Hebrews 12:3, commentary and pictures

The verse calls believers running the race of faith to keep looking to Jesus and deliberately remember what He endured, laying aside every weight and sin and trusting God's loving chastening as sons. What He endured was relentless hostile opposition from the very sinners He came to save — rejection, contempt, insult, persecution, betrayal and crucifixion — because His pure life exposed sin and upheld righteousness. Remembering that endurance keeps believers from growing tired, discouraged and giving up inwardly under trial, persecution and the struggle against sin. He bore it all as a true man, heaven's Majesty clothed in humanity and relying on God as man's representative and substitute, and by never yielding He overcame the world, bruised Satan's head and paid the infinite price to redeem every person. His endurance is therefore the safe pattern for His followers, who are to walk in His footsteps in humble obedience, self-denial and patient suffering for His name, pressing on the same narrow way without fainting until victory.

Context in Hebrews Race

The verse belongs to the race exhortation where those compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses are to lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets them and run with patience the race set before them by looking unto Jesus as the author and finisher of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Considering Him who endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself keeps them from being wearied and faint in their minds, from growing tired and giving up inwardly. This keeping on sustains loving, unselfish work to win those in error to repentance and sincere repentance and conversion that sin may be put away, and persevering faith and obedience despite difficulty. It calls those dealing with the duties and destinies of human life to a much higher standard, to examine themselves closely whether they are in the faith, to study the lessons of Christ, and as teachers of truth to see eye to eye with Christ.

Considering Him is deliberate, continual remembrance, keeping Jesus and what He endured in mind, fixing the mind on Him, keeping Him continually in thought, remembering His love and His death, and looking to Him and the light shining from the cross rather than looking at self and talking doubts, difficulties, or discouragement. Human strength is weak and nothing can be done without Him, but the mind fixed on Him gives faith and confidence, sweet constant peace, pity and help for every weakness, strength and mighty power for great work, and a place as a co-laborer with Him. This looking to Jesus in true conversion to God is needed to win souls to Him, to please Him, to keep the truth, and to withstand temptation, calling for talking faith, hope, and courage, lying low at His feet, and being brought through trial more than conqueror. It requires fortitude to trust in God with no excuse to feel forsaken, because Christ helps those who must endure temptation, and measured against the Master's sacrifice the servant's own sacrifices appear small, so when careless onlookers dismiss gospel work as unimportant, losing, thankless labor and self-sacrifice he gladly follows in Christ's steps and keeps on in patient toil without becoming tired and discouraged inwardly, finding purest joy and richest recompense in success. The contradiction kept in mind was rejection, coldness, contempt, questioned motives, disappointment, persecution, betrayal, and crucifixion from those He came to bless and humbled Himself to save, including agony in Gethsemane while His disciples slept instead of watching, the midnight blackness, and the full flood of human woe upon His soul after leaving His royal throne and clothing divinity with humanity, all borne to redeem fallen man and bring many sons and daughters to glory, the same things His workers will meet.

The steady mind belongs to striving against sin without yet having resisted unto blood, and to enduring hardship and the Lord's reproof and chastening as sons under a loving Father's care, not despising it or collapsing when rebuked. Remembering Jesus' endurance of sinners' hostility, which He bore to save humanity, keeps believers from becoming weary and losing heart and calls them to endure suffering for His sake and to resist sin, with Christ's endurance as example and encouragement through adverse treatment and struggle against sin. Hardship and chastening are not reasons to give up but are to be endured as children, for God corrects not because He hates but because He loves and desires to save. Ministers are too forgetful of the Author of salvation and think they endure much when they bear and suffer but little, so they are to do a solemn work in their own cases, seek thorough conversion, come up to the pure elevated standard, aim vigorous blows against besetting sin, and endure hardness as good soldiers through reproach, suffering, self-denial, wearing labor and anguish of spirit as men oppose the counsel of God, with the joy set before them of beholding with Christ the redeemed saved through their efforts and entering into the joy of their Lord.

