Praise the Lord! Greetings to you all in the precious name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! A hearty welcome to the Scripture for the Week meditation page. As of now, we have come to the very first week of the very last month of the year 2024, the month of December. In every sense, the month of December is important in human history, especially for Christians. The first and foremost reason for most of the world is that the people will be preparing to cool down and wind up the current year (eg: setting up the landing gear after either a long and troublesome long/short flight or a sweet and memorable short/long flight) as well as preparing to welcome the New Year (eg: getting ready for the take off for either a sweet and memorable short/long flight or a long and troublesome long/short flight). During the month of December, most people become very busy with the preparations with moving forward from the past and present to the future and welcoming the New Year with reinvigorated hopes and aspirations. For Christians across the world, it is a month of celebration – the month the Sovereign Lord God came down from heaven to earth in the likeness and image of a human adopting the name Jesus Christ or the month the Word became flesh and lived among us (John 1: 14). We celebrate the incarnation of the Sovereign Lord God (who created the universe and everything in it [Genesis 1:1-31; Psalm 24:1; 146:6; Isaiah 42:5; 66:1-2; Acts 17:24a]) as a human being whom the Scripture calls on with numerous names, including עִמָּנוּאֵל Immanuel (means, God with us [immānû = with us, and ēl = God] Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23); Jesus (Yeshua יֵשׁוּעַ or Yehoshua יְהוֹשֻׁעַ), which means, God saves; Messiah מָשִׁיחַ Machayach (Gk: χριστός Christos, which is translated as Christ), which means, the anointed One (Acts 4:10); and so on. It is believed by most Christians that Christ Jesus was born in Bethlehem about two thousand years ago in the month of December, particularly on the 25th of December (yet, some Christian groups celebrate Christmas on a different dates like January 6 or 7 or a different day/date). Thus, it is widely accepted that December is the month of Christmas, an annual festival commemorating the birth of the Christ – the birth of Jesus Christ in the city of Bethlehem.(Micah 5:2; also refer to Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-7, 11; John 7:42 [in addition, refer to: John 3:16; 1 John 4:9]). God sent His Son to this world to redeem, restore, and save mankind from the grip of sin and death (Isaiah 43:3, 11; 45:15; 49:26; Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11; John 1:29; 3:16; Acts 4:12; 2 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 4:14). The prime purpose of His incarnation unfolds the fact that, in the beginning, God created a perfect world (Genesis 1:1-31) and perfect human beings (Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7) but human beings fell in the tricky trap of the Devil and misused their privilege of spiritual freedom, which was given to them by their Creator God, and sinned against Him (Genesis 3:1-24), and this kept them away from approaching the holy God. Yet, despite their failures in keeping God’s commandments, He came down in the Garden of Eden initially (Genesis 3:8-10), and later in to this world in the form of a human being (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 1:31-35; John 1:1-3, 14; Hebrews 1:3) in order to forgive and reconcile Himself with the fallen humanity and give us all eternal life (Romans 5:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:19; Ephesians 2:16-18; Colossians 1:20).  This shows that the holy God took initiative to forgive and reconcile Himself with the sinful humanity (John 10:10b, 28; 11:25-26; 17:3; 1 John 5:11-12). Therefore, for most Christians, the season of Christmas is a season of love, joy, hope, peace, justice, and service, it is a season of gratitude and generosity; it is a season filled with festivities and celebrations, it is a season filled with renewed hope and greater expectations; and so on.

We are blessed with a very promising Scripture passage for our Scripture for the Week (SftW) meditation this week, which is taken from Hebrews 12:1-3 (mentioned above). The highlight of the passage is Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2a). According to the holy Scriptures, the Sovereign Lord God who came down to this world in the form of a human being [incarnated as a human being] and lived among us as Jesus Christ is the only hope of humanity for our salvation (Psalm 39:7; 62:5; 71:5; Jeremiah 29:11; John 1:29; 14:6; Colossians 1:27; 1 Timothy 1:1; Titus 2:13). Apostle John stated that For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; [1 John 5:11]). God the Father introduced His Son Jesus to some of His disciples on the Mount of transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8), saying: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him (Matthew 17:5; also refer to Matthew 3:17; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). While the gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) narrate the life and ministry of Jesus on earth, the book of Hebrews set before us some of the clearcut thoughts on the person and ministry of Jesus, for instance:

