NOTES for Heb 11:32-40

Here the Apostle Paul contrasts the champions of faith, who devoted all their strength and their whole lives to serving God, with “us,” ordinary people. In this comparison the apostle reveals to us an astonishing joy: “we” are not left aside. Unfortunately, we often imagine God anthropomorphically; to put it simply, we judge Him by ourselves. That is why, and only why, it seems to us that the reward, life before the face of the Almighty, can be received only by those who have earned it through unimaginable labors. This explains the Jews’ rejection of Christ, the shocking unexpectedness of the parable of the workers of the eleventh hour, and our daily concentration on ascetic exercises at the expense of fellowship with God and service to people. But God, the Apostle Paul says, has provided something better for us.

Life, the apostle says, is not given to those who have earned it; it is granted to those who suffer from its absence. And like the workers of the eleventh hour, we must make at least some effort, as far as our strength permits, in order to receive it. This is an astonishing hope for us, so immense that grasping it is almost beyond our strength. And the best way to receive the better thing that God has provided for us is to thank Him.