“I wish I’d learned then that when you call someone’s bluff you usually win: it’s simply not what the other person is expecting. And swimming along in the slipstream of another’s current is no way to live”. — Harriet Evans, Author
A SLIPSTREAM is an assisting force that draws something along behind something else. It is a partial vacuum created in the wake of a moving vehicle used by other vehicles. If an object is following another object, the rear object requires less power or fuel to maintain its speed than if it is moving independently. This phenomenon with cars in auto races is called drafting. It’s a passing technique that you may have also seen used by distance runners. They form a line behind the leader as a part of their strategy. The first runner sets the pace and assumes the brunt of the wind’s resistance. Even birds migrating hundreds of miles use this approach to share the burden and conserve energy. I’ve seen slipstreaming in lots of places, but not in Theology or Christology until today.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb. 12:1-2)
In this passage Jesus is called the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. That means He was the first to explore, develop, and settle into the territory called faith. Other translations define this Greek word arxegos as founder, leader, originator, author, or prince. From the roots arxe, “the first” and ago, “to lead,” the Lexicon states that Jesus “is the first in a long procession; a file-leader who pioneers the way for others to follow.” Today, we learned that Jesus creates a slipstream, and that when we stay close behind Him—He takes the brunt of the wind and the risks facing us. We receive the benefit of his breakthroughs. So contrary to the quote above, swimming in Jesus’ slipstream is the only way to live!