• • The book tells us who Jesus actually is (Hebrews 1:1-3);
  • The book points out that that Jesus is superior to the angels, the heavenly hosts (Hebrews 1:4-2:18);
  • The book highlights the fact that Jesus is superior to the Old Testament hero Moses whom the Lord God appointed as a leader to deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt (Hebrews 3:1-19);
  • The book points out that Jesus is superior to Joshua the successor of Moses who gave the Israelites rest by allotting the promised land to the people of God because Jesus gives them better rest than Joshua did (Hebrews 4:1-13);
  • The book points out that the priesthood of Jesus is the better priesthood than the human priesthood and Jesus is the high priest forever in the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 4:13-7:28);
  • The book brings out the fact that the Covenant that Jesus the High Priest offers is a better Covenant than the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:1-13);
  • The book tells us that Jesus the High Priest serves in the heavenly sanctuary that is not built by human hands, which indicates that Jesus is greater than the Sanctuary itself (heavenly or earthly) and offers a better sacrifice than the earthly high priests (Hebrews 9:1-10:18);
  • The book tells us not to go on sinning anymore rather hold unswervingly to the hope we profess for it is promised by Jesus Christ who is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-39);
  • The book lists a number Old Testament saints who were well known for their faith/trust in God and lived a life that is worthy of their calling (the Old Testament heroes of faith), yet did not receive what had been promised to them during their life-time but they will be made perfect along with us and receive a better return that is promised through Christ Jesus (Hebrews 11:1-40);
  • The book points out the importance of fixing our eyes on Jesus in order to live a life that is worthy of our calling through worshipping the Lord God acceptably with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:1-29);
  • The book urges believers to keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters and care for each other by holding on to the teachings of Jesus Christ and through whom to offer a sacrifice of praises, which pleases God (Hebrews 13:1-25).

The reason that the author of Hebrews urges his readers to fix their eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of their faith (Hebrews 12:2a) is because he was convinced that Jesus is superior to all existing persons and entities and order of systems, including the religious and political systems. We have already discussed that Jesus is superior to the angels (Hebrews 1:4a) and the name He has inherited is superior to theirs ((Hebrews 1:4b); He is greater than the Old Testament Patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, or anyone in such categories (John 1:1-3; 8:58; Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:8); He is greater than Moses through whom the sovereign Lord God gave the Law and order to His people the Israelites (Hebrews 3:5-6); He is a better Prophet than every other prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15); He is a better High Priest [in the order of Melchizedek] than every other high priest (He intercedes for all the people from every tribe and language and people and nation); the sacrifice He offered Himself is a better sacrifice than all other Old Testament sacrifices; and the New Covenant God the Father made through Him is better covenant than the Old Covenant He made during the Old Testament time (Hebrews 8:13). In a nutshell, Jesus is the fulfillment of everything God said and did, including the Law that was given to mankind (Matthew 5:17; John 1:17; Romans 10:4). Therefore, God gave Him all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, as Apostle Paul mentioned: 

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).

Let us briefly analyze and study the passage we chose for our meditation (Hebrews 12:1-3).

• • We are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses of saints and heroes of faith (12:1a)
  • Let us throw off everything that hinders our spiritual journey (12:1b)
  • Let us throw off every sin that so easily entangles us and makes us stumble (12:1c)
  • Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us (12:1d)
  • Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith (12:2a)
  • For the joy set before Him [Jesus] he endured the cross (12:2b)
  • For the joy set before Him [Jesus], he endured the shame of rejection (12:2c)
  • Since He endured the cross, scorning its shame, he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (12:2d)
  • He endured opposition from sinners and rejection from His very own (12:3a)
  • He set an example for us, so that we will not grow weary and lose heart (12:3b)

