Hebrews 12:1-3
Jesus, the Example
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of (a)witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us,
2 [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, (b)disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].(A)
Footnotes:
a.
Hebrews 12:1: I.e. the people commended for their faith in ch 11. See 11:2, 39.
b.
Hebrews 12:2: Sometimes the public shame of the cross is overlooked when one thinks of the pain and agony inflicted by it, but in the Roman Empire crucifixion was a shameful and disgraceful way to die, a form of capital punishment from which Roman citizens were exempt; and in Roman comedy it was used in a curse: “Go to a bad cross!”