BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

Public shaming, intense persecution, and threats of imprisonment all make people hypervigilant, seeing danger at every turn and becoming fearful. They need encouragement that even when pain blinds, making it a struggle to see what’s most true, Jesus is still worth following. After spending several chapters arguing for the supremacy of Jesus, the letter pivots. It encourages readers to follow Jesus by faith, not by sight.

Chapter 11 envisions a Hebrew Bible hall of fame for faithful women and men who came before. By faith, Noah built a floating ark on dry ground with no lake in sight. By faith, Moses’ family hid him from the murderous Pharaoh. By faith, Rahab welcomed the Israelite spies and trusted that a red cord would save her family.

All of these faithful examples faced persecution, ridicule, and death threats. They trusted God’s promise more than their senses, and God delivered them. But it’s also true that they died and stayed dead, which means everyone “commended for their faith” still has yet to “receive what was promised” (Heb. 11:39).

The point is that if we think our hardship proves God is untrustworthy, that he hasn’t kept his promise, remember people like Moses who felt the same way and stayed faithful. God has not abandoned them or you, and the promise is still good. We’re all still waiting for its complete fulfillment.

After looking back, the author encourages the audience to look up at the cross. You are suffering like God’s Son suffered, which makes you a child of God. As you’ll see in today’s video, Jesus calls those who face persecution not unfortunate but blessed ones.

The original audience got kidney punched with brutal, bloody hardship, and the disorienting pain made them shrink back, distrust God, and neglect Jesus’ great salvation. Return to ways of steadfast faith, says the author throughout the book of Hebrews, and fix your eyes on the absolute supremacy of Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of faith (Heb. 12:2).

Reflection Questions

• People sometimes refer to Hebrews 11 as the “Hall of Faith.” Are there any people in the chapter that surprise you? What do these stories reveal about faith and the things in people that God focuses on the most?
• Jesus’ beatitudes flip much of the world’s values upside down. How does Hebrews 11 align with Jesus’ teaching on blessedness? How does this comfort those who suffer?