And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets– who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated– of whom the world was not worthy–wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. –Hebrews 11:32-38

The bible is wonderfully balanced, although this balance comes not from aiming at the fulcrum point in the middle. It seems that the balance comes from simultaneous extremes. Chapter 11 of Hebrews illustrates that in several ways. Up until verse 32 a major theme has been that the people of true substantive, evidential faith live as aliens, strangers, and exiles in this present life. This has led some believers to retreat into a pacifist, inward-focused life, always expecting the worst, and living in many ways like vanquished people. Now starting in verse 32 (copied above), we see the opposite, but simultaneous, extreme. It says they conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight.

Wow—that’s quite a list of warfare against evil! We should keep this in mind so that in our living as strangers and exiles we don’t forget that Jesus Christ has come with His kingdom and He reigns right now! Both are true at the same time.

Then the accounts turn grim again: Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated– of whom the world was not worthy–wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

This is a terrible catalog of abuse and terrifying situations involving persecution and martyrdom. The writer is drawing a conclusion from their experiences. That conclusion is glorious: the world was not worthy of them! They believed that God was making a new world where everything would be right and good. Consequently, they were completely out of step and burned bridges with their time and culture because they lived by faith in God’s city to come. They did this while the world lived like this is all there is.

This is where another balance comes from the extremes. Even all in their sufferings and exiled lives, they were beacons of hope pointing to the fact that the God who made the world wasn’t finished; He is alive and active and loving toward the people of faith. They didn’t receive the conclusion of the promise because it only came true in Jesus Christ and in the church He formed. But until then, the world would see some very weird people living a counter-cultural lifestyle. From God’s perspective, of course, they were the beginning of the New World. Many of these things can be said about Jesus as well. He was certainly out of step with the fallen things and was in step with making all things new. While the “world” wasn’t worthy of Him, thankfully the Father believed that His people, the church of the Older Testament and the Newer Testament, were. And that’s the gospel!