Although the Old Testament saints and heroes of faith suffered much persecution and ridicule for the sake of their faith in God, they did not give up their calling or change the purpose/focus of their faith-life. The gruesome reality is that they even did not receive what was promised to them during their life-time, rather they will only receive their reward (perhaps, a better reward than what was promised to them) together with us (the New Testament saints and heroes of faith) at the coming of the Lord in the fulness of time (Hebrews 11:39-40; Revelation 22:12). In fact, the saints and heroes of faith who have gone before us set an example for those of us who are going through similar hardships and trials during our earthly pilgrimage. They stand as a great cloud of witnesses to encourage and strengthen and cheer us as we pass through each stage/segment of our faith journey. Above all else, Christ Himself set an example before us for He endured atrocious pain and suffering and rejection in order to gain the joy set before Him. Jesus not only endured persecutions from His enemies but He also endured rejection and opposition from His very own people whom He came to save (John 1:10-11). For instance, Jesus endured the pain of rejection:

• From His dear and nears ones:
  • own family (Psalm 68:8; Mark 3:21; John 7:5)
  • kin and kith (John 1:11; 7:5)
  • People of His hometown (Matthew 13:57; Mark 6:4; Luke 4:24; John 1:11)
  • Jewish people (John 8:48, 59; 11:8 [Isaiah 53:3])
• From religious leaders like:
  • Jewish Leaders (John 5:16)
  • The high priests (Matthew 26:57a)
  • The chief priests (Matthew 26:47; 27:41a; John 19:6)
  • teachers of the Law (Matthew 26:57b; 27:41b)
  • The council of the elders of the people (Matthew 26:47, 57c; 27:41c)
  • The whole Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:59)
  • Pharisees (Matthew 12:2, 14; 16:1, 6, 12; 21:45-46)
  • Sadducees (Matthew 16:1, 6; Luke 20:27; Acts 5:17-18)
  • Scribes (Matthew 23:13; Mark 12:38; Luke 20:46)
• From His disciples:
  • All the disciples (Matthew 26:56; John 6:66)
  • Judas (Matthew 26:14-16)
  • Peter (Matthew 26:69-75)
• From political leaders like:
  • Kings (Luke 23:7-12)
  • Governors (Matthew 27:11)
  • Officials (John 18:3)
  • Soldiers (Matthew 27:27-31)
• The money changers in the temple (Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45; John 2:14)
• From the robber on the cross (Matthew 27:44)
• From those who were passing by (Matthew 27:39-40)
• Above all else, from His Father in Heaven ([Psalm 22:1; 88:14; Isaiah 53:10]; Matthew 26:39; 27:46; Mark 14:36; 15:34; Romans 8:32)

In the light of this, we who are called by God into the spiritual race must run our race in such a way as to get the prize, that is, we need to run our spiritual race fixing our eyes on Jesus and keeping His commands. Everyone who is in such a race must prepare themselves for the race. One cannot simply run such a race without preparing themselves, rather they ought to go through thorough training and preparation. Let us read what Apostle Paul has to say in this regard:

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

If we fix our eyes on something else other than Jesus (like earthly treasures, fame, power) during our race, we might stumble during the course of our spiritual race, and there is possibility of being disqualified from receiving a prize, which means, if our attention/gaze is taken out from Jesus during our spiritual pilgrimage, we might miss our winning mark and will become ineligible to win the prize. Yet, if we are able to trust God wholeheartedly and overcome the trials and obstacles we face during our earthly pilgrimage, everything will end for a good purpose and we can win the prize that is set before us – not only to us alone but also everyone who finishes their spiritual race in the same manner, as Apostle Paul confidently said:

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:6-8)

Apostle Paul said: We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Romans 5:3-5). Therefore, let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:23). In all these, faith in God plays a very key role, especially during our spiritual journey, because faith is nothing but the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). The author Hebrews also states that without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).

Dear friends in the Lord, let us know that we are in a spiritual race as long as we are in the world. We need to go through thorough training and preparations in order to finish our race meaningfully and successfully. Jesus endured rejection and pain from His oppressors, who were persecuting Him, rejecting Him, opposing Him and killing Him; and, at the same time, He gave Himself up and was dying to save the same group of people who were persecuting Him, rejecting Him, opposing Him and killing Him. He set an example for us not to become weary or lose heart in the face of suffering, as it is mentioned about Jesus: … He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider Him [Jesus] who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Hebrews 12:3). Let us pray to God that He will strengthen us to endure hardships and sufferings and enable us to hold on to hope that we have in the Lord. May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!