In possession of such examples, and looking away to Jesus Himself, the readers must maintain, with steadfastness, the struggle that awaits them
Heb_12:1-3
[Heb_12:1.— Ôïéãáñïῦí , therefore, weighty and impressive in classical Greek; ôïé probably for ôῷ , by this, ãÜñ , for, ïὗí , then, now; the whole=for by this now, hence, therefore.— êáὶ ἡìåῖò , let also us; ἡìåῖò , emphatic; in E. V., the emphasis partly given in the “we also.”— ôïóïῦôïí , etc., having so great a crowd of witnesses encompassing us, scil., like the spectators in the stadium, but ìÜñôõñåò , having probably a double reference to their character as spectators, and as witnesses to the faith. The Greek word, like the English, has both meanings, and probably for the same reason, viz., that a witness must naturally have been a beholder of that to which he witnesses.— ὄãêïí , bulk, weight, unnatural swelling or protuberance; and may refer primarily to unnatural bulk of the body itself; then to extraneous burdens.— åὐðåñßóôáôïí , probably easily placing itself around, easily besetting,— äἰ ὑðïìïíῆò , by means of steadfastness, through, in the midst of, steadfastness, hence taken adverbially, steadfastly, perseveringly.
Heb_12:2.— ἀöïñῶíôåò , looking away, ἄñ÷çãüí , file-leader, captain (Heb_2:10), ôåëåéùôÞí , perfecter.— ἀíôß , over against, in return for, in exchange for, hence here, in consideration of.— ὐðÝìåéíåí óôáõñüí , endured a cross.— áἰó÷ýíçò êáôáöñïíÞóáò , making light of shame, not specifically, the shame of the cross, but shame taken abstractly.— êåêÜèéêåí , has sat down, and still holds his seat.
Heb_12:3.— ἀíáëïãßóáóèå , not adequately rendered by English, consider (which is used elsewhere for êáôáíïῶ , etc.), and difficult to express in English; think over analogously, or by way of comparison; Beng.: “comparatione instituta cogitate;” ôὸí ὑðïìåìåíçêüôá , him who hath endured (Perf.); not merely suffered ( ðÜó÷åéí ), but stood under, abided.— ôáῖò øõ÷ . ἐêëõüìåíïé . fainting in your souls.—K.].
That easily besets us.—The word åὐðåñßóôáôïí is as an ἅðáî ëåãüìåíïí of doubtful signification. Carpz., Schultz, Stein explain it actively =seducing, enticing; but this sense cannot be established. The signification, easily changing= unstable, movable (Matthäi), is inappropriate. The absence of the object prevents our taking it actively; and since elsewhere all derivations from ἴóôçìé have either an intransitive or passive meaning, this word can scarcely constitute an exception. The passive meaning, however, easily got around, avoided, or easily encompassed=overcome (Chrys., etc.), is far-fetched, and unsuited to the context. The same is true of Ernesti’s explanation; eagerly encompassed and thronged, hence, universally prized and beloved. We must therefore go back to the middle signification, and may either, with John Gerh., Bl., De W., Lün., Riehm, etc., refer it to sin, like a garment closely and constantly encompassing and hindering the runner; or (with Anselm, Horneius, Calv., Grot., Ebr., Del., etc.) to the fact that it everywhere easily besets us, and subtly encompasses us, so as to hinder and obstruct our way. A recurrence to the noun ðåñßóôáóéò for the sense, easily involving us in evil, plunging us into danger, creating hinderances (Theophyl., Beng., and others), is totally unnecessary. Calv., Chemnitz, Seb. Schmidt, and others, refer the word too restrictedly to hereditary sin, implied also in Luther’s rendering, “which ever cleaves to us.” Bugenhagen renders more correctly, “semper oppugnans;” and in part, Œcolamp., who, however, reduces the force of his rendering peccatum quod nos proxime circumstat, by the added clause, “sive tenaciter nobis inhæret.” The rendering of Grynæus, “ad nos circumcingendos proclive,” reaches about the exact idea.—For giving to ὄãêïò the figurative meaning of self-sufficiency, high-mindedness (Beng., and others), we have no warrant from the context.
