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St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 2 | April 2012 joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. In a word, then Christ as the archēgós both establishes the way of the pilgrim and is also the destination of the pilgrim. He identifies with them, and they with Him. It is on Him that they are to “fix their eyes trustingly” (so BDAG) with concentration and without distraction. He has entered the threshold of the heavenly temple and from there draws as it were, by invisible cords, the believer to Himself. 3.3 The precedent setter: pródromos. Pliny in his Natural History made reference to figs which are ripe before the rest of them and said that the Athenians called them ‘pródromos’ or forerunners. (cf. Num. 13:20; Isa. 28:4), Just as these figs were the first-­‐fruits, and led the way for the rest to follow, so Paul and the writer of the Hebrews employs the same word to describe the ministry of Jesus. Paul describes Jesus as the “firstborn” (Col 1:15,18) over all creation or from the dead the “first fruits” (I Cor 15:20,23. In Hebrews 6:19-­‐20 the sure source of the Christian’s hope is that Jesus has acted as a forerunner on behalf of them. By means of a word picture of an invisible cord that is firmly anchored in the inner sanctuary of heaven, the believer can then hold on tight to this assurance as he weathers the storms of earthly life. Thus we read: We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner [pródromos] on our behalf, having become a high priest forever… Using the fig analogy, we see that Jesus is not just running ahead, but is actually the precursor, or the first of a series which are to follow. The hope that is given is that the pilgrim people of God are not doing something precedent-­‐setting. The precedent has been set for them. If there is temptation in suffering, He has 234