Download the PDF Here!

My dearest readers,

This is Bro. Angello Forero. Welcome to another blog post on this website. On this occasion, I’ll keep analyzing neuro-divergently the Sacred Book of Christianity. What that is? The Bible! In this blog entrance, I will analyze neuro-divergently Hebrews 12:1-13. Let’s go ahead with it.

Before going further to chapter 12 of the aforementioned book, let me introduce a little bit about the Book of Hebrews. This is an epistle written by an unknown author. Perhaps directed to the Hebrew people, in my reflection, this New Testament book is very well-known for the encouragement for all the Church to engage in community as the brethren of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:25).

“Because of this superiority of Christ, Christians must “give the more earnest heed” (2:1), must not have an unbelieving g heart that turns away from the living God (3:12), must enter God’s “rest” (4:10), must not “fall away” (6:6), must hold unswervingly to the hope they profess (10:23), and must fix the eyes constantly on the example of Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith” (12:2). Christians are “receiving a kingdom that cannot be moved” and in thankfulness they must worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (12:28)” (Holy Bible: King James Version, 1994, p. 1644)

This New Testament book, like the other Epistles of the Apostles, is both a handbook, a manual, and a guide for all the churches. From The Better Spokesman for God (1:1-4:13) who was nobody other than our Lord, Jesus Christ, and to The Practical Appeal (10:19-13:25) in terms of topics, this book contains so much relevance in today’s ecclesial community. We will focus on chapter 12, verses 1 to 13.

Main Ideas of the text

This passage focuses on the slipping off from every weight that makes our faith slow down, specifically the sin (v.1.), so we run out to the race in which God has already won. By doing this, we must see Jesus Christ’s example because He’s the one who initiates and perfects our faith in a single way: Through crucifixion! He is now on the right-handed side of Our Heavenly Father (cf. Revelation 3:21). We now must think about the hostility that caused Jesus to suffer so we not become weary and give up in surrendering our burdens to Him (cf. Matthew 11:28) (v.3). Nevertheless, we haven’t even given our lives in the struggle against our sins (v.4). Perhaps, in my humble opinion, the first verses of the questioned passage tend to remind us on giving up our sins and become holy on God’s name. However, despite Jesus Christ having surrendered to die for us, we even think we can sin as many times as we can because we think the Lord loves us (cf. Romans 6:15). Hence, St. James the Apostle intercedes:

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you

 (St. James 1:27 NLT).

Referencing Proverbs 3:11-12 (vv.5b-6), the author of the book of Hebrews exhorts us not to forget the words that Jesus Christ’s Father had conceived us through King Solomon, reminding that God disciplines those that He loves, and punishes those who accept to be His children!

The following verses are a kind of encouragement to accept irreproachably the discipline of the Lord in terms of correction and discipline:

As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not his children at all.

(vv. 7-8)

This approach from the author of the Epistle to the Hebrew Church can even be a warning sign when we want to push our parents or other authorities. In this sense, if one child disobeys his father, he disobeys God (vv.9-10). The discipline is not as sweet as it would be thinking about, it is painful and hurtful. Nevertheless, the harder you work, the bigger the reward! And it will be more rewardable if we obey God (v.11).

In the last piece of advice, there is hardly a need; to turn God’s Will, it needs to take a grip on our tired hands and strengthen our weak knees (v.12). As a last piece of advice, we must mark out a straight path for our feet so nobody can be weak, but strong (v.13).

What is the meaning of this passage from the Book of Hebrews?

“Faith heroes are not just life examples in our lives. They also make part of the great cloud of witnesses encouraging us to persevere. The image this Book represents is a path, maybe within a stadium where all the stands are occupied by the Saints who have already finished their path on the earth and are currently awaiting their final repose with God (…) Nobody loves to be disciplined; however, for those who wish to run for a marathon, discipline is more than necessary—It’s vital— if one pretends to finish it (…).

If we are truly children of God, we must wait for Him to discipline us, to be more capable of remaining in his path. The children who do not receive any discipline grow up insecure, disrespecting their parents, and even doubtful of their relationship. As legitimate children of God, we must understand discipline as an honor and as one of the forms that God trains us to convert into the people, we want them to wish. Throughout suffering is difficult to lose this from view. But, as we were instructed to set our eyes on Jesus, in the same way, He exercises us through discipline, which takes us to live in justice and peace in His Kingdom.” (Velloso, 2019, pp.2442-2443)

“The persevering obedience of faith in Christ, was the race set before the Hebrews, wherein they must either win the crown of glory, or have everlasting misery for their portion; and it is set before us. By the sin that does so easily beset us, understand that sin to which we are most prone, or to which we are most exposed, from habit, age, or circumstances. This is a most important exhortation; for while a man’s darling sin, be it what it will, remains unsubdued, it will hinder him from running the Christian race, as it takes from him every motive for running, and gives power to every discouragement. When weary and faint in their minds, let them recollect that the holy Jesus suffered, to save them from eternal misery. By stedfastly looking to Jesus, their thoughts would strengthen holy affections, and keep under their carnal desires. Let us then frequently consider him. What are our little trials to his agonies, or even to our deserts? What are they to the sufferings of many others? There is a proneness in believers to grow weary, and to faint under trials and afflictions; this is from the imperfection of grace and the remains of corruption. Christians should not faint under their trials. Though their enemies and persecutors may be instruments to inflict sufferings, yet they are Divine chastisements; their heavenly Father has his hand in all, and his wise end to answer by all. They must not make light of afflictions, and be without feeling under them, for they are the hand and rod of God, and are his rebukes for sin. They must not despond and sink under trials, nor fret and repine, but bear up with faith and patience. God may let others alone in their sins, but he will correct sin in his own children. In this he acts as becomes a father. Our earthly parents sometimes may chasten us, to gratify their passion, rather than to reform our manners. But the Father of our souls never willingly grieves nor afflicts his children. It is always for our profit. Our whole life here is a state of childhood, and imperfect as to spiritual things; therefore, we must submit to the discipline of such a state. When we come to a perfect state, we shall be fully reconciled to all God’s chastisement of us now. God’s correction is not condemnation; the chastening may be borne with patience, and greatly promote holiness. Let us then learn to consider the afflictions brought on us by the malice of men, as corrections sent by our wise and gracious Father, for our spiritual good.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary, n.d)

Neurodivergent Analysis of what this Passage means

Key Principle #1: Earthly Discipline

The selected passage of the Bible is explicitly related to the study of parenting. Topics like correction, spanking, and punishment are very related. I am a young man with Autism, right, but in certain cases, I would need to be grounded in my teenage years. It is certainly true that I myself have not my autism as a pretense or excuse to misbehave. I have that very confined in my thoughts. Due to the punishments, I faced through my infancy and adolescence, I think to beat myself. Moreover, every time I beat myself, I beat my family (this is indeed, what the woman who conceived me, tries to persuade me in terms of self-harming, something I need to be self-conscious about it).

Perhaps correction (as told by the author of the Epistle of the Hebrews) sounds pretty hurtful, but it helps. I must assert that the Bible itself is against men’s thoughts and wrath; however, the bible itself is the same one that has been used by human beings to persuade “justified” abuses that seek to fulfill God’s will in terms of obeying him.

This is what I approach to say about the earthly parenting. This passage from the Hebrews Epistle reminds me the words of St. Paul the Apostle:

Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. “Honor your father and your mother”. This is the first commandment with a promise: If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth”.

(Ephesians 6:1-4 NLT)

I remember having read from a pastor who is also a homeschool father who said “Perhaps our parents’ corrections may not be the best, but we need to obey them”. Partially, he is right. But furthermore, there have been parents that have abused verbally, psychologically, and even physically to their children. God does not abuse, but in some cases, His Word tends to be misinterpreted and take them shame.  In the Old Testament Book of Proverbs, there are many passages that have to do explicitly with the passage in question. One of them, Proverbs 29:15, states:

To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.

(NLT)

Having a disability, indeed, doesn’t give us a right to misbehave, but in some cases, when schools aren’t prepared to deal with a child with an invisible disability, in those stances, we’d try to get even to those good doers. The results? It costs you a millionaire! I must assert that we as brethren with disabilities in our churches, behold need to sympathize with the neurodivergent analysis of these passages I have embedded in this meditation.

Key Principle #2: Spiritual Discipline

Well, I have made up a good explanation about earthly parenting, and should assert that the explanation above is more like a social and neurodivergent approach to the passages that talk about parenting (including the current one we’re studying from Hebrews). I admit it, I always keep asking about God’s purpose for me. When I was a young person, I certainly confess that every time I prayed to God, I petitioned him for irrelevant things that weren’t so urgent for me but not important for God. That is the point.