Heb_12:2. The Leader and Perfecter of faith.—ʼ Áñ÷çãüò denotes not merely the originator, who works in us the beginning of faith (Chrys., Erasm., Lün., and the majority), but, as at Heb_2:10, the leader, marshaller, who, in the exhibition of patient and victorious faith, has preceded us, as a pattern and an aid, comp. Heb_2:13; Heb_3:2. “How were it possible that faith could not be predicated of Jesus? For between Him and His eternal and strictly divine life had His earthly life, having become by the power of sin and wrath a thick prison wall, placed itself as a wall of partition, which, until it was actually broken through and done away, was non-existent only to His far-reaching and transcending faith—for that faith, by virtue of which, even in the very midst of the darkness of utter desertion, He could still call God “His God!” So soon as we recognize in its terrible and deadly earnestness the self-abnegation of the eternal Son, we cannot wonder that, while that state continued, the author designates faith as the bond between Him and God” (Del.). The train of thought involves the idea that Jesus also, by enduring to the end, set forth and made manifest faith in its perfection (Riehm). It is not enough to say with Del. that Jesus, through affliction, entering into glory, has obtained for us ultimate salvation, styled, 1Pe_1:9, to ôὸ ôÝëïò ôῆò ðßóôåùò . When faith is ascribed to Jesus Christ it must, in His person, in accordance with His uniformly developed character (Heb_5:8-9), bear the stamp of perfection. Thus ôåëåéùôÞò receives its usual transitive signification. And the sentiment may well be that in His display of faith Jesus also in His own person brought it to perfection (Theod., Beng., Bl., De W., Thol., Ebr., Bisp., etc.), and not merely that He brings it to perfection in us (Chrys., Lün., Del., etc.). Some, with Grot., take the idea of = ôåëåéùôÞò , too narrowly, as referring to the Judge in the games (= âñáâåýò ).
For the joy that was set before him.—The joy refers not merely to the finished work of redemption, and the blessings it brings to men (Theodoret): it is the heavenly joy, the obtaining of which was to be the reward of Jesus’ suffering on the cross (Primas. and the most). This idea of ἀíôß is demanded by the connection. From a misconception of it have arisen the renderings; “instead of the heavenly glory which He had as the preëxistent and premundane Logos (Pesh., Greg. Nazianz., Beza, etc.); or: “instead of the worldly joys and pleasures which it was in His power to enjoy” (Calv., Carpz., Stein, Bisp., etc.; or: “instead of that freedom from earthly suffering which, as the sinless One, He might have secured for himself” (Chrys., Calov, etc.).
Heb_12:3. For consider him, etc.—ʼ Áíáëïãßæåóèáé expresses a consideration that compares and weighs. The hortatory ἀöïñῶíôåò , looking away, which “implies the concentration of the wandering gaze into a single direction,” assigns the ground or condition of the preceding admonition; and this again now itself assumes the form of an exhortation. The words ôáῖò øõ÷áῖò ὑìῶí are not (with Luth., Beng., etc.) to be connected with êÜìçôå , but with ἐêëõüìåíïé (Bez., Bl., and the most), which would otherwise form an awkward and dragging close.
2. Since without such exertion, the Christian’s life-race cannot be happily terminated, it becomes the duty of self-preservation to divest ourselves of every thing which obstructs these endeavors, and hinders our progress to the goal. But that which most hinders our progress is sin, which partly cleaves to us by nature, as an oppressive burden, and a dragging fetter, and partly, whithersoever we turn, encounters us, and seeks to block up our way.
