Dear Friends,

I hope you can join us tonight for Bible study as we study Hebrews 12:1-2. Notes are attached. 

LIVING THE CHRISTLIFE

WAYNE BARRETT

MAY 13, 2026

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight,

and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to

Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,

despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

______________________

v 1 – “Therefore …”

therefore – toigaroon, only used twice in Scripture

“The term … functions as an emphatic inferential conjunction. It gathers what has just been

argued and presses the reader to embrace the inevitable conclusion…. the form carries an

added rhetorical force: ‘this being so, then….’”a

“we are surrounded” – perikeimai, encompassed, enclosed

figuratively—or is there more to it than that?

“cloud of witnesses”

Everyone named in Ch. 11—and more

witnesses – martyrōn

“let us also …”

more lit. “every weight having laid aside, and the easily-entangling sin, with endurance we

should run the race lying before us …”

The verb tenses in the Greek keep the main active injunction in focus, while identifying

necessary pre-requisite actions. Compare “On a hot day by the pool, having shaken off your

sandals and the hat you’ll be wearing, take a dive right into cool water” to this “On a hot day

by the pool, shake off your sandals, and the hat you’ll be wearing, and dive right into the cool

water.” There is not a vast difference, but there is a difference.

“weight” – ogkos, burden, load, mass, encumbrance

anything that would slow us down from running the race

These may not be things that are sinful—they may seem harmless, even wholesome—but things

which are distractions, are receiving too much of our attention, etc.

“every [pas] weight” – not “some”

This is prerequisite to running the race as we should—laying aside every weight is not, itself,

running the race

We should be inspired by those who have served the Lord with all their heart and life

the “easily-entangling sin”

continuing to use “race” and runner imagery

euperistatos – eu+peri+statos, well+all around+standing; the only time this word appears in the

NT and outside of the NT it is little known, if at all.

This could be read, casting off (laying aside) the sin that is all around us, everywhere we look!

In other words the emphasis seems to be more on how sin is everywhere, as opposed to how

easily sin might affect us (as good a warning as that is)

a biblehub.com, Topical Lexicon, 5105 toigaroun

2

(As my Hungarian friends say) “One for sure” is made clear in this passage– the Christian life is

not a passive endeavor, not an armchair belief system

“with endurance we should run …”

This is the focal point of the teaching—this is the action to which the other things are

prerequisite

endurance – hypomone, under + remain, perseverance, staying with it

This encouragement would not be necessary (it is often found in the NT) if the Christian life

were easy

This means mentally, physically, and spiritually – with endurance

Being inspired by the endurance of others by faith—and perhaps being aware that they are

watching us as we continue to carry the torch

WARNING – fanciful thought coming: What if the “race” could be thought of as a “relay race”?

v 2 – “looking to Jesus …”

We are aware of and inspired by the clouds of witnesses, but we are looking to Jesus!

looking – aphoraó, a stronger word than just “looking,” it means to “look away [from everything

else] to something, to focus on the one thing and look away from the others; some

translations – “fixing your eyes”

This is key to running the race – to look unto Jesus and not become distracted or worse by

focusing on surrounding circumstances

“founder” – archégos, Prince, Captain,… it can mean “founder”; but archégos literally means

first leader—so, our leader from the front, the one we are following, the one who goes before

all.

“perfecter” – teleiótés, the completer, finisher. It’s only appearance in the NT.

These words together are a type of Alpha-Omega statement about Christ—the beginning and the

end (Rev. 21:6, 22:13), the archégos and the teleiótés.

“who for the joy that was set before him”

more lit. “who for the joy lying before him”

“lying before” – prokeimai, the very same verb (and pp)as in v.1, the race that is lying before us.

What Jesus did was more difficult that we can possibly understand—He, too, kept his eyes fixed

on the Father and on the outcome in order to go forward

This is not escapism. This is not “pie in the sky.” This is the reality of our Christian

experience and of the fulfilling of God’s eternal promises to us in Christ.

“endured” the cross – hypoménō, again, the same word used in parallel to what was written in

v. 1. We are called to endure the race—and our leader himself endured his “race” – the cross.

“despising the shame”

more lit. “having despised its shame”

There was nothing considered noble or respectable about being crucified. No one wore crosses as

jewelry or had them hanging on walls. Even the Scripture said “cursed is everyone who is

hanged on a tree” (Gal. 3:13, citing Deut. 21:23). It was the ultimate treatment of disgrace,

humiliation, ridicule, and pain.

For the eternal Word, the Son of God, to suffer this at the hands of men is incomprehensible.

Jesus did not associate himself with the shame—he despised it. We speak in a similar way if a

person places himself at risk to save someone else, we might say “he gave no thought for his

own safety,” i.e. he despised his own safety.

“and is seated …”

3

In the Greek, this is an active and triumphal conclusion to this statement, not a passive one (“is

seated).

More lit. “and at the right hand of the throne of God, [he] sat down.”

He finished the race and he “sat down.” He took his place at the right hand of the throne

of God.

“But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of

God.”—Luke 22:69

“So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat

down at the right hand of God.”—Mark 16:19

“and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according

to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from

the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and

authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in

this age but also in the one to come.”—Ephesians 1:19-21

“The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your

feet’”?—Matthew 22:44

“who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and

powers having been subjected to him.”—1 Peter 3:22

There is one Jesus Christ. He is at the right hand of God. And he is coming again.