“…the pastor’s practical purpose.”
Download discussion questions: Hebrews 13:20-25
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I encourage you to look at the passage in Hebrews before you read this Blog entry. What do you see in the text yourself? What questions come to your mind? How would you interpret what the writer says? After even a few minutes examining and thinking about the text you will be much better prepared to evaluate the comments in the Blog.
Beginning with a Benediction
The passage conveniently breaks down into two brief paragraphs, v. 20-21 and v. 22-25. The first part appeared to us as a prayer or benediction to the sermon, even concluding with “amen” at the end of verse 21. We saw the second paragraph as more of a personal closing.
Grammar Quiz
Our discussion of this passage at the end of the book of Hebrews began with a question about the writer’s grammar: What are the subject and the verb of the sentence (v. 20-21)? What is the main point the pastor makes as he finishes his sermon? As someone mentioned, most pastors try to end their sermon with a memorable and emphatic conclusion. What does the pastor want to leave fresh in the memory of the Hebrew congregation (and in our memory as well)?
Comparing various translations was helpful. Some members of our group thought the NIV was a bit more clear. Others preferred the NASB on the handout for the passage. As we have discussed before, the variety of translations[1] is useful in untangling complicated sentences (which seem to have been standard practice for Greek writers!).
It can also be helpful to break down a complicated sentence in order to see how different parts are related. For example, in the New American Standard Bible (NASB1995):
Now the God of peace,
. who brought up from the dead
. the great Shepherd of the sheep
. through the blood of the eternal covenant,
. even Jesus our Lord,
equip you
. in every good thing
. to do His will,
. working in us
. that which is pleasing in His sight,
through Jesus Christ,
. to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. (NASB1995)
Or, using the New International Version (NIV):
Now may the God of peace,
. who through the blood of the eternal covenant
. brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus,
. that great Shepherd of the sheep,
equip you
. with everything good
. for doing his will,
and may he work in us
. what is pleasing to him,
through Jesus Christ,
. to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (NIV)
Using either translation (or most any other version), the emphasis ending the sermon is on God equipping His people. Other details in the verse describe aspects of God (the One who raised Jesus from the dead), and how He raised Him (through the blood of the covenant), and what we are to be equipped for (doing His will and what is pleasing to Him).
The noticeable difference between these two translations is the “working in us” phrase. Is it a parallel idea (“equip you…and work in us…” – NIV)? Or is “working in us” a description of how God equips the saints (NASB; also CSB, ESV, KJV, NKJV, etc.)?
Rather than “wrangling over words” (2 Timothy 2:14), it was easy to agree that the different readings do not alter the primary meaning of the text and our application of it. In either case, God is the One who does the equipping, and that His action is an internal work in believers.[2]
This closing comment clarifies the pastor’s practical purpose. Hebrews is not intended to be a theological or academic book. The intention was to strengthen struggling believers in the midst of persecution. The first twelve-and-a-half chapters might be summarized by the short phase in verse 20, “the blood of the eternal covenant.” Jesus as the ultimate Priest has initiated a new and better covenant by His blood. God (the Father) affirmed the acceptable sacrifice, better than bulls and goats, by raising Him from the dead. And a God of that power is more than adequate to provide all that is needed, equipping His people to endure through any difficulty.
That emphasis is clear from the structure of the sentence illustrated above. The pastor describes what God has done to enact the new covenant as evidence that He can enable His people to do His will.
Now the God of peace,…………………………………………[who acted]
. who brought up from the dead…………………..[what He did]
. the great Shepherd of the sheep
. through the blood of the eternal covenant,..[how He did it]
. even Jesus our Lord,
equip you …. ……………………………………………………….[why He did it]
More Questions
We still had questions about that paragraph that ends the sermon.
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- Why did the pastor wait until the last sentences of his sermon to even mention the resurrection of Jesus? One member of our group reminded us that he spoke of the past resurrection of believers in Hebrews 11:35. But the miraculous resurrection of the dead and buried Jesus, central to much of the proclamation of the gospel elsewhere in the New Testament is, for some reason, absent from Hebrews.
- Why is God described with the word “peace” instead of “love” or “grace” or other appropriate attributes? “Peace” is mentioned elsewhere in Hebrews (7:2, 11:31, 12:11, 12:14), but not describing God. As in earlier discussions, someone pointed out the importance of remembering the original audience, a congregation with a strong Jewish heritage. “Peace” in any language would communicate “shalom” to a Hebrew mind. As several participants added, shalom is more than the absence of conflict. Shalom means things are the way they ought to be. The God of peace, the One who equips for “every good thing to do His will” is moving the broken world toward His ultimate shalom. In spite of the difficulties facing the Hebrew congregation (or us), the God of peace, Adonai Shalom, is always at work.
Shalom is a Hebrew word, so much richer in its range of meanings that the English word “peace,” which usually refers to the absence of outward conflict or to a state of inner calm. The concept of shalom includes these ideas but goes beyond them, meaning “wholeness,” “completeness,” “finished word,” “perfection,” “safety,” or “wellness.” Shalom comes from living in harmony with God.[3]
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- Why does the writer mention both God (presumably the Father) and Jesus (the Son)? We noted that the pastor used several distinctive descriptions of the two Persons.
- God is the God of peace. He is the One who raises from the dead. He is the One who equips His people. It is His will that consists of every good thing. He is the One whom we are to please.
- Jesus is the great Shepherd, the protector and provider. His blood is the basis of an eternal covenant, the way of relating to God. He is the Agent of God’s work in believers. He is the focus of glory, the worship of believers, then, now, and forever and ever.
- Why does the writer mention both God (presumably the Father) and Jesus (the Son)? We noted that the pastor used several distinctive descriptions of the two Persons.
A criticism frequently mentioned by non-believers and especially by various cults is the fact that the word “Trinity” is never used anywhere in the Bible. True. But passages such as Hebrews 13:20-21 (and others[4]) clearly differentiate the divine Persons and their distinctive roles. Other Biblical documents and the further thought of the ancient church clarify the understanding of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
People already knew about God in a vague way. Then came a man who claimed to be God; and yet He was not the sort of man you could dismiss as a lunatic. He made them believe Him. They met Him again after they had seen Him killed. And then, after they had been formed into a little society or community, they found God somehow inside them as well: directing them, making them able to do things they could not do before. And when they worked it all out they found they had arrived at the Christian definition of the three-personal God. This definition is not something we have made up; Theology is, in a sense, an experimental science. It is simple religions that are the made-up ones.[5]
Most heresies (ancient and modern) are attempts to make Christianity just that, a “simple religion” that we can fit into our categories and explain to our satisfaction. But what A. W. Tozer calls “creature words”[6] can never adequately describe the Creator. Christianity must always be centrally and uniquely Trinitarian.
Unfortunately, much of modern Western Christianity does not share the emphasis which Scripture and the ancient church placed on the Triune nature of God:
When the Christians of the early centuries faced the task of saying who Jesus is in terms of the ‘lords many and gods many’ of the classical world, they could only do it by means of the Trinitarian model. It is significant that when the word ‘God’ is spoken in discussions such as the present, few Christians think immediately of the Trinity. The operative model is not trinitarian but unitarian.[7]
Fellowship as the Finale
That Trinitarian center explains why relationships are central to Christianity. Relationship is at the core of reality. For all eternity the Father, Son, and Spirit have been in perfect, joