A study of Hebrews part 12

Before we get started, please see my previous article here; The people praying to themselves, and please, check out my latest on Locals; Calling out pro-russia vatnik death cult.  (If you think it's uncharitable, what else would you call it)?

“And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us; looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy, set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God. For think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from sinners against himself; that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds. For you have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin: And you have not forgotten the consolation, which speaketh to you, as unto children: My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord; neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked by him. For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every every son whom he receiveth. Preserve under discipline. God dealeth with you as his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all of you are made partakers, then are you bastards and not sons. Moreover we have had fathers of our flesh, for instructors, and we reverenced them: shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live? And they indeed for a few days, according to their own pleasure, instructed us: but he, for our profit, that we might receive sanctification. Now all chastisement for the present indeed seemeth not to bring with it joy, but sorrow: but afterwards it will yield, to them that are exercised by it, the most peaceable fruit of justice. Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, And make straight steps with your feet; that no one, halting may go out of the way; but rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness without which no man shall see God. Looking diligently, lest any man be wanting to see the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up do hinder, and by it many be defiled. Lest there be any fornicators, or profane person, as Esau; who for one mess sold his birthright. For know ye that afterwards, when he desired to inherit the benediction, he was rejected; for he found no place of repentance, although with tears he had sought it. For you are not come to a mountain that might be touched, and a burning fire, and a whirlwind, and darkness, and storm, And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words, which they that heard were excused themselves, that the word might not be spoken to them: For they did not endure that which was said: And if so much as a beast shall touch the mount, it shall be stoned. And so terrible was that which was seen, Moses said: I am frighted, and tremble. But you are come to Mount Sion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of angels, And to the church of the firstborn, who are written in the heavens, and to the God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect, And to Jesus the mediator of the New Testament, and to the sprinkling of blood which speaketh better than that of Abel. See that you refuse him not that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spoke upon the earth, much more shall not we, that turn away from him that speaketh to us from heaven. Whose voice then moved the earth; but now he promiseth saying; Yet once more, and I will not move only the earth, but heaven also. And in that he saith, Yet once more, he signifieth the translation of the movable things as made, that those things may remain which are immovable. Therefore receiving an immoveable kingdom, we have grace; whereby let us serve, pleasing God, with fear and reverence. For Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:1-29).
Alright, so, there's a lot. We're not going to go over everything, but, I want to hit three main things. The first one is this; “And therefore we also having so great a cloud of witnesses over our head, laying aside every weight and sin which surrounds us, let us run by patience to the fight proposed to us; looking on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who having joy, set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and now sitteth on the right hand of the throne of God.”
I honestly think “great clouds of witnesses”, are those people in heaven praying for you (I've never understand the idea that somehow that contradicts Jesus Christ being the one mediator. People in heaven pray for you, and Jesus is the one mediator. Which, speaking of; “And to Jesus the mediator of the New Testament, and to the sprinkling of blood which speaketh better than that of Abel.” We've talked about this before, about what the word “Testament” means. (Don't worry, I have an article that will list all the previous articles from this study coming up). But, Jesus is the mediator between God and man, because he is God and man, and that new covenant was through the shedding of his blood.
“whereby let us serve, pleasing God, with fear and reverence. For Our God is a consuming fire”. What's interesting to me, is that the idea of God as a consuming fire, while it has firm biblical roots, isn't too dissimilar to how the late Pope Benedict saw Purgatory (https://www.catholic.com/audio/cot/how-does-purgatory-work-with-karlo-broussard). Makes sense to me.
And, because I thought of this out of order, “ For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every every son whom he receiveth. Preserve under discipline. God dealeth with you as his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all of you are made partakers, then are you bastards and not sons.”
There are two reasons I shared this, 1) It's not politically correct, and, two, look, a lot of people struggle with God because of this very fact. God isn't going to tell you, “don't do that”, because he likes torturing people. He's going to tell you, “don't do that, you're my son, and I love you, you're being an idiot”.
One more chapter to go! Yay! More (probable) carpal tunnel pain!

*All verses from the Douay Rheims

Adam Charles Hovey is the founder of the Catholicism, news, and whatever community on Locals.  If you want to help him out, go here