Hebrews: Remembering Past Suffering
Hebrews 10:32-34; Luke 15:11-32; Luke 15:4-7 - Look to future treasures, not to present suffering.
“But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one.”
Hebrews 10:32-34 NASB1995
First, a small diversion: Well, as is usually the case when I read a very challenging passage in the Bible, like the one for my last devotional (Hebrews 10:26-31) I felt some anxiety in my heart. Am I guilty of true apostasy or not, during those years when I wandered in a secular wilderness after allegedly being a believer? During those lost years, I read anti-Christian literature, I belittled the stories of the Bible, I scoffed at the anti-science aspects of the creation and miracles, I financially supported secular humanist groups. While I was thinking and praying desperately about this on Saturday morning after that devotional was published, I was immediately directed to the following parable:
“And He said, “A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that falls to me.’ So he divided his wealth between them. And not many days later, the younger son gathered everything together and went on a journey into a distant country, and there he squandered his estate with loose living.
Now when he had spent everything, a severe famine occurred in that country, and he began to be impoverished. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would have gladly filled his stomach with the pods that the swine were eating, and no one was giving anything to him. But when he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” ’ So he got up and came to his father.
But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his older son was in the field, and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. And he summoned one of the servants and began inquiring what these things could be. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him. But he answered and said to his father, ‘Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours; and yet you have never given me a young goat, so that I might celebrate with my friends; but when this son of yours came, who has devoured your wealth with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him.’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found.’ ””
Luke 15:11-32 NASB1995
I believe, in the depths of my soul that God is the God of second chances. I believe that if Judas had come to Him begging repentance that Judas would have been forgiven. What Judas and Peter did was not so different. Judas betrayed Christ to the authorities but so did Peter, by denying Him three times and watching Him suffer from afar and hiding. Christ restored Peter and He restored me. I believe that God pursues us and He kept after Steve and me until we knew without a doubt that there was a different path that we were meant to take in our lives. Earlier in that same passage in Luke is this short parable:
““What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
Luke 15:4-7 NASB1995
Praise God that this lost sheep has indeed been found and rescued from a most dangerous precipice over the depths of eternal damnation!!!
Now, on to today’s passage. I find it fascinating that we find out a few more details in Chapter 10 of Hebrews that these wobbly early Jewish believers, after being enlightened about Christ, were not just casually ostracized by their family and friends, but that they were imprisoned and had property seized and suffered through public tribulations and endured a conflict of sufferings.
Would you be joyful if your property and possessions were seized because of your Christian belief? What about being imprisoned or sentenced to death for your faith? Here is a map I copied from Voice of the Martyrs about their global prayer initiative:
Here is how Voice of the Martyrs define restricted, hostile and monitored:
Christians in restricted nations have been imprisoned, killed or deprived of possessions or liberties because they believe. Look at how many nations in our world today (on January 18, 2026) are defined as restricted or hostile! But this hostility goes way beyond the locations on this map and is now infiltrating Western European countries and the United States and Canada. Alliance Defending Freedom (a legal group I enthusiastically support, by the way) and their international partners have defended people threatened with jail, receiving actual prison sentences or having to pay massive fines for silently praying near an abortion center (UK) or for quoting Biblical scripture (Finland) or for trying to counsel gender-confused children using God’s word (United States) or for advocating a pro-life position outside abortion clinics (Canada). Biblical doctrine is considered by many in our dysfunctional modern society to be “hate speech”; it would not surprise me in the least that future hate speech laws, if passed, would find some of our devotionals to be “hate speech”. Thank God for the Constitution and Bill of Rights, at least at this time in our history.
The enemy works overtime against belief and it was no different in the first century. The writer of Hebrews presented another warning about apostasy in verses 26-31 and now acknowledges that these people have joyfully accepted suffering in the past because they know that there is a much greater possession and treasure in Heaven. He wants them to remember their joy and their camaraderie with fellow sufferers and to pray for supernatural courage to stay the course. I’ll end this with an extract from a John Piper sermon that was found on Precept Austin:
John Piper writes “and this chosen suffering was not a morose, gloomy, miserable duty that they did because Christians are supposed to. It says that they joyfully accepted the seizure of their property. It’s as if you were to carry food and clothing to flood victims and then go home and find spray-painted all over your house, “Christians get out!” and your windows broken and all your cabinets and drawers rifled. And instead of being mainly angry and discouraged, you gathered around you some friends - your small group - and prayed and sang a song of joy in God that he had counted you worthy to suffer for the Name (Acts 5:41+).
That is evidently what they did, according to Heb 10:34. They joyfully accepted the confiscation of their property. But how did they become people like this? This is utterly against the way humans are by nature. We love safety and comfort and ease and fun and lots of possessions and money and free time to do what we want to do. And if we get that we rejoice, and if we don’t, we complain. But here are people who rejoice when they lose possessions and share in sufferings. So somehow there is an indomitable joy, and this joy seems to be one of the keys to love and good works.
