The value of faith does not depend on whether prayeris answered (Hebrews 11)
The value of faith does not depend on whether prayeris answered (Hebrews 11)
The break is over.
We paused for a while at certain verses in Hebrews 11 to focus on various Old Testament figures who serve as examples of faith:
Chapter 11: Closed
I would like to conclude the reading of chapter 11 with you to highlight two things.
In the Face of Persecution
On the one hand, if the author emphasizes the faith of these people, it is to encourage his readers to maintain a firm faith, even in the face of adversity. The adversity for the first readers was, in fact, persecution: most certainly direct and physical, but perhaps more so social exclusion
which created precariousness due to this rejection.
Return to Judaism
The temptation for some people—who, within the church environment, were on the path to faith in Christ—was to return to Judaism to regain their former life (work, family, homeland, etc.). Yet the Jewish references remained firm. The author shows them that the great names of the Hebrews and Jews, who were their ancestors and role models, had to remain firm in their faith when faced with both external and internal adversity; moreover, they are remembered for that very reason.
A Reminder for the Believers of That Time
This reminder also applied to believers who may have been unsettled by the questions or renunciations of those who returned to Judaism.
A Reminder for Today’s Believers
These writings are also valid for believers today, for us, whatever the circumstances. These situations may be similar to what was experienced at the time. We know that some believers are persecuted for their faith in Jesus.
Open Doors Switzerland
Or we may face subtle, persistent pressures within the family, at work, or in studies, which we can experience to some degree.
God Can Act Visibly as in the Past
What today’s text shows us is that God can intervene as He did with some of the characters we saw in Hebrews 11, bringing about wonderful victories or the fulfillment of promises, or He may not allow deliverance during the believer’s lifetime. The second aspect that the author wants to highlight is that in many circumstances, believers, while maintaining a firm faith, did not receive deliverance or victory—no visible answers here on earth. But they remained steadfast and constant in their faith in Jesus because their focus was not on the present moment but on God.
Reading
I suggest we explore these two aspects through an explanatory reading of the end of chapter 11 of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 11:31-34
32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah—We have already focused extensively on their examples. But it is also about more famous characters like:David, Samuel, and, more broadly, the prophets.33
By faith:
We saw this with the four judges, but we could also add David and many others.
This was the mission of judges and kings, but Samuel can also be included.
All those just mentioned experienced this, but as we’ve read earlier, many other prophets could also be cited as examples.
The first name that comes to mind is the prophet Daniel (Daniel 6:23-34)
Daniel’s companions come to mind (Daniel 3:13-30).
Examples include Elijah (1 Kings 19:2, under Ahab), Elisha (2 Kings 6:31, during the siege of the king of Syria), and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 36:19, 26, under Jehoiakim, son of Josiah, in Judah).
Like Hezekiah (Isaiah 38).
Like the judges or David, who put foreign armies to flight.
As seen through the intercession of
No Answers Here Below
Let us pay close attention to the second part that the author emphasizes: Others were tortured and did not accept release, to obtain a better resurrection. This refers to the resurrection at Christ’s return, which is an eternal resurrection, in contrast to the “temporary” resurrections of the two children noted above, who eventually experienced death again.
Others endured mocking and flogging, even chains and imprisonment,
Such as Micah (1 Kings 22:24-27), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:2, 28:10-12, 37:15, 28:6).
The author, after relying on examples from the Old Testament, points to how faith carried them through these trials.
Jesus (John 2:15-16)
The apostles and other believers in the book of Acts (e.g., Acts 5:40). As the epistle we are reading tells us, this was indeed what they were experiencing (Hebrews 10:33-34).37 They were stoned, sawn asunder, [put to the test]. They died by the sword.
The prophet Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24:20-21). Tradition suggests Isaiah was sawn in half. Later, the apostle Paul was likely executed by the sword, as he was a Roman citizen. They went from place to place, dressed in sheep or goat skins, deprived of everything, persecuted, mistreated,
38 of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains,
in caves and shelters of the earth. We can remember David being hunted by Saul (1 Samuel 21-27), and this kind of precarious existence was likely familiar to the first readers of the epistle. Just like the beginning of the Church in
1 Saul approved of Stephen’s execution.
On that day, a great persecution broke out against the Church in Jerusalem,
and all, except the apostles, were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria.
2 Godly men buried Stephen and mourned him deeply.
3 But Saul sought to destroy the Church:
He went from house to house, dragging off both men and women and throwing them in prison.
4 Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them.
Dignity and Indignity
38 Of whom the world was not worthy…This passage is powerful. By persecuting believers, those who carry it out, sponsor it, or approve of it reveal their human indignity. They betray the very essence of humanity.
On the other hand, human dignity lies not in martyrdom itself but in the expression of faith—in a firm and resolute faith in Christ.
39 All these (some of the OT figures), though they were commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised,
40 for God had something better planned for us (the work of Jesus). They (some of the OT figures) were not to attain perfection without us.
All Together
All the great names mentioned in chapter 11 (Abraham…) and the other righteous people are incorporated into the final work of Jesus. But for this work to be completed, there had to be those redeemed by faith in Jesus. They had to be incorporated into this great cloud of witnesses—these heroes of the faith. That includes you, the first readers of the epistle, who admire the great names of the Old Testament and suffer under persecution.
The Strength of Faith Does Not Compel Answers
This passage is very rich for us because it tells us That the value and vigor of faith are not measurable by God’s visible answers. In the sense that it is wrong to think that if God answers my prayers, it means my faith is strong, and that I must be the worst believer if God doesn’t answer my prayers as I expected. To the Same Faith, God Visibly Responds In some situations, God has given unusual answers to one or another person. To the Same Faith, God Does Not Grant What We Expect. With the same faith, God did not give the expected answer, and the believers remained in oppression or even died.
Sometimes Both Are Experienced.
For some, they have experienced both.
#Isaiah:A prophet who stood firm# even ###when all Israel was far from the Lord###, and who would eventually be sawn in two within a tree trunk.
Paul: Providentially rescued from a shipwreck, snakebite, stoning, and whipping, yet executed in the end.
The Depth of Faith?
The value and depth of faith are not quantifiable through positive or spectacular responses.
Beware of Accusations.
There is nothing worse than the sad “preachers” who would try to impose healing on God. And when healing doesn’t happen, they push the sick person down by telling them, “You lack faith!” As if healing depended on the depth of the patient’s faith…Yet, the Bible seems to say otherwise. What I just said is delicate, because some of Jesus’ words would seem to say the opposite.
Matthew 17:14-20
14 When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus, knelt before Him, and said,15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is epileptic and suffers greatly; he often falls into the fire or the water. 16 I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”17 Jesus replied, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long must I bear with you? Bring him here to me.”18 Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment on.19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive out the demon?”20 Jesus said to them, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
They were equipped but did not use it. If Jesus rebukes His disciples, it is because they did not believe and did not rely on what Jesus had specifically given them.
Matthew 10:1
1 Then Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. It was the disciples who lacked faith, not the victim.
Let’s look at other situations
“Welcome Gifts” in the Kingdom
Mark 10:46-52
46 They came to Jericho. As Jesus was leaving the city with His disciples and a large crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside.47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”So they called the blind man, saying, “Take courage! Get up, He is calling you.”50 Throwing aside his cloak, he jumped up and came to Jesus.51 Jesus answered him, “What do you want me to do for you?”The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.”
Immediately, he regained his sight
and he followed Jesus on the road. Why, for this person, does Jesus seem to make a connection between faith and healing? Why does Jesus talk about his faith, when in other healings, He simply heals without mentioning faith? The last miracle cited in Mark (before the resurrection) is Jesus going up to Jerusalem to be crucified. Bartimaeus shows faith in the Messiah by calling Him “Son of David,” a Messianic title, and expresses it publicly, against the crowd trying to silence him. Jesus emphasizes that Bartimaeus is saved, not just healed. This is similar to what Jesus said to the woman who touched His cloak to be healed of her hemorrhage. Proof of Bartimaeus’ faith in the Messiah is that he immediately followed Jesus.
At Lystra, a man was sitting with crippled feet,
he had been lame from birth and had never walked.
9 He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, and saw that he had faith in being healed,
10 and said in a loud voice, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. In this case, as well, healing acts as a lever for testimony in Lystra. The key question here is:
Is the priority that they be saved or that they be healed?
The focus is on eternal salvation, and healings here crown these decisions within the context of testimony.
Fulfillment and Depth of Faith
Given these details, what the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews shows us is that: The depth of faith
does not force God to answer us. Paul, despite his evident faith, was not healed of his eye problem.
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”Healing Comes from God’s GraceEvery healing is a result of God’s grace. We should never hesitate to ask Him or to beg Him for healing. God loves to hear us and see that we are relying on Him.
However, there is no obligation on God’s part to “heal,” even when our faith is great. It is always the work of His grace.
Life Orientation For and With Jesus
What the verses we’ve read emphasize is that, instead of focusing on Immediate answers from God and earthly resolutions, The ambition of these believers was directed toward Christ, His Kingdom, And its eternal significance. Their focus was not on the here and now, as though everything was at stake in this present life… but on the eternal.
A Faith Assumed
This entire chapter has shown us a faith that is assumed, lived out, and demonstrated in the life of the believer. As we have seen, this can be expressed through God’s spectacular interventions or through opposition, whether general or targeted, that can even become fatal. Is our faith assumed? Is our faith visible or noticeable? Could it be that we are persecuted for our faith today because it is so evident? Or are we so colorless and odorless in our faith that we run no risk of persecution?
The Majority is Invisible
Specialists in the transmission of faith have reported on a survey conducted among evangelical believers. What percentage of believers do you think do not share their faith? A staggering 98% of evangelicals do not share their faith.
Different Forms of Sharing
Sharing one’s faith isn’t limited to public places, like at the market in Renens or elsewhere. It also involves making significant life choices that we explain as being guided by Christ, who advises us in these matters. We are part of the Kingdom of God, children of the King. We are His ambassadors. Is our faith seen in our life choices? Is our faith visible in how we live?
Is it evident through:
Witnessing Christ
The goal is not for people to say we are “good” people, but rather for them to say, “This person is a disciple of Jesus.” This week, how will we show and sign our faith?