A Great Cloud of Witnesses

“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” — Hebrews 12:1 (KJV)

We have met an old bishop, a slave and a young mother, a frail woman and a boy of fifteen, a scholar, a preacher, a translator, a teenage queen, two friends at the stake, an archbishop who failed and stood again, persecuted Quakers, and a missionary couple in a Burmese prison. What do we do with all these stories?

The book of Hebrews, after listing many faithful people from the Old Testament, says that we are surrounded by “so great a cloud of witnesses.” The word for witness in Greek is martys, which is where our word martyr comes from. These people are like a crowd in a stadium, cheering on the runners who come after them. And that is us.

Here are some things these witnesses say to us.

Courage comes from relationship. Polycarp could stand firm because he had walked with Jesus for eighty-six years. The best preparation for hard moments is a real, daily friendship with Christ now.

God’s word is worth everything. Wycliffe, Hus, Luther and Tyndale risked or gave their lives so that ordinary people could read and trust the Bible. Don’t let it gather dust.

Failure is not the end. Cranmer fell, and stood again. If you have given in, you can come back.

Honesty about our own side. Christians have persecuted Christians, and Protestants did it too. Real courage includes humility and love for believers who are different from us.

And, above all, Jesus is worth it. Every person in these stories decided that Jesus was worth more than safety, comfort, reputation or even life. They weren’t superhuman. Many were frightened. They simply trusted that Jesus was who he said he was, and that what he promised was real.

Hebrews goes on: let us lay aside every weight and run with patience the race set before us, “looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross.” The martyrs kept their eyes on Jesus, who suffered first.

You probably won’t face fire or prison. But you will face your own race, with its own costs. When you do, remember the crowd in the stands. They are cheering for you. And the One they died for is running with you.

One thing to do this week: choose the one story from this book that moved you most. Write a short prayer asking God to give you the same faith, and pray it every day this week.