Then comes the all-important clause in He 10:34 to explain the source of this indomitable, love-producing joy:
“knowing that you have for yourselves
a better possession and an abiding one.”The key to indomitable joy that produces love and good works that share the loss of property others have experienced is
“knowing that you have for yourself
a better possession and an abiding one.”When you know that you have a better and a lasting persuasion, you are not paralyzed by loss. If that better possession is great enough, you will even be able to rejoice in loss.
What is this “better possession and abiding one”? Well, it’s all the good news that we have been pondering for over a year in this letter. It’s the triumph of Jesus over death (He 2:15), and the final rest for the saints in the age to come (He 4:9), and the subduing of all our enemies (He 10:13) and the perfect purification of our conscience (He 9:14), and the removal and forgetting of all our sins (He 8:12) - all of which is aimed at the ultimate and greatest reward of all, namely, that we shall be “near to God” (He 7:19, He 7:25) and know God (He 8:11) and that he will be our God (He 8:10) forever.
In other words, “the better possession and abiding one“ is not a thing. It is a person and a great salvation. A great relationship of acceptance with God and fellowship with God and enjoyment of God forever. Notice the two adjectives: “better“ and “abiding.” It is better than anything this world can offer. And it last longer than anything this world can offer. This is exactly the same double perfection described in Psalm 16:11 -
“Thou wilt make known to me the path of life; in Thy presence is fullness [= “better possession”] of joy; in Thy right hand there are pleasures forever [= “abiding possession”].”
So Hebrews 10:34 is saying that the key to the indomitable joy that releases love and good works and that embraces suffering with those who suffer is knowing that you have this better and abiding possession.
“Knowing!”
Here’s the key!
You must have this confidence. It’s this deep confidence about your future that frees you from the fear and greed that kill love and make you into a cookie-cutter human who has to have security and safety and ease and comfort.
So where does that “knowing” come from? That confidence?
The answer to that is what this whole book is written to supply. Our confidence comes from Christ - what He did perfectly on the cross and at the resurrection, what He is doing now for us in heaven and what He will do for us at the second coming and to all eternity. Christ is the One Who destroyed the power of death (He 2:15). Christ is the High Priest who opens the way to the throne of grace (He 4:15, 16). Christ is the one who ever lives to make intercession for us (He 7:25). Christ is the one whose blood cleanses our consciences (He 9:14), and obtained an eternal redemption (He 9:12). Christ’s death is the single sacrifice that perfects us for all time (He 10:14). Christ will make all his enemies a footstool for his feet (He 10:13). Christ will come again a second time to save all who are eagerly waiting for him. Christ is the mediator of a new and better covenant that insures the forgiveness of our sins, and the writing of the law on our hearts, and the presence of God in our midst forever and ever (He 8:6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11).
All that we ever hope for is owing to Christ. We receive it not by earning it or meriting it, but by banking on it. If we love it above all that earth offers, it is ours. So when Heb 10:34 says that the key to indomitable joy in the face of suffering and earthly loss is “knowing that we have a better possession and an abiding one,” it means that we know this because of Christ. Christ is the seal and the guarantee of our hope in all the promises of God. (Read the full sermon = The Present Power of a Future Possession).
The full sermon is definitely worth reading, but this extract all by itself is so powerful! Do you love your comfort and ease and earthly treasures? They will be gone someday - confiscated, stolen, taxed, destroyed in a disaster, or just forever beyond your reach behind you when you die. Look for the eternal possession and treasure that will never be destroyed!
My next devotional examines Hebrews 10:35-39 - Do not shrink back but preserve the soul.
Heaven on Wheels Daily Prayer:
Dear Lord - Thank you for rescuing me! Thank you for the beautiful treasures that will be mine someday! Thank you for giving believers strength and joy in all circumstances. Amen.
Credits and Citations:
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.Lockman.org.
Precept Austin was accessed on 01/18/2026 to review commentary for Hebrews 10:32- 34. Within the Precept Austin commentary: John Piper sermon:
John Piper is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary. For more than thirty years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis. He is author of more than fifty books, and his sermons, articles, books, and more are available free of charge at desiringGod.org. By John Piper. © Desiring God Foundation. Source: desiringGod.org
Commentary from Enduring Word is used with written permission and without any alteration. ©1996-present The Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik – enduringword.com. This commentary was not excerpted for this devotional.
© 2026 The Voice of the Martyrs. All rights reserved. 1815 SE Bison Rd., Bartlesville, OK 74006• [extracts from their website].
Love the John Piper sermon❤️