What does it mean to fix our eyes on Jesus?
This comes from the NIV translation of Hebrews 12:2. The writer of Hebrews is coming to the conclusion of his letter. He begins to apply all of the things he’s been saying about Jesus from the beginning.
The NIV is very close to the original word. The original almost literally means to “fix our eyes on,” or to “look upon.” The idea is to not look at, focus or concentrate on anything else. We give our full attention only to Jesus.
The writer of Hebrews has just talked about running a race and getting rid of the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1). The imagery of the runner in the race shows the image of the tackle blocks around the ankles that keep him from going until it is time to run.
So Paul presents the imagery of running a race without anything stopping us. We leave sin behind as we chase after Jesus, only focusing on him and what he wants us to do. He talks about Jesus as the founder of our faith, and even joyfully enduring the cross, keeping his eyes on the prize of making us part of God’s family. He was willing to go to the cross for you and for me. He ran his race without distraction as an example for us to follow.
Like Jesus, we run our race for him without distraction. He is the only reason that we run and everything we do is for him. Jesus reached the goal of sitting on the throne of the right hand of God. And we also have a goal to reach as we serve him with our whole being.
