what is hoped for

There is a letter in the New Testament that is written specifically for the Jewish Nation who are alive during the First Century and scattered throughout the Roman Empire. It’s a letter designed for both Messianic Jews and Hasidic Jews; those who believe in Jesus and claim Him as their Messiah as well as those who have yet to believe Jesus is Messiah, the fulfillment of Mosaic Law. The preacher of Hebrews leaves no one in doubt as to his message: Jesus is superior to Judaism —Messiah over Moses. Every Jewish listener in the First Century (and everyone else throughout history to come) would hear the clear testimony of Jesus’ preeminence and His sufficiency in all of life.

The book’s crowning jewel is the eleventh chapter (aka, The Hall of Faith), wherein the writer recounts time and again the efforts of those who place their undying faith in the hope of Messiah to come. So intense is their belief in Messiah, they give their all to crown Him with the glory of the lives they’re given to live as well as with the deaths they’re asked to die. The final paragraph of the chapter is a remarkable account of the endurance of the faithful, the vision of the hopeful and the sacrifices they make in honoring God. Read again their harrowing tales of faithful abandonment, lives filled with indwelling Hope of a greater Life yet to come:

“. . . . Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. ³⁶ Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. ³⁷ They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— ³⁸ of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. ³⁹ And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, ⁴⁰ since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (Hebrews 11:35 – 40)

So how can Hebrews help offer hope in light of COVID-19?

From a redemptive point of view, those who put their hope in Jesus for salvation join a genealogy of long-endurers. The lengthy eleventh chapter concludes with the first couple verses in chapter twelve where the preacher spurs on the faithful to continue running the race before them, emulating the surrounding witnesses, laying aside hindrances and sin and fixing our eyes on Jesus. In essence, we join a family of faithful followers who endure trials and tribulations; it’s what the faithful do, have done and will continue to do –they press on and don’t panic. From a real-life standpoint, the ones who place their hope in Jesus cannot place it in anything else. He alone is credited as the Beginning and the End —the Alpha and the Omega— the Author and the Finisher, and He will bring events into our lives for which He is presently making us ready to experience. We can run with endurance a racecourse filled with minefields because our goal is not about surviving the mines; instead, our race is about being faithful to the One who will perfect our faith with or without them.