First off, I apologize for the delay in this article. As some of you know, I have been working on my masters and more specifically completing my thesis. I am happy to say that I have just gone through four proof-readers, thank you to them, and this last weekend I submitted it to my supervisor. So, as Germans would say, “Thumbs pressed for you.” It is exciting, but I will be happy when it is approved.
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2 NASB
As I was thinking about the next blog to write I have had the scripture from Hebrews 12:1 repeatedly going through my mind, “So great a cloud of witnesses.” I did not think too much of it, although I wondered why it was running through my mind. Then I heard someone else mention the scripture, and finally, one of the pastors at my church preached a sermon where he referred to this verse. So, I concluded I should be writing on this, but how does this verse relate to apologetics? What does this mean? And how does this relate to life today?
I started off with some research. “Cloud of witnesses.” That is an interesting way referring to witnesses. It sparks images of a great mass of people looking on watching, encouraging, maybe cheering. As I delved into this, this is exactly what it does refer to; at least the mass part. It is a name for a “great throng of people.” In Hebrews 12, this refers to the men and women of faith referred to earlier in chapter 11 who were praised for their consistency of faith in God.
Next, let us consider ‘witness.’ This one seems obvious, but a lesson we should learn in having thoughtful discussions and interrogating truth claims is that we must always define our terms. “Witness” (Greek ‘martys’) here refers to one who bears testimony, particularly in a judicial setting. When one thinks of bearing testimony one can begin to see the rough connection of this verse to apologetics.
Think of 1 Peter 3:15 that directs all, yes all, Christians to be ready to provide a defense to those who ask us about the hope we have, and to do it with gentleness and respect. Often as Christians, we are reluctant to seize opportunities to share that hope for a variety of reasons. These could be a lack of confidence, fear, unanswered questions we may have, or even fear of what people will think or judge us on in today’s societal climate with people complaining of microaggressions.
Function of a Witness
Now that we broke down a couple of terms in this verse, what might the function of a witness, or a cloud of witnesses, be? Think of an athletic event or a concert. Imagine the arena being filled with people, or even imagine a time in your life when you may have been running a race or challenging yourself in some way with onlookers. We have all had a time like this. Take a minute to stop now, and put yourself back in that moment. Feel the strain, the effort, maybe the desire to stop. We all have those moments when we tire or feel like giving up.
Now hear the cheering and the encouragement from the crowd, somehow you pick out an individual voice amongst the noise. You hear it as if it were the only voice speaking to you. Suddenly, you find another gear, a reserve of energy, you never thought you had. The adrenaline surges, goosebumps form, and you feel a tingle up your spine, and it is as if you feel the hairs on your head tingle. You complete the task at hand and feel exhilarated and ecstatic.
For another example, think of the general arena of a sporting event, and you are one of the witnesses cheering. You see an athlete suddenly in response to the crowd catch and pass by a competitor even though it seemed impossible for them to do. This is a function of witnesses I had never considered until now. Up until now, I had always thought of a witness as someone who gave an account of something they had seen or heard (witnessed in some form), and this certainly is a function; an extremely important function, for where would we be in the world without witnesses who recount events to us? However, the throngs of witnesses watching, encouraging, having gone before serve a wholly different function.
Perhaps when we have those fears creep in, we are also tired of missed opportunities to fulfill the great command, or we feel on the defense when questioned. Perhaps we need to recall the other aspects of the ‘cloud of witnesses.’ They are those who have gone before, they are those watching us now, and they are those listening to us now. Sometimes we get so worked up about the right thing to say, or worried about “what if I get asked a question I cannot answer”, but we forget that our apologetic starts with the lives we live, and the actions we perform.
This is another level of witness; those who look on knowing who you are and what you claim to believe, and they watch with careful scrutiny to how your apologetic is lived out. Let me just assure you; you do not need to have all the answers. I have always had the utmost respect for someone who can say. “I don’t know” and they investigate and follow-up with me. It demonstrates care and compassion. I certainly do not think those who came before had all the answers, but Christianity has outlived its pallbearers, nonetheless. To learn about asking questions read about the Roadrunner tactic here.
Apologetics comes from the Greek apoligia which means to offer a defense.
Press on to the Goal
In the second part of verse one and leading into verse 2 we are directed to “lay aside every encumbrance and sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus…” This ties directly into living out our apologetic. I have told our kids to remember that they may well be the only Bible someone ever reads, and we would all do well to remember that.
Using the athlete, or even yourself, think of that race you may have visualized earlier. Did you wear heavy clothes and a weighted vest? No, any athlete strips themselves of anything heavy, doing whatever they can to be lighter and aerodynamic; they get rid of everything that may hinder them or hold them back. For all of us, if we are honest, we have those idols in our lives, or sin, that hold us back. It encumbers us and affects our endurance. Most of us like to think we are good, and we play the comparison game, but as soon as I think highly of myself, I know I am guilty of pride.
An idol is anything that replaces God in your priorities.
We must lay these things aside for we cannot serve two masters. We are all good at justifying and case building, “I need this”, “You deserve it. Look how hard you have been working.” This list of reasoning could go on, but if we interrogate these claims, we know they will fall short of the truth.
Finally, fix your eyes on Jesus. No one who is focused on a goal, and executes or achieves it with precision, does so by looking around and darting off side-to-side. They focus on that goal. When I was teaching each of my kids to bike ride, cross country ski, or whatever it was I would repeat, “Stop looking down! Look where you want to go! Look ahead.” As soon as they look down, they lose their balance or get off track. What we need to do it look at the goal, at the prize. In this case when we fix our eyes, truly fix our eyes on Jesus, it will be impossible to look away.
Coming full circle we are to be encouraged by the cloud of witnesses that have gone on before, but we also have those who look on now who are encouraging us, learning from us, or seeking answers from us. It is time to press on and drop those encumbrances, and rather than second guess ourselves, perhaps you were placed where you are for such a time as this, so do not be discouraged, but be encouraged, and press on fixing your eyes on the prize.