As the author of Hebrews draws his letter to a close, in style similar to Paul, he offers some concluding remarks. We should read them against the background of all that has come before. We have had an extended study on the greatness of Christ, (including the mysteries of Melchizedek), enjoyed a magnificent sermon on ‘What is faith?’ and in our last chapter were given some strong motivations to ‘finish the race’ with an enduring hope in the grace of God guiding our steps.
So now the concluding remarks. Verse 1-6 speak of duties that the reader is invited to excel in. Love, Hospitality, Empathy with those who suffer, Purity, Chastity and Christian Contentment are all lifted up as virtues to be lived out in practical ways.
Practical Virtues
Hebrews 13:1 Let mutual love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. 4 Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5 Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, "I will never leave you or forsake you." 6 So we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?"
The word used for brotherly love is here “philadelphia’ (same as the U.S. city). Love of one another was to be the defining characteristic of the early church, and should continue to be so as we seek to be faithful to Christ’s call. To quote Matthew Henry on this verse, “The spirit of Christianity is a spirit of love. Faith works by love.”
The church addressed in Hebrews is a church under siege from forces outside of them and amongst them. Internal conflicts could be even more destructive than external ones. In the face of outside persecution they need to pull together and lift each other up. This has been a concern of the author throughout the letter, “Do not give up meeting together as some have done! Build each other up! Remember those great examples of faith that have come before you!”
The love that they mutually shared was not to be kept for themselves but extended to strangers. We are given that lovely phrase regarding extended hospitality ‘for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.’ The allusion here is most likely to the Old Testament story of Abraham and Sarah welcoming three strangers who bought to them the news that Sarah was to bear a son of promise in her old age. They entertained ‘angels unawares’ as some translations have it.
How easy it is in church life to neglect to be hospitable. To become so concerned with us and ours that we forget it isn’t about us and none of it is ours! All that we have is a gift of grace from God to be passed onto others. As one commentator has observed, “The church is the only institution that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” The Lord we seek to follow came to serve and offered too many the world refused to recognize the dignity and worth of a child of God. That’s the one we follow!
Another feature of Christ’s life that we seldom dwell upon (and indeed of his disciples) is the fact that He was both unjustly imprisoned and tortured. Such was a fate that was befalling some within the Hebrews congregation. The reader is encouraged to stand by them in their suffering. This could be costly, as it would also mark them out as belonging to Christ.
Two of the commandments, relating to adultery and coveting are lifted up in the next verses. ‘Let marriage be held in honor’ and ‘Keep your lives free from the love of money’. In our contemporary world these injunctions do not sound out of place. We still live in a world where money, sex and of course power, are ever present.
The way to resist such temptations is, as the writer suggests, to ‘be content with what you have’, which can apply to relationships as much as possessions, and to find ones strength in having a living relationship with the God who promises "I will never leave you or forsake you." Likewise, when faced with trials, because of the promises we are given ‘we can say with confidence, "The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?" ’
In chapter 12 we were given that inspiring picture of heroes of faith. Lest we forget that ‘angels are amongst us’ the reader is bid to remember those who had bought the gospel to them and the influence their belief in the everlasting love of God in Jesus Christ had upon their lives.
Past, Present and Future
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Jesus Christ being ‘The same yesterday, today and forever’ is yet another of those biblical verses that a lot of people seem to know, but fewer can quote where it is from. Placing it in context, we know that some of the leaders in the church had by the time Hebrews was written had passed on. Others just passed through! Still others had been imprisoned.
Whilst the congregation should give thanks for each one, they had one true leader, Jesus Christ, whom had passed through death, was present with them in the Holy Spirit and would guide them to their future. Leaders come and go, but Christ’s presence was a constant reality that had always, was always and would be always there for them.
You know how sometimes when you write something down, you want to go back and put things in a different way? Like you’ve missed out an important point? The letter here appears to go back into teaching mode, in particular a reconsideration of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant in comparison with the one sacrifice Jesus had made that sealed the New Covenant. It’s almost as if the writer is saying, “Now just because the letters getting chatty, don’t forget to keep digging deep with your doctrine!” In particular the nature of Christ’s sacrifice is revisited.