3. The most powerful incitement, and the surest means against that relaxing of effort which has its ground in spiritual feebleness, is an uninterrupted looking to Jesus, the perfected hero of faith, the greatest sufferer, the perfect conqueror, the theanthropic helper. “He has preceded us in the race of faith, and has opened the way, in commencing for us the struggle of faith. But He is also at the same time the perfecter of faith, infusing by His redemption into the believing combatants the power to achieve all and to bear off the victory.” Thus Von Gerlach, not incorrectly, and yet not exhaustively, for Jesus is a, pattern and helper in our race and conflict of faith, only in so far as in His own life He has wrought out and exhibited the personal living image of this course and conflict in its entire perfection. The idea that Jesus is to be regarded merely as an object, and not also as a subject, of faith, entirely destroys, when logically carried out, alike the reality of His history and the genuineness of His moral and religious perfection, and thus comes into direct conflict, not merely with the representations of the evangelists, as, for example, respecting our Saviour’s life of prayer, but also the entire conception and scope of our Epistle. For this in the very passage before us runs a parallel between our struggle with the adversaries of the Gospel and the struggles of the Redeemer, and also in the case of Jesus it regards His continuance in the conflict as the condition of his ôåëåßùóéò , which again harmonizes entirely with the representation given at Php_2:9 (comp. Thol.).
Starke:—What noble incitements have we in our conflict of faith! Christ who has preceded us in it, and supplies us with all power for it; a cloud of witnesses of faith, who have set us an example in this conflict; and the benefit of this conflict, whose fruit is eternal bliss.—Sin must be borne as a life-long companion, even by the children of God, and they have therein an enemy on which they may exercise their spiritual knighthood.—Although sin cleaves to man, it is not the essence of man; hence in heaven the elect are perfect.—God Himself arranged the knightly combat and the place of the tournament; on this every Christian must plant himself, and display his deeds of Christian prowess.—In the work of salvation every thing depends on Jesus.—The best lightening of the burden of the cross is that thou look away from it unto Jesus.—If thou hast not joy in the world, rejoice in thy cross; speedily enough thou wilt attain to true joy and glory.—It is the nature of man to shrink from the cross; hence we need to arouse and incite ourselves to the bearing of the cross that is so useful to us.—If we are assailed on account of our right doing in Christ, we should console ourselves with the example of Christ, strengthen our courage, and remember that we shall be abundantly rewarded in heaven (Mat_5:11-12).—However much we may suffer for the name of Christ, Christ has still suffered far more for our sakes.
Rieger:—Faith does not sleep, but watches and runs; yet neither does it hasten; but it waits in patience, and thus the prescribed conflict is accomplished, extremes on both sides avoided, and the way of truth preserved.—Faith looks to Jesus Christ, and is thus drawn into his footsteps.
Hahn:—Presumption and timid unbelief are the two capital faults against which patience alone can aid by preserving us in true moderation, and in the middle path.
Heubner:—The true use of biblical types and patterns is not idle and unfruitful contemplation, but imitation.—Sin is the heaviest burden that drags us down to earth.—Christian virtue is a free, cheerful wrestling and running after the heavenly jewel. The spirit must be deaf to a certain shame; the bearing of such shame leads to the highest honor.—That which allures and misleads in sufferings is this, that we must allow ourselves to find pleasure in those who are sinful and unworthy.
Menken:—Walk like Jesus! and that thou mayest walk like Him, walk with Him; and thus-shalt thou walk to Him.
Harless (IHebrews Heb_12:5):—Wherein lies the courage of a true Christian?
Gerok:—The glorious cloud of witnesses about the throne of the Redeemer of the world: 1. their bloody wounds; 2. their glorious banner; 3. their heavenly crowns.
G. von Zetzschwitz (Testimonies of the good Shepherd, 1864):—Looking to Jesus is our comfort and victory in all conflicts and sufferings. For looking to Jesus involves 1. at the commencement of the struggle, looking immediately to the victorious issue: 2. if it continues long, seeing before us the highest model of patience; 3. recognizing in suffering itself a comforting seal of our Divine sonship.
Footnotes:
Heb_12:2.—The Perf. êåêÜèéêåí has the sanction of all the uncials and most of the minusc., as against the Rec. ἐêÜèéóåí . [The Eng. ver. correctly, as to the sense, is set down].
Heb_12:3.—The reading åἰò ἑáõôüí (instead of åἰò áὑôüí or åἰò áὑôüí , which is found in D***. K. L., and nearly all the minusc, is directly sustained by A. and the Vulg.; indirectly by the senseless plurals, åἰò ἑáõôïýò .in D*. E*., Pesh. and Sin.