"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles." Hebrews 12:1
When I visited a church years ago, there were not many people. But I noticed the small church had new pews with nice expensive looking upholstery. While I wondered how they could afford it, I began to read the names, the dedication names carved on the wood on each of the pews. I didn’t recognize any of the names and I was reared there. I said the pastor, “Are these new people who recently joined the church?” He said, “No, a church in St. Louis ordered these pews, and when they got them, there were too short for their sanctuary. They advertised in a church paper that they would sell them because they were going to have new ones made. They were so cheap we bought them.” And I said, “Well, they sure are beautiful, but what are you going to do about the names carved on them?” He said, “Well, the council discussed that, and we decided to leave those names up there. It’s good for us in our little church to realize that there are some Christian people besides us.”
We may not have a lot of people, or we may not have a children's ministry in the church. But we should be prepared for it any time, because you will never know when the opportunity comes and we don't want to get caught short handed.( 2 Timothy 4: NIV). “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season”
Today we set apart to remember the faithful service of Christians over twenty centuries who have gone on to their eternal reward. While the pews may only reflect those who are physically present, in every house of worship I believe that all the pews are always full and that the Church is full with far more than just the visible. There are so many Christians among us besides us. We stand on the shoulders of those who have blessed this place before us. This property was given to the work of God over one hundred years ago. Many saints have come and gone through this place. Many have left this world for their heavenly home. The Hebrew writer encourages us that "since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" we should run the race set before us like they did. They are now the cheerleaders cheering on for us.
The passage we read today, Hebrews 12 starts with the word "wherefore" or “Therefore” which calls us back to the chapter preceding and what the writer is summing up at this time. In this verse he sums up what the author was explaining in entire chapter 11,Just before this verse, the entire eleventh chapter of the letter to the Hebrews summarizes the heroes of faith, it is the hall of fame for the people in history who fought tje good fight of faith. Those biblical characters have endured in their faith. It is at the conclusion of that summary that the Book of Hebrews calls this community a “cloud of witnesses.” Chapter 11 is the famous “faith” chapter in which the roll call of the Old Testament saints are recited. Here we are reminded of the faith (faithfulness) of heroes like Abel, Abraham, and Moses, as well as many others, both named and unnamed, who did marvelous works for the glory of God. At the time Hebrews was written it was the current list of heroes. The time has been running before and after that approaching that the millions of Christian faithful would be added to the list. This is made clear in verse 4, where it say that the believers there had “not yet resisted unto blood”. So it seems proper to me to extend this roll call of the saints to include the twenty centuries of Christians and today. These are witnesses around us, in the Bible before our time—and, in our own time, in the time to come. All these various witnesses are just as various as the clouds in the sky.
Clouds of Witnesses
There are those who say that this passage alludes to the famous Roman games and Greek games, a big amphitheater, and down on the track below are the participants running the race. Up above them, and surrounding them in the great amphitheater or stadium,are rows upon rows of spectators watching them as they run. It is more like the torch bearers, who run and pass on the torch we all become torch bearers. We are just not runners, but also participants in cheerleading as well. We are all part of that great cloud, running and also cheering for others.
It is not like the cloud in the Internet. It is not a virtual world, but it is a real world. When you cannot find a picture or a video on your phone, we say, "it is backed up on the cloud." Then we don't know which cloud - microsoft , or google or amazon or any other cloud. These cloudy companies can make the internet appear and disappear like that happened a few weeks ago, when Facebook and Whatsapp and Instagram disappeared from the cloud.
The cloud here scripture talks about is human souls living here on earth and in eternity, those who have finished their race and being at rest with the Lord and the ones here living on earth with the Lord.
Clouds are formed when particles are united by water. Clouds form when the invisible water vapor in the air condenses into visible water droplets or ice crystals. For this to happen, the parcel of air must be saturated, i.e. unable to hold all the water it contains in vapor form, so it starts to condense into a liquid or solid form.
