Keep It Up! Hebrews 13

A text – Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16

13 Let mutual affection 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 the sexually immoral and adulterers. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for he himself 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?”

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.

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.

A reflection:

Bible scholars have always tried to figure out who wrote this letter, and precisely to whom it was sent. It probably wasn’t Paul, but it could have been one of his co-missionaries like Barnabas. Earlier in the letter the author says that he knew the disciples who lived and traveled with Jesus, so the teachings in the letter are based squarely on the disciples’ teachings.

As to the audience, they must surely have known the Jewish scriptures well because all the stories of Abraham and the Exodus and the Psalms are referred to frequently. So the hearers were Jewish believers in Jesus, and they were being persecuted. It would have been tempting for them to fall away from Christian practices and disappear into the dominant culture.

We might be facing similar temptations as pressures around us increase and as unfairness to people on the margins of society goes farther and farther. The author of Hebrews does not want the congregation to turn inward and serve only itself in these challenging times. The author wants the people to continually look for ways to demonstrate hospitality to strangers, to have empathy for those in prison as though they themselves were being imprisoned. And more than anything, the author wants his audience to know that since they have God as their helper, they will always have all that they need. There will be no reason to chase after money or security – God is their helper – what can anyone do to them?

Know where your security truly lies – that may be the message. A hard thing to do in the abstract. But there is a great image from the preceding chapter – “Surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses” – the believers are never alone. We believers are also never alone. People who walked with Jesus, the folks they eventually taught and healed, the early preachers and martyrs, theologians through the centuries like Martin Luther and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and even your grandma, they are right now surrounding us with their strength and their witness, and they are watching us, the way fans in a stadium cheer on their favorite athletes. Keep loving God, keeping noticing God’s love for you, and keep caring for loved ones and strangers alike. Keep up the good life of faith. Your cloud of witnesses is cheering you on.

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for the writer of Hebrews and this encouraging letter to folks who might be tempted to forget about living the faith and helping strangers. Help us to remember that Jesus touched lepers and taught that God was about compassion more than rules. Help us to continue being good to one nother, no matter what. Amen.