The homily to the Hebrews is full of dire warnings and extravagant promises. Both of these extremes are punctuated by the writer's almost frenetic pleas for the people to press on in faithfulness so that they may bring the promises to fruition in their own lives.

The first two verses of chapter 12 establish a motif that the author continues through verse 13. Using familiar physicality, he creates an image that translates into the 20th century pulpit with as much power as it had in the first century. By speaking of spiritual matters in physical terms, the subject is easily accessible to all audiences.

Whereas the writer had just finished discussing faithfulness in individuals, he now turns his attention to the entire community, urging them first to look on either side and then to look str…