It is water that turns into a cloud. We are united by the baptismal waters, to form this cloud of witnesses. Yes, each of us is a type of cloud, in our own way, and in our own witness. Some of us are preachers, or teachers, Some are choir members, some are leaders and all of us are servants. Nevertheless, whatever our shape or size or position, each of us has a witness. We are witnesses to the kingdom of God.
Witnesses are participants also.
During court proceedings, witnesses are more than onlookers or spectators. They are active participants who help determine the outcome of a case. The same is true of our witness for Christ. We are to be active participants in a matter of absolute importance—the truth of Jesus’s death and resurrection.
When John the Baptist came to tell people about Jesus, the light of the world, he did so by declaring his knowledge of Jesus. And John the disciple, who recorded the events, testified of his experience with Jesus: “We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The apostle Paul would elaborate on this idea as he told young Timothy, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others” (2 Tim. 2:2).
All Christians have been summoned before the courtroom of the world. The Bible says we are not mere spectators but active participants. We testify to the truth about Jesus’s death and resurrection. John the Baptist was the voice of one calling in the desert. Our voices can be heard in our workplace, neighborhood, church, and among our family and friends. We can be active witnesses, telling them about the reality of Jesus in our lives.
Cheering Cloud
We are surrounded by witnesses this morning, people in the Bible, and people around us, who have given shape to faith. The shapes around us are not all the same shape, or even the same substance. But each of the shapes around you and me are ways that fellow saints have met the challenges of daily life. When we are baptized or when we gather at the altar for prayer, we surround as witnesses. Each of us is a cloud to someone else. A blessing to cheer us on
And so the Epistle to the Hebrews urges us: “since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1-2).”
Jesus, who has set the example for us, has finished the race and is at the right hand of the Father. He is the cheerleader. We need to follow his example and that of the other heroes of the faith. These examples encourage us to finish the race and not to give up. Some have suggested that the audience in the arena are not looking to us. Instead, we are looking to them also. This may very well be the case. We look to the cloud and they look to the cloud as well. We are all part of the same cloud of witnesses.
Comforting Cloud
Clouds bring showers of blessing. Run with perseverance. We are not reading about a run or athletic race. We consider this as the race which is life. The race of life one of endurance. When life seems tiring and our body and spirit become weak, when we are tempted to give up. It is then we have the cloud of witnesses comforting us and encouraging us to carry on.
The Greek word for “comfort” in 2 Corinthians 1:3 (paraklesis) means “coming alongside to help or encourage.” Jesus is our parakletos or advocate (1 John 2:1). The Holy Spirit is another parakletos (John 14:16–17, 26; 15:26; 16:7). This word is so rich in meaning that Bible translations and paraphrases use various words to translate it: “Helper” (esv), “Counselor” (niv 1984), “Comforter” (kjv), “Companion” (ceb), and “Friend” (the message). In 2 Corinthians 1:3, Paul says that God is the parakletos par excellence—“the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.” It’s of great comfort to us that every person of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—are with us in our pain. In directing us to look at the “God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 3), Paul reminds us that coming alongside to help each other is a family duty and privilege (v. 4).
2 Corinthians 1:3–8 (NIV)
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
“And is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” – Jesus has won the race and has entered into rest at the right hand of God. This is the seat of honor in God's stadium. As the pioneer of our faith as well as the perfecter of our faith, He is the example we are to follow, even to the bearing of the cross and its shame.
In our troubles and weariness, looking to Jesus gives us comfort and encouragement.
As we are called to endure, he has already endured. As He was shamed, we shall be shamed. As He shed His blood, we may be called to shed ours. As He has conquered, we shall also conquer through Him –if we endure to the end. As He has sit down in Heaven, we can sit down alongside Him and join the roll call of the saints.
Sometimes we have to go through trying times such as an illness, loss, or crisis. Jesus teaches us through our suffering to appreciate the greatest suffering that Christ went through on our behalf on the cross. In turn, when we rely on Him for comfort and strength, we’re able to comfort and encourage others in their suffering. Let’s reflect on whom we can extend comfort to because of what God has brought us through.
May we experience the comfort of Jesus in our sufferings and become a source of comfort to others.
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