Contradiction Sinners Inflicted

The contradiction was hostile opposition from sinners against Himself, borne from those He came to bless and save and humbled Himself to save in order to redeem fallen humanity. It took the form of rejection, coldness, denial, forsaking, contempt, insults, abuse, questioned motives, disappointment, persecution, betrayal, and crucifixion. He suffered it because His pure life exposed hypocrisy and because He upheld truth and righteousness against sin. Though repeatedly discouraged and disappointed in people, He remained steadfast in His work of saving humanity.

It spanned a life made one dark series of afflictions and sadness by Satan's machinations, ending when Satan compassed His death. It was His portion together with toil, patience, self-sacrifice, reproach, poverty and hard work, and also hunger, fatigue, temptation by the devil, and bitter hatred stirred up by His works and teachings. That hatred and affliction belonged to His earthly portion from beginning to end.

In detail it included agony in Gethsemane with thrice-repeated prayer to let the cup pass yet submission to the Father's will in bloody sweat while the disciples slept instead of watching. There were betrayal by one of His own disciples, denial by Peter, midnight blackness, and the full flood of human woe upon His soul. Faint and weary from Gethsemane, He was dragged from tribunal to tribunal on false witness, mocked and derided in the judgment hall though He was the Prince of Life, reviled, rejected, and accused of having a devil. Pilate pronounced Him blameless and faultless and found no fault in Him, yet handed Him over to be mocked, scourged, spit upon, and crucified. He bore cruel scourging, spitting in His face by the basest men, crowning of His holy temples with thorns, fainting under the cross, then being lifted on the cross while soldiers quarreled over His garments and priests and rulers triumphed over Him and taunted Him to come down and save Himself and have God deliver Him as the Son of God. Unnatural darkness covered Him, with rent rocks, thunder, lightning, and shaking earth, as heaven beheld its Commander in base indignity with crown of thorns and curse of the cross.

He who endured was the Son of God, the Redeemer of the world, the Maker of the world whom the world did not know, the light and life of the world. He was crucified as a deceiver and falsely treated as a deceiver though He was the light and life of the world. He bore insult, abuse, and mockery through agents nerved by Satan who bruised Him. That suffering displayed the result of Satan working through professedly pious men.

Humanity and Redemptive Victory

He endured as a man sharing true human nature, heaven's Majesty humbled to humanity and clothed with it, tempted in the wilderness and living a perfect human life with temptation, weakness, sorrow, and weariness. He stood before God as man's representative, substitute, surety, and advocate, tempted as man and rendering the same obedience required of man by relying on God for power with His godhead hidden, not by a special power of His divine nature that man cannot have. His endurance is therefore an example for people serving God in their redeemed human nature, showing not what God in His own divine person could do but what He could do through humanity. Because He endured as a human being, He knows how to help those who are tempted.

Because He so overcame, men through faith by partaking of the divine nature can overcome every temptation as He overcame, taking from Satan his control of man. He overcame temptation on humanity's behalf as humanity's Advocate and Redeemer, and man cannot overcome Satan's temptations except as divine power works through humanity, which is the only way to overcome. His perfect life shows what God has done to make people partakers of the divine nature and what they may become through dependence on Christ, for He is everything to them and without Him they can do nothing. Considering His endurance and example as a man who obeyed God's law relying on divine power as people may do through faith strengthens believers against weariness and discouragement in their own struggles.

Not one iota of His suffering was except in human behalf, every pang of distress and anguish borne to justify people before God and secure their deliverance. He voluntarily bore it as the infinite price of redemption, His life and precious blood buying every person so that body, mind, and abilities are God's property, to be cared for and strengthened rather than diminished by selfish indulgence and used for God's glory and others' service. He took upon Himself the guilt of every sinner past and future, foreseeing every step of humiliation and self-sacrifice, including betrayal by one of His own disciples, Peter denying Him as Lord and Saviour, rejection, mockery, scourging, and injustice in being condemned despite Pilate finding no fault in Him and declaring Him faultless yet handing Him over to be mocked and scourged. The contradiction included the basest men spitting in His face and priests and rulers triumphing over Him nailed to the cross and taunting Him to have God deliver Him as the Son of God, which He felt in agony and degradation through the crucifixion until darkness covered Him, and though He prayed for the cup to pass He submitted to the Father's will because the plan of redemption required it. This suffering was part of the great plan to show the result of Satan working through professedly pious men, and no pang of anguish was in vain, for by it the ransom was paid for all who accept Him as personal Saviour, giving them from the Word of God their title to freedom, to bring many sons and daughters to glory and bring life and immortality to light.