The Altar of Christ
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them. 10 We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. 13 Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14 For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15 Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
We know from other New Testament letters, such as Romans, that discussions over such things as eating food that had been offered to idols and as to how much Christianity should adhere to its Jewish origins in terms of rules and regulations were ongoing. The Hebrew community was not strangers to these debates.
Yet rather than entering into them at a surface level, the writer attempts us to see an underlying issue, stated in verse 10 as being ‘We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat.’ The Message Bible transliterates this passage so well!
“ Don't be lured away from Jesus by the latest speculations about Him. The grace of Christ is the only good ground for life. Products named after Christ don't seem to do much for those who buy them. The altar from which God gives us the gift of Himself is not for exploitation by insiders who grab and loot. In the old system, the animals are killed and the bodies disposed of outside the camp. The blood is then brought inside to the altar as a sacrifice for sin. It's the same with Jesus. He was crucified outside the city gates—that is where He poured out the sacrificial blood that was brought to God's altar to cleanse His people.
So let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This "insider world" is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let's take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus' name.
Make sure you don't take things for granted and go slack in working for the common good; share what you have with others. God takes particular pleasure in acts of worship—a different kind of "sacrifice"—that take place in kitchen and workplace and on the streets.”
I love the way Eugene Petersen gives us that phrase ‘The ‘insider world” is not our home’. Christianity is not about staying inside to argue about what we believe, but taking what we believe to those who are out in the real world! Christ is the true altar of our faith and calls us out with Him beyond our comfortable walls.
Such is the message that Christ seeks for us to embrace! Our next passage suggests we mustn’t forget the messengers.
Pray for Us!
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls and will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with sighing-- for that would be harmful to you. 18 Pray for us; we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. 19 I urge you all the more to do this, so that I may be restored to you very soon.
The greatest encouragement that those who lead in the Church have is when they see folk actually taking onboard their lives the things that they have sought to teach them. It’s kind of like when a teacher meets a pupil later on in life, and that pupil says, “Remember what you taught me? Well I wouldn’t be where I am without that!”
The most harmful thing in church leadership is constant disappointment. The kind that makes a leader leave a church meeting and think, “Oh… why do I even bother?” And once a person gets into that kind of mindset, you can bet they are not going to give themselves heart and soul to the nurture of folk they think couldn’t care less about going deeper into the faith they once thought was important.
So the writer of Hebrews makes a simple request. ‘Pray for us’ Pray that the leaders don’t lose heart. Pray that they keep their faith sharp. Pray that they have times of encouragement and rejoicing that keep them fresh and bursting with good news! Pray that you’ll have the opportunity to sit under their teaching often.
Our letter closes with a benediction that is as ‘soporific’ (to use William Barclay’s words) as the opening statement of the Book.
Benediction
20 Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Barclay in his commentary claims this benediction gives us a perfect picture of God and of Christ.
i) God is the God of peace, who brings peace to individuals and communities when they seek to live according to His ways.
ii) God is the God of life. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated in that God brought Christ to life and resurrection following His death and Crucifixion.
iii) God is the God who shows us His will and equips us to do it. When God sends us out He does so equipped with everything we need.
The picture of Jesus is also threefold;
i) Jesus is the Great Shepherd of the Sheep.
ii) Jesus is the One who established the New Covenant and revealed, as none has ever done before or since, the love of God.
iii) Jesus is the One who died to show what God was really like and open the way, through His blood, into God’s presence.
Then there is an ‘Amen!’ Now you’d think the letter would end there, but just like some preachers sermons, you think it’s safe to leave the building and they throw in a few extra remarks.
Closing Thoughts
22 I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. 23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been set free; and if he comes in time, he will be with me when I see you. 24 Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy send you greetings. 25 Grace be with all of you.
After 13 chapters the writer tells us ‘I have written to you briefly’. I guess brief is a relative term! However he also says “bear with my word of exhortation”.
We’re told some facts about Timothy, presumably the same Timothy who was a friend of Paul, namely that he had been in prison but was now free again. Also that the writer hoped that when he came to visit Timothy would be with him. All the leaders are greeted… and Italians offer them special greetings.
Finalé
I hope you have gained some insight into this awesome book that takes us down fascinating theological paths. The greatness of Christ. The mysterious Melchizedek. The primacy of faith. The encouragement to keep pushing onwards. The promise of God’s strength and love.
Our letter… and our study conclude…
"Grace be with all of you."
(Hebrews 13:25)