3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
For anyone who is not a true disciple of Christ, I think that one could easily minimize this type of argument to a “you-need-to-eat-everything-on-your-plate-because-there-are-starving-children-in-China” line of reasoning and lose out on much wisdom, insight, and potential growth in the process. Many who claim to be disciples of Jesus like to keep themselves far removed from the works of Jesus, just as a child likes to look for the many ways in which their situation is different from that of a starving child in China. But a true disciple doesn’t keep himself far removed from the Master; he seeks to draw near to him and to emulate him in all things. A true disciple understands that true discipleship requires one to apply Jesus’ teachings in every action, following in the very footsteps of the Master. True disciples absolutely draw comparisons between themselves and their masters, and differences discovered are seen as signals for improvement in their discipleship.
True disciples know that because the Master has done something before them, they are capable of doing the same. The example of their Master gives them the reason to marshal the courage and inner strength to run that “race” mentioned back in verse two—one that the Master has run before. One realizes that he has to marshal that within himself, because development comes incrementally and because the challenges faced now are nothing compared to what lies ahead. There is a strange and only temporary solace in verse 4—“Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.”