The Crowd Who Finished
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
— Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV)
Nobody knows who wrote this letter; the author never signs it. Its first readers were Christians who had already had property seized and had stood by friends in prison, and they were starting to wonder whether it was worth going on. The chapter before names Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses and Rahab, then moves on to people with no names at all: stoned, sawn in two, wandering in the mountains. Of many of them it says the same thing: they died without receiving what had been promised. In Greek, a cloud could simply mean a huge crowd. A witness is someone who gives testimony, and only later did that word come to name martyrs. So these people are not in the stands keeping score; their lives are testimony that it was worth it. Greek runners competed naked, so that nothing would catch or drag. The word for pioneer also means the one who goes first and opens the way. Saints are not exceptions from another world; they are proof that this race can be finished.
Today many people will stand by a grave and think of someone who has already finished. Maybe it was a grandmother who blessed you at the door every time you left. Maybe a neighbour who visited the sick for years and never mentioned it, or a teacher who would not speak badly of anyone. That is often what a saint looks like: no halo, ordinary faults, and one thing done faithfully to the end. If there is nobody like that in your family, there is probably someone you remember from work, from church or from a book. Jesus finished first, and they ran after him. You can take over one thing from them today.
Take over one thing
- 1Pick one person who has died, whose faith or goodness you saw up close. Remember one specific thing they did: prayed before meals, visited the sick, would not speak badly of people. Do that today, the way they did it.
- 2If nobody comes to mind, take the saint you are named after, or someone from the Bible, and do one thing today that person is known for.
Lord Jesus, thank you for those who ran ahead of me and showed me it can be done. I am not asking for their life, only for one thing they did faithfully. You finished first, so I am looking at you. Help me take one step after them today. Amen.
I take over one thing today from someone who has finished, and do it the way they did.
What is the cloud of witnesses?
In Greek a cloud could simply mean a huge crowd. The chapter before names Abel, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Moses and Rahab, then people with no names at all. A witness gives testimony, so they are not keeping score from the stands; their lives testify that it was worth it.
Why read this on All Saints' Day?
Because it is about people who finished ahead of us. The day remembers not only the saints on the calendar but everyone who is already with God, including those whose names nobody wrote down.
What do I do with this today?
Pick one person who has died, remember one specific thing they did, and do it today the same way. It could be praying before a meal, visiting someone who is ill, or refusing to speak badly of people.