Book of Common Prayer
Faith and the future: the great crowd
32 What more can I say, then? I’ve run out of time to tell you about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets. 33 It was through faith that they overcame kingdoms, put justice into practice, received promises, shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were strong where they had been weak, became powerful in battle, and sent foreign armies packing. 35 Women received their dead by resurrection; others were tortured, not accepting release, so that they might receive a better resurrection. 36 Others again experienced painful derision and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment; 37 they were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were put to the sword, they went about in sheepskins or goat-hides, they were destitute, they were persecuted, they were ill-treated— 38 the world didn’t deserve them!—and they wandered in deserts and mountains, in caves and holes in the ground.
39 All these people gained a reputation for their faith; but they didn’t receive the promise. 40 God was providing something better for us, so that they wouldn’t reach perfection without our doing so as well.
Looking to Jesus
12 What about us, then? We have such a great cloud of witnesses all around us! What we must do is this: we must put aside each heavy weight, and the sin which gets in the way so easily. We must run the race that lies in front of us, and we must run it patiently. 2 We must look ahead, to Jesus. He is the one who carved out the path for faith, and he’s the one who brought it to completion.
He knew that there was joy spread out and waiting for him. That’s why he endured the cross, making light of its shame, and has now taken his seat at the right hand of God’s throne.
Division among Jesus’ followers
60 When they heard this, many of Jesus’ disciples said, “This is difficult stuff! Who can bear to listen to it?”
61 Jesus knew in himself that his disciples were grumbling about what he’d said.
“Does this put you off?” he said. 62 “What if you were to see the son of man ascending to where he was before? 63 It’s the spirit that gives life; the flesh is no help. The words that I have spoken to you—they are spirit, they are life. 64 But there are some of you who don’t believe.”
Jesus knew from the beginning, you see, those who didn’t believe, and the one who was going to betray him.
65 “That’s why I said,” he went on, “that no one can come to me unless it is given to them by the father.”
66 From that time on, several of his disciples drew back, and no longer went about with him.
67 Jesus turned to the Twelve.
“You don’t want to go away too, do you?” he asked.
68 Simon Peter spoke up.
“Master,” he said, “who can we go to? You’re the one who’s got the life-giving words of the age to come! 69 We’ve come to believe it—we’ve come to know it!—that you are God’s holy one.”
70 “Well,” replied Jesus, “I chose you twelve, didn’t I? And one of you is an accuser!”
71 He was referring to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. He was one of the Twelve, and he was going to betray him.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.