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This will be the last section of text for our study of Hebrews, and the character of this text is different than almost all but 12:14-17. In fact, it reads as if 13:1 is resuming after the interruption of 12:18-29 by continuing to flesh out the meaning of a faithful life. It then concludes with the briefest of personal notes and a beautiful doxology that provides a perfect concluding note of encouragement for this letter of exhortation.
Understanding the TextThe serial, staccato nature of the exhortations of chapter 13 leads this chapter to be easily quotable, and it is most used as a sort of reference chapter for various ethical positions. Here we find admonitions for love, hospitality, submission to leadership, pure sexuality, solidarity with the suffering, greed, service, and a plea for doctrinal purity. These verses probably most often are used a independent of each other, and this is not wholly inappropriate. However, we might be well served to learning to read these admonitions as a composite whole. Together they serve to paint a picture of what faithful living looks like. In other words, while this text is normally used for its individual trees, it is worth looking at as a forest.
The ethical content values submissive, caring attitudes which put others above ourselves. As the sacrifice of Jesus has been a dominant theme of the rest of the text, it is natural for the author to translate Jesus' actions into a set of ethics that places the other before ourselves. Also, the text requires an alternative awareness. While we easily become preoccupied with our own needs, Hebrews encourages us to think differently about those whom we meet. Those who need hospitality might be angels, those who suffer should be approached as if it were ourselves who were hurting, and we must consider how our behavior and attitudes affects the spirit of our leaders!
The text also reflects the importance of a holiness that reflects discipline and restraint. This is expressed directly in the prohibition of adultery and greed, which is interestingly placed in the context of trust. Holiness in us is brought by God and serves God's purposes (20-21) but also works for our good. Remaining holy requires us to trust that it is God who sustains our well being. While the earlier theme of service/compassion requires us to see them differently, this theme requires us to perceive our selves differently in relationship to God. Remember that this text is “interrupted” by 12:18-25. That text serves to highlight that our behavior must be conditioned by the perception of a God who will condemn some behaviors and be pleased by others.
That being said, the tone of this text is far from being dark and the holiness prescribed here is far from being unattainable. In fact, the author says of himself that he has a clear conscience and desires to live honorably in every way. It may be that this is a final piece of example to conclude the letter. The audience knows that the author who has written this exhortation strives to live consistently with it, and here is a final piece of testimony that to do so is possible. This is not a boast of personal strength, but a testament to the working of God in the author's life. It is God who has brought holiness to the author, and who is able and ready to do the same for the readers of the letter, both ancient and modern.
Those notes reflect a picture of the forest, but it might be useful for your class to have some notes on some of the specific trees, the individual exhortations and other material. The following represents some of that, although much of this material is fairly transparent.
13:1-2. There is a bit of wordplay behind the scenes here, with two words (phil-adelphia, philo-xenias) indicating that christians are to be a community that loves, both inside and out. Both our brother (adelphos) and the stranger (xenos) are both to receive our love. Our love is to be inclusive, not restricted to those we know. This is significant!
13:3 This may entail those who are being persecuted for their faith, although that is not explicit. Get involved with jail ministry!
13:4 Marriage is to be honored by all, which probably means more than the further warnings about adultery and sexuality. What does it mean to “honor” marriage? What might it mean to dishonor marriage?
13:5-6 As referenced above, greed here is placed in conversation with contentment and trust. It might be worth discussing how we would feel reading this text in contexts different than our own. For instance we may have little difficulty believing that God will sustain our lives financially, but might we squirm if this text were read publicly in a haitian church where we were visiting? Perhaps we might be less inclined to understand ourselves as the recipients of God's blessing, and perhaps more as the instruments of blessing. In other words, how might our actions confirm the truthfulness of this text for other communities? How might they deny the truthfulness of these statements?
13:7 (and 17, 24) The first of three references to “leaders” in this chapter. The prominence of the theme here has led many to believe that this letter was written at the request of distressed leaders. The readers are to “remember the lives of...”, “obey...” and “greet...” their leaders. The word is not particular to any particular office of leadership, but the reference in 20 to Jesus as a great shepherd is an interesting connection, particularly given the lack of shepherd-talk in the rest of the letter. Hebrews typically thinks of Jesus in different terms.
The latter verse, 17, has some very interesting things to say about leaders. They have authority which comes from responsibility, ad following them means that their work can become of advantage to us. Burdening our leaders by bickering, complaining, etc, nullifies the benefit we gain from their leadership.
13:8 This is an interesting text, one that is difficult to read in this context. The surest interpretation is that it is a reference to how the readers will be guided and rewarded in the same ways that their leaders have been. In other words, this is an exhortation to follow in their footsteps because the lord they trusted has not changed. One of the interesting difficulties with this text is that Hebrews itself is a text that indicates a great deal of change in the way God relates to us, and that gives a measure of description to changes in Jesus' position. Perhaps it is intended to say that while those things have changed, the person and character of Jesus does not. This is difficult to interpret as a statement of christology divorced from the exhortation in 13:7.
13:9-14 The doctrinal exhortation is difficult to interpret because of the lack of information that we have here about the “strange teachings” in the mind of the author, which he assumes the readers will recognize. It seems to reference some sort of teaching about ceremonial foods, perhaps used by diaspora Jews to keep connected to worship in the temple, or in memory of temple sacrifices if Hebrews was written after the destruction of the temple in AD 70. It is possible that the readers were engaging in such practices with Jews so that they could feel connected with the Jewish community which had ostracized them because of their faith. Thus this would connect well with 13:11-14 which identifies Jesus as someone who went “outside” and encourages the readers to meet him outside the camp, a place of disgrace. Thus, rejecting practices which would save them from disgrace is seen as distancing them from the disgraced outsider Jesus. However appealing they may be, the author reminds us that earthly communities that we might choose instead of faithfulness are temporal, and that we are banking on a future city.
13:15 This verse may be intended to refer to the Christian worship assembly, and might be seen as an alternative to the worshipping Jewish community that in 13:9-14.
13:16 Although 15 encourages us to offer a sacrifice of praise, 16 also encourages us to think of our relationships with others in terms of sacrifice to God. Doing good to others is a no-miss sacrifice! When we limit what we do in service to God, we misunderstand the sacrifices he desires.
13:18-19, 23-25 These verses offer scant information about the author, but there is little here that is particularly identifying. Apparently it is written from Italy by an associate of Timothy's who knew the audience. Unfortunately, that doesn't narrow things down that well!
13:20-21 The doxology is focused on the power of God, both how it has been exercised in the past and how the author prays for its future usage.
What we can take awayThis text simply challenges us in a number of different ethical areas, while giving us perspective on our lives regarding our relationships with God, our brothers, strangers, or our leaders. We might easily discuss how each of these relationships affects the others, or which of the relationships we find most difficult to nurture. In which of these relationships do we struggle to be faithful?
How do we feel when we look a this picture of holiness? Does it feel unattainable? If we were writing the doxology more specifically, what might we pray that God would equip us with so that we could live faithfully in light of this text?
What would it mean to be a congregation that chooses to meet Jesus outside the camp? How might we become more disgraceful and yet holy as a people?
What obstacles do we have to living with the perspectives that this chapter describes? What is it that draws our attention continually to ourselves?
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