There are many examples from the Old Testament that show how the chosen people of Israel sinned several times against God. One of them is explicitly showed in Zechariah 7:13-14:

“Since they refused to listen when I called to them, I would not listen when they called to me, I would not listen when they called to me, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. As with a whirlwind, I scattered them among the distant nations, where they lived as strangers. Their land became so desolate that no one even traveled through it. They turned their pleasant land into a dessert”.

(NLT)

This is one of many examples we can see through the Old Testament, and how the People of Israel, behold, misbehaved before the Lord. I always intend to petition God that He punishes me with the paranormal. I’ve tried to talk to many brethren-in-Christ within my denomination and doctrine as well, and they say to me that God is not a punishable Supreme Being. Spiritual Discipline is sometimes abused by those within the community of Saints that pretend to be more holy, then end up being more hypocrites than the one who is being disciplined.

 Nevertheless, the best I can do as a neurodivergent individual is the fact to be quiet and only cry in those cases I need to be disciplined, unjustly or justly could be the discipline. Still, I keep doing bad things that supposedly through discipline, I would end up in not doing them no more.

Key Principle #3: Self-Discipline

Hence the two key principles explained above, behold I come with a mere sense of belonging. Despite not being in the study of the selected passage of the Epistle to the Hebrews, it has however a very substantial thing that despite not being incrusted in the verses, behold, is self-discipline, which combines both spiritual and earthly discipline!

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong.

(Hebrews 12:12-13 NLT)

Maybe, the third and most important key principle for this Bible study is not included in these thirteen verses, but indeed, it is. We need to become self-disciplined and fulfill our goals for ourselves. Nobody is responsible for your acts, and nobody is guilty of your misfortune caused by those who pretend to oppress you. In some cases, we may fall into temptation, and is in that same stage when God pretends to apart from us but He doesn’t.

And yes, we need to go to the Church. Yes, we need to read the Bible. Yes, we need to listen to worship songs all time so the worldly people be amazed about our self-discipline, because we’ll fail several times throughout this life stage. But God, through St. Paul the Apostle, behold tell us:

The temptations in your life are not different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will now allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so you can endure.

(1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

This is a great consolation passage from our friend, St. Paul the Apostle when we fall in temptation and feel so lonely that nobody listens to us. But let me tell you something, in all cases, God is good and faithful. The vv.12-13 are also words of encouragement for the adult servants of God who might be facing also temptation to those we tend to correct. Amid those things, those who remain in the house of the Lord abound and their lives are changed.

In summary, we need to receive both earthly and spiritual discipline from our parents and elders to be self-disciplined. Proverbs 1:8-9 hides a big truth, as the passaged studied right now does!

How can this passage relate to my personal walk with Christ?

In words of Mrs. Joni Eareckson Tada (2016):

“God considered these unnamed people “too good for this world” but with treasures in heaven waiting to be inherited on the last day. Can you see yourself in this great company of saints? Your life may seem insignificant by all the measures of the worldly power and influence. But God does not do things the way the world expects. He humbles the proud and mighty and exalts the lowly and despised. God sees your suffering, and because he chose to be incarnated as a human being, he feels your faith.”

Perhaps she might have a big exegetical projection that my person. But I assert that my personal walk with Christ is evidenced in the latter verses of the present chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews. As a clarification, I am interning in a special needs Christian school here in Barranquilla (Colombia), and am currently terminating my degree in theology (I am a professional theologian, but nobody can be a theologian). The best I do is to glorify the Lord with my testimony, and, instead of deviating from the bad theology taught in my university (It is a Liberal Presbyterian university), I abstained from that theology and created, behold, my own theology. There is so much stuff to be improved. There are many posts on social media that say: “Early Success is a Scam; Big things take time”, and that is. What we all need to do is to be quiet and accept the discipline from our elders and parents, and obey the Lord through them.

Instead, train yourself to be godly. Physical training is good, but training for godliness is so much better, promising benefits in this life and in life to come.

(1 Timothy 4:7b-8 NLT).

Angello Forero

Barranquilla, Colombia

References

Beyond Suffering Bible. (2016). Tyndale House Publishers.

Hebrews 12 Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. (n.d.). Retrieved November 03, 2024, from BibleHub: https://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/hebrews/12.htm

Holy Bible: King James Version. (1994). Zondervan.

Velloso, R. (2019). La Carta a los Hebreos. In R. C. Padilla, Comentario Bíblico Contemporáneo: Estudio de toda la Biblia desde América Latina. Ediciones Kayros.