Read or listen The Epistle to the Hebrews chapter 13 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Faith is revealed in everyday life – Hebrews 13:1-6

The last chapter of the letter contains exhortations from various areas of Christian life. Paul had the same habit of ending his letters with exhortations and greetings. The exhortations are often - and this time too - quite loose and do not need much explanation. We can easily understand their instructions in the same way as the first readers of the letter.

The first six verses contain three exhortations:
1. An exhortation to brotherly love (verses 1-3).
2. A reminder of the sanctity of marriage (verse 4).
3. A warning against greed (verses 5-6).

If the letter was written to Christians in Rome, it is understandable that the exhortation to hospitality was appropriate. The capital city was visited by many Christians from all over the vast empire, and this created its own pressures and burdens for the Christians in Rome. Ancient inns were expensive and often also notorious and unsafe. Therefore, Christians had a special privilege to receive lodging from their brothers and sisters in the faith.

The reference in verse 2 to angelic visits likely refers to Abraham and Lot (Genesis 18-19).

"Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body."
(verse 3)

Visiting prisoners is specifically mentioned. Apparently, Christians were imprisoned for their faith, although there does not appear to have been any severe persecution at the time of writing. Jesus mentioned visiting prison as one of the good works in which the faith of the righteous will be revealed at the last judgment (Matt. 25:36: "I was in prison and you came to me"). Paul stated that if one member of the church suffers, then all its members should suffer with it. The end of verse 3 refers to the same thing.

The second topic of the exhortation is a reminder of the sanctity of marriage (verse 4). The Christian faith gave a different meaning to marriage than was prevalent in antiquity. Even in Judaism, divorce had become practically common, with a man being able to divorce his wife for almost any reason (compare Matthew 5:27-32).

It is interesting that the third theme - a warning against greed - also has a connection to the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus warned of the dangers of mammon and urged people to trust in God’s provision. A Christian does not need to worry about material things because he knows that God will take care of him and his needs (verses 5-6).

Mammon easily becomes an idol. Luther says in the Large Catechism, in his explanation of the first commandment, that a person's god is the one on whom he feels dependent and on which he builds his life.

"For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
(Mat. 6:21)

A Christian's only sacrifice is a thank offering – Hebrews 13:7-19

"Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith."
(verse 7)

Verse 7 speaks of the founders of the church, at least some of whom had died. So the church was not very recently born. But it is impossible to give any exact age for the church, because the death in persecution (Hebrews 10:32-34) could have happened quite soon after the birth of the church. If - as is evident - the Roman church was born in the 30s or 40s, some of the founders of the church could have died a natural death as early as the 60s. Therefore, we cannot conclude the date of writing of the letter based on this verse either.

After reading this verse, we can ask, is our Christianity such that it would be a good example for others? A Christian's life is exemplary only if it is committed to Jesus. We can take as a model the lives of believers from different eras, for the foundation of their lives is the same as ours: Jesus and his work of reconciliation.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."
(verse 8)

Verse 8 seems very disconnected, even though it is probably the most well-known verse in the entire letter. But upon closer consideration, it is connected to both the preceding and following verses.

"Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods..."
(verse 9)

Verse 9 speaks of those who spread heresies. They do not abide in Jesus, so they do not represent the true, eternal gospel that Jesus has revealed to us. Their spirituality is based on human works, such as food regulations, not on the works of God.

Foundation of the Christian faith, which is based on the Word of God, does not change - or at least should not change - as times and the world change. But that does not mean that the Christian church will not take on different forms and structures at different times.

Verses 11-12 refer to the exception regarding the Jewish Day of Atonement sacrifice: The priests were allowed to eat the meat of other sacrificial animals, but only the blood of the Day of Atonement sacrifice was offered in the Most Holy Place and the rest of the animal was burned outside the camp/city (Leviticus 16:27).

The exhortation to go outside the camp (verse 13) mean that Christians should separate themselves from Judaism and other religions. Perhaps some of the recipients had resumed attending synagogue services and had forgotten about Christian meetings. After all, Judaism enjoyed the protection of the Roman government, so the persecution of Christians would not extend to the synagogue. In the history of the church, this verse has been misused many times as a justification for leaving the church.

"For here we have no lasting city,
but we seek the city that is to come."
(verse 14)

The heavenly city already exists, as John saw in his vision, but we are still waiting for it to appear, for it to become a reality for us as well (verse 14).

The Epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes that the time for sacrifices under the old covenant is over once and for all, because Christ has offered the final sacrifice (Heb 9:11-14). However, one form of sacrifice is also suitable for the Christian church: thanksgiving sacrifices.

Even in the Old Testament, a portion of the thanksgiving animal was given to the poor so that they too would thank God for the food they received and thus God would receive greater thanks (compare Luke 14:12-14). A Christian cannot share any sacrificial animal with the poor, but he can give other gifts that God has given him (verse 16, see also Romans 12:1).

The metaphor of "the fruit of lips" (verse 15) probably comes from these Old Testament passages, where the fruit of the lips is praise:

"Take away all iniquity;
accept what is good,
and we will pay with bulls
the vows (Septuagint, Syriac: fruit) of our lips."
(Hosea 14:3)

"Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High...
(Ps 50:14)

Another way to offer thanks to God is to live a life according to His will, which at the same time also creates gratitude in others for God's good deeds.

In Judaism, spiritual leaders were respected even more than one's own father (verse 17). In the Christian church, a leader must "earn" his respect by following Christ: We should follow our leaders only to the extent that they themselves are willing to follow Jesus (Ephesians 5:21-33).

Grace be with all of you! – Hebrews 13:20-25

The "word of exhortation" mentioned in verse 22 is from the same Greek root as "Exhorter," which was Barnabas' nickname (Acts 4:36). But the question of authorship cannot be settled on such weak grounds. The same word was used more generally of preaching, see, for example, Acts 13:18, Paul in the synagogue of Pisidian Antioch.

The author has not written particularly briefly (verse 22), since the letter is the third longest of the New Testament letters. Only the Epistle to the Romans and 1 Corinthians are longer. The sentence is typical of the time, and it cannot be concluded from it that chapter 13 did not originally belong to this letter, but to some other letter, as some scholars claim.

Verse 23 could also be translated "Timothy has departed."

The Italian greetings (verse 24) can also be interpreted in two ways. Either Christians living elsewhere, originally from Italy, are sending greetings to their home region, the Christians in Rome, or the letter was written in Italy = Rome.

Verses 22-25 may be the personal closing salutation of the person who dictated the letter (compare Gal 6:11). Usually, letters of that time were dictated and the person who dictated the letter only confirmed the authenticity of the letter with his own handwritten salutation at the end.