That endurance at the cross was victory: Satan bruising His heel through the gathered energies of apostasy trying to destroy Him with disgrace, humiliation, shame and abuse could not touch His head as Mediator, while Christ bruised Satan's head. Every pang of suffering tore away the foundation of the enemy, every advance Satan made effected his own eternal ruin and demolished his throne, and through death He destroyed him that had the power of death so that in the very act of grasping his prey death was vanquished. His life made one dark series of afflictions and sadness by Satan's machinations, ending when Satan compassed His death, an act that demolished Satan's own throne, for each blow advanced the enemy's ruin and His death defeated the power of death. Never was He more beloved by the Father, the heavenly family, and the unfallen worlds than in that humiliation.

He did not yield in one instance, for if Satan had led Him to one sin the serpent would have bruised the head of the woman's seed, Satan would have triumphed in overcoming the Saviour, and the world would have become Satan's property. Because He overcame the world He bids believers be of good cheer. He vanquished Satan in human nature, the same nature overcome in Eden, with His godhead hidden and relying on God for power, inflicting Satan's humiliating defeat, and this victory becomes the privilege of all who accept Him in proportion to their faith. Anyone entering the path of holiness will meet the same united opposition, as Satan with evil angels conspiring with evil men to destroy servants of God and wrench them from Christ makes the conflict long and painful, yet Satan cannot conquer unless a person submits to his control.

Strength Against Weariness

Considering Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself keeps believers from becoming wearied and faint in their minds, from growing tired, discouraged, and giving up inwardly under trial, persecution, and the struggle against sin. He patiently bore shame, reproach, self-denial and suffering for humanity's redemption and for fallen humanity, bearing the cross and its shame as the example for those who follow Him in facing trials and striving against sin. His endurance calls them to endure suffering for His sake and to resist sin and bear their own cross for the joy set before them, even though they have not yet suffered to the point of bloodshed, and those who would share His glory must also willingly share His suffering by choice rather than compulsion.

Looking back to Calvary and the Crucified gives new ardor to press on amid the constant storm of opposition, the clamor of enemies, and the desertion of friends, even when almost losing heart, treading the same blood-stained path He trod before and seeking no discharge from the warfare till laying off the armor at the feet of the Redeemer. He endured rejection, contempt, persecution, betrayal and crucifixion from those He came to save, with questioned motives and disappointment, and remembering that His agony and death were for human sin puts present trials in larger perspective. His example gives courage when human sympathy fails, and in seasons of perplexity and trial keeping looking to Jesus rather than fixing attention on difficulties brings hope and strength to endure, strengthens confidence, and removes the fear that tends to bondage. His suffering, including the agony in Gethsemane, false accusations, scourging, mockery and death on the cross, followed by resurrection, with His loving words, courtesy, sympathy and compassion reaching out to help, comforts and shows that trials are not proof that God has turned against them.

This consideration sustains the patient Christian race of faith and obedience, keeping Jesus in mind and the mind fixed on how He endured sinners' opposition so as not to grow weary or lose heart in the struggle against sin. It requires fortitude to trust in God, leaving no excuse to feel forsaken by God, since Christ helps those who must endure temptation and enables facing contempt and derision without giving up. Knowing God through prayer and receiving the power of God in the heart, with prayer and study of the Word, enables believers to stand firm in the truth, remain cheerful in tribulation, rise above despondency, and receive sufficient help and grace to obey and witness for Christ.

Following His Example

His endurance is the safe pattern, and there is safety only as life exemplifies His by following His footsteps and placing the feet in the path He marked out in humble obedience. That walk is self-denial and self-sacrifice rather than living for selfish interests, willingly bearing hardship, reproach and suffering for His name's sake and dying to self. Those who would share His glory must share His suffering by willing choice, not by compulsion, bearing their own cross for the joy set before them in saved souls.

Travelers on the narrow, difficult way keep from fainting in discouragement by remembering those who went before, for blood stained upon the wall shows others have passed over the same path and endured the same pain. When feet ache and bleed, courage comes from knowing that if others could pursue their onward course through hardship, those who follow can do the same and press on to the end. That path was traveled by prophets, apostles and reformers, but Christ trod the rough way first and smoothed it, and He leads, strengthens to steadfast faith and brings to victory. To obey is to tread the same blood-stained path He trod before, seeking no discharge from the warfare till laying off the armor at the feet of the Redeemer, and looking back to Calvary and the Crucified gives new ardor to press on amid the storm of opposition, clamor of enemies and desertion of friends.

Toil, patience, self-sacrifice, reproach, poverty, hard work and contradiction were His portion, and they must be the portion of His followers if they ever enter paradise and the kingdom of God. The narrow way to life is too narrow to enter while clinging to any besetting sin, and it requires giving up one's own ways, own will and evil habits and practices. He who would serve Him cannot follow the world's opinions or meet the world's standard, for heaven's path is too narrow for rank and riches to ride in state, too narrow for self-centered ambition, and too steep and rugged for lovers of ease and carriages of ease to climb. The reproach that always comes to the true believer must be borne and the truth practiced, for those who shun that reproach and do not practice the truth will never enter, though the way of salvation is not too hard to follow.

His example forms character and conduct by calling to persevere in resisting sin and to show meekness under provocation, remaining firm in principle rather than acting on impulse or giving up easily. As scholars in His school, learners endure hardness and are not easily offended, provoked or annoyed with little trials and little difficulties, not murmuring at self-sacrificing demands of religion. Trials and reproach are to be borne without seeking ease and honor so that character is strengthened, pressing on from religious dwarfhood to full stature in Christ till complete in Him. That growth brings lowliness of mind that does nothing through strife or vainglory, esteems others better than self, looks to the things of others, and has the mind which was in Christ who made Himself of no reputation and took the form of a servant.

For God's servants the verse forbids amazement at sharing His sufferings when tried, tempted, disappointed of human sympathy, with motives questioned and meeting disappointment. It rebukes forgetfulness that thinks they endure much when they bear and suffer but little, for they have not yet resisted unto blood striving against sin, and it exposes how little present ministers suffer and deny themselves compared with Him who bore rejection, coldness, contempt, persecution, betrayal and crucifixion, with the persecuted apostles and later holy men. The call is to thorough conversion, vigorous blows against besetting sin, daily self-humbling before God, pressing close to Christ and hiding in God. It is to go forward not in their own name but in the might and power of God, enduring hardness as good soldiers through reproach, suffering, self-denial, wearing labor and anguish of spirit, accepting unwelcome care, responsibility and consecration that makes preaching powerful, staying humble and teachable and molded by the Spirit and ready to be counseled, with melting love, pity and tenderness that can break down even iron walls of prejudice.

So sustained, workers keep on in patient, loving, unselfish toil to win the erring to repentance and conversion without becoming tired and discouraged inwardly, that sin may be put away. This sends missionaries to work the hardest places to reach souls and keeps canvassers in patient toil when careless onlookers dismiss the work as unimportant, losing and thankless, for measured against the Master's sacrifice their own sacrifices appear small and they gladly follow in His steps. Considering the infinite price of His life and precious blood shows every person bought and body, mind and abilities as God's property, to be cared for and strengthened rather than diminished through selfish indulgence and used for His glory and others' service. His perseverance through repeated discouragement and disappointment in people is the pattern for meeting opposition with humility, patience and love while laboring for salvation, finding purest joy and richest recompense in success.