Take the Long View

We continue this morning to overhear the message to the Hebrews and consider what God is saying to us through it. Remember these words were originally written within 30 years of Christ’s death and resurrection to Hebrew people, another term for Jews, who had heard the story of Jesus and become what at that time they called followers of “The Way.” This “Way” was becoming difficult, though, as it was becoming more and more clear that there would be a schism, a split between Judaism and the followers of Jesus.

In fact, around that time in Antioch, the powers-that-be started calling these followers “Christians,” not as a compliment. Antioch was a traditional walled city, located in what is now southern Turkey, just 12 miles or so north of the Syrian border. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire, located on a river, and a hub for trade from all directions. So, it was known for being “all the world in one city.” Within the walls the city was divided by ethnicity, with different neighborhoods for different people groups. As the followers of Jesus shared his story with people in the different neighborhoods, they started coming together. Cultural barriers started breaking down, people from all parts of the city, from all walks of life, started coming together. It was a radical kind of community. The powers-that-be needed a name for it because it is hard to speak out against something that doesn’t have a name, that isn’t defined. So they started calling this non-judgmental, welcoming, diverse group “Christians.”

For the Hebrews who were following Jesus, the threat level was rising, and he hadn’t returned as he had promised. There was a lot of unknown. It was getting risky. They could return to their Jewish roots, where it was safer and easier, or they could continue on what was becoming a marathon.

We started this sermon series with a well-known quote from Hebrews 11, verse 1, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The writer is encouraging the believers to keep going by recalling the long history of the Jewish faithful who did God’s will by faith, without seeing how it would work out.

Then, last week, we continued to another well-known quote from Hebrews 12, verse 1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and the sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, …”. Jesus has blazed the trail, out in front, leading the way; he has sacrificed, even endured the cross, and what made it all worth it is the joy of us now running the course that leads to God’s kingdom. Look, he has finished the race, and now he sits in glory at the right hand of the throne of God.

This week, there is no such well-known verse. Most marathoners finish a 26.2-mile marathon in 4.5-5 hours. The writer of Hebrews is talking to the crowd who did not finish above average; he is trying to help them make sense of their struggle and keep them from losing faith. They are struggling against sin; against backsliding; but, he points out, they haven’t been forced to shed any blood like Jesus did. Just like an athlete training for a marathon, you are going to have workouts that are hard. You are going to struggle; it will be unpleasant at times – painful even. Later, you will cross that finish line, and oh, the sense of peace that washes over you as a fruit of righteousness! Makes it all worth the struggle.

He hearkens back to two passages that were familiar to the Hebrews: the first, “Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees” is a message of hope from the prophet Isaiah, from the time when the Assyrians had conquered Israel and taken over Jerusalem, when the Jewish people were in exile. Isaiah offered a vision of the restoration of Jerusalem, saying, Seek the Lord because justice will be done, “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing….They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, fear not!’” (Isaiah 35:1-4). Presbyterian pastor and scholar, Tom Long says that in this passage, “weary, discouraged, somewhat out-of-shape Christians are encouraged nevertheless to ‘lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees’” by the power of Christ. The second passage, “Make level paths for your feet” is an allusion to the wisdom of Proverbs. The Hebrews would recognize it instantly from their school days, because they studied Proverbs as lessons in how to live a good life. To avoid evil, Proverbs teaches, keep your feet on the straight and narrow.
Why? Why should they keep going? The optimism of the beginning of the race is long over; their hopes of finishing strong are dashed. They are trying to follow Jesus, but they keep sinning. They keep looking around and getting off track. Keep going, says the writer of Hebrews, don’t be like Esau and sell yourself short – take the long view – because if you stop now, your struggle – your struggle to be faithful instead of falling away – is just going to get worse, but if you keep going, you will be healed.

Esau couldn’t wait, either. He was hungry, and he traded his brother Jacob his birthright for a bowl of stew. Now, a birthright meant that when their father died, the oldest, Esau, would divide everything with his brother. Two for me, one for you, two for me, one for you. Except he traded, so that Jacob would be the one to divide their father’s estate, two for me, one for you, Esau. It was about more than the inheritance. Esau sold his identity for the instant gratification of a bowl of stew on an empty stomach.

In 1972, at Stanford University, Walter Mischel began studying delayed gratification, with preschoolers. It has now come to be known as the marshmallow test – there’s a TED talk on it – there are multiple videos of replications of the experiment, and I love watching them. Here’s what they did: they sat a child at a table in a mostly empty room with a plate and one marshmallow. And they told the child, you can eat this marshmallow now, or you can wait until I get back in a few minutes and I’ll give you another marshmallow, so you’ll have two. It’s up to you. One marshmallow now, or two when I get back. And then they left the child in the room alone with the marshmallow for 15 minutes. The children touched the marshmallow, smashed it, smelled it, ignored it, licked it, pinched it, and two out of three children ate the marshmallow. They could not wait, even though they were promised something better, they couldn’t wait.

There is no inspirational verse from this week’s passage from Hebrews. But, there is a realistic message. You are going to have times when you think you might as well give up. The struggle to live peacefully with everyone will seem too great. You may feel like you are limping along, sinning all the way. Every day we have multiple bowls of stew offered to us. Just a little white lie, an easier way to get things done, something offered to us that is so tempting, we just have to bend the rules a little, let our commitment to church slide a little… Don’t give up, don’t take the instant gratification of satisfying your wants; do what is hard – keep going to the finish line, take the long view and hold onto your identity as a follower of Christ. Finish the race.