From the “great cloud of witnesses” (1) just mentioned, the preacher now turns to the ultimate witness, the pioneer, “the author of our faith” (2) by overcoming all trials: Jesus. The preacher encourages his persecuted and discouraged listeners to fix their eyes on the Crucified One to get a response from him and thus “not be discouraged” (3), for there is still a long way to go and much suffering to endure, and without perseverance, reaching the end of the race is not possible.