Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or Audible.
“Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus…” (Hebrews 3:1).
The phrase “fix your thoughts” is one Greek word (katanoeo) which means a deep, attentive studying.
This isn’t merely a quick glance, but a sustained and deep study. Jesus used this word with the examples He gave of His Father’s provision for us—
Consider [katanoeo] the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! … Consider [katanoeo] how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. (Luke 12:24, 27).
The writer of Hebrews says we need this deep studying for two reasons.
First, this deep and sustained look into the glory and supremacy of Jesus is the essential part of our hope and confidence in Him. “And we are His house if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory” (Hebrews 3:6). I want you to remember that phrase “hold firmly” (Greek: katecho) because we will come back to it in just a minute.
It is very hard to hold firmly to anything if we only have a surface understanding of it. But when we gaze deeply at Jesus and live in awe of His majesty and strength and love, we cannot help but cling evermore firmly to Him!
The second reason we need to fix our thoughts (katanoeo) on Jesus is to be able to help our fellow saints—our “holy brothers and sisters.” I asked you to remember that phrase “hold firmly” (katecho). Notice how it is linked together with “consider” (katanoeo) in these verses—
Let us hold unswervingly (katecho) to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider (katanoeo) how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. (Hebrews 10:23-24)
So the writer of Hebrews is telling us that when we are gazing intently at the majesty of Jesus, we discover more reasons to not only hold firmly to Him ourselves, but we also discover more reasons to encourage others to gaze at Him and hold Him firmly themselves.
In his letter to the church, James uses katanoeo in the negative sense. In James 1:23-24, he says that those who only casually listen to and meditate on God’s Word—never looking into it deeply—will walk away unchanged.
I want to be changed every time I encounter the glory of God as revealed in the Word of God!
Deep, sustained gazing stimulates more attentive meditating, which turns into more reasons to hold firmly. The more firmly I hold onto Jesus, the more the life of Jesus changes me. Then my ability to spur on other saints to their own gazing, abiding, and holding is increased exponentially.
I am holding on to Jesus to help others hold on to Jesus too!
►► Would you please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry? My Patreon supporters get behind-the-scenes access to exclusive materials. ◀︎◀︎
Craig T. Owens 