Page 18 - September 2026 - Truth & Tidings

been warned, “Take heed, brethren, lest as the Son of Man.
there be in any of you an evil heart of un- “Looking unto Jesus,” the Hebrew
belief, in departing from the living God” believers would gain a new perspective
(3:12), and “we see that they could not on what they had given up for Him, and
enter in because of unbelief” (v19). The also on the struggle that was “set before us”
word translated “unbelief” is the word (12:1). They were to consider what was
for faith (pistis) with the alpha prefix that “set before him” (v2). “For the joy” could
negates it, that is, apistis – “no faith.” be His motivation for enduring the cross,
That the Hebrew saints had long en- but there is another possible meaning.
dured persecution was to their credit, The little word “for” can mean “in order
but now the hands were hanging down, to obtain,” but the same word is used, for
the knees were feeble (12:12); vision was example, in Luke 11:11: “If a son … ask
blurred, resulting in a wobbly path (v13). a fish, will [a father] for a fish give him a
They needed a remedy, quickly, and that serpent?” To translate “for” in this verse
remedy was to look to “Jesus.” Deliber- as “in order to obtain” would clearly be
ately, the Holy Spirit emphasised the real, wrong; the obvious meaning is “instead
perfect humanity of their Saviour by using of.” Thus, we could read, “Jesus the author
His name devoid of titles – “Jesus.” and finisher of faith; who instead of the
The word “looking” is used only here joy set before him endured the cross …”
in the New Testament, and it means “to When all the joy of His presence with the
turn the gaze away from all else and fix it Father lay before Him, He chose rather to
upon one thing.” They were to turn their endure the cross. Why? The Lord said, “I
eyes away from all they once had, from came down from heaven, not to do mine
the difficulties of the day, even from the own will, but the will of him that sent
heroes of faith already mentioned; they me” (Joh 6:38). What a supreme example
were to fix their gaze upon “Jesus,” the of faith and endurance!
great Exemplar of the “patience” and Had the Hebrews left Judaism with all
“faith” that the saints were lacking. its trappings? They had. Were they suf-
“Author” is the same word translated fering? Yes, but they had “not yet resisted
“captain” in chapter 2 verse 10. Who is the unto blood” (12:4). But what had “Jesus”
“captain of their salvation,” the Pioneer left when He came down? To what degree
who, through sufferings, had blazed a had He suffered in order to bring them to
trail to glory for many sons? None other God? Fixing their gaze upon the Supreme
than “Jesus, who was made a little lower Exemplar of willing, devoted obedience
than the angels for the suffering of death” to His God, the weary, doubting Hebrew
(2:9). As the “finisher of faith” (note that believers would find the perfect remedy
the word “our” is to be omitted), Jesus is for their ills. All the heroes of chapter 11,
the One in whom the supreme example of “having obtained a good report through
a life lived in faith is found. On four occa- faith, received not the promise,” but the
sions the Lord Jesus states, “I am Alpha readers of this letter, in “looking unto
and Omega”; the title embraces the fulness Jesus,” were gazing upon the Promise
of His omnipotence as the Son of God. As Himself: the One who “is set down at
“the Author and Finisher of faith,” the title the right hand of the throne of God,” the
embraces the fulness of His dependence “Author and Finisher of faith.”

274 TRUTH kTidings Sepember 2026