HEBREWS 13

 

The Structure of Hebrews 13

A. The Lord is my Helper (13:1-6)

        B. Remember your Leaders (13:7)

                C. Do Not Follow False Teachers (13:8-10)

                        D. Old Testament Sacrifices (13:11)

                                E. Christ's Suffering Outside the Gate (13:12)

                                E'. Christians' Suffering Outside the Camp (13:13-14)

                        D'. New Testament Sacrifices (13:15-16)

                C'. Obey Your Leaders (13:17)

        B'. Remember Us (13:18-19)

A'. God Will Equip You to Do Good (13:20-21)

The first nine verses zero in on the three marks of a Christian found in I John: love, freedom from sin, and correct doctrine.

Hebrews 13:1-7

v. 1 Brotherly love (i.e., between fellow believers). Romans 12:10 and I Peter 1:22 discuss how to do this.

v. 2 Love to outsiders. Reflect whether you have possibly encountered any examples of angels in disguise. See Matthew 25:35 for doing good to Jesus in disguise.

v. 3 The primary reference is to those in prison because of their Christian faith. However, modern prison ministries have been very successful in reaching the lost as well.

v. 4 Marriage undefiled. There have been many strange interpretations of what this phrase means but it is pretty much defined by the negative in rest of verse. See I Corinthians 6:9 and Revelation 22:15.

vv. 5-6 Attitude toward money and God's provision. See Philippians 4:11-12.

We can claim two OT promises: (a) given to the Jews as they were entering Canaan? (see Joshua 1:5). and (b) Psalm 118:6.

v. 7 We are not to idolize our leaders because they often prove to be fallen human just as we are. Instead, we are to imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:8-13

v. 8 This verse is plagiarized in the Book of Mormon. That is interesting since they believe that Jesus was first a man and then only became a god later on.

vv. 10-11 This fact applies only to the Day of Atonement sacrifice of which the priests could not partake. Christ is the antitype of that sacrifice, which has the distinction of being available for Christians to spiritually partake of. A variation of this idea applies it to Communion.

vv. 10-13 The animal represented sin, which is why it was burned outside. Outside = leaving our old identity? Our altar is outside the camp of religion. Or it means that we need to live in the world even though we are not part of it.

Hebrews 13:14-17

v. 14 Prophecy of destruction of Jerusalem?

v. 15 Praise must be out loud, shared. It must be a sacrifice; we must sacrifice our right to complain, 

ask for reasons, and control the situation (Ken Poure).

Public acknowledgment in and outside of the Christian community.

This is equivalent to the OT sacrifice of thanksgiving, which Hosea (14:2) says is not the first fruits of 

the crops but “the fruit of our lips.”

v. 17 Do we ever think whether we are causing our pastor to sigh over our behavior?

 

Hebrews 13:18-21

 

v. 18 This implies that author thinks he may be misunderstood by the recipients of letter but that he 

feels he is acting in good faith. Are our motives sometimes misunderstood by others?

 

vv. 20-21 “His benediction is remarkable for its significant details and its comprehensive sweep.”

(New Bible Commentary)

What God has done for Christ in the past is the ground of assurance for what we can expect in the

future.

 

v. 21 “Complete” in the Greek includes the ideas of harmonious combination, supplying what is

lacking and rectifying what is wrong or damaged. En panti agatho may mean “in every good work”

(ethical) or “in all that is good” (referring to the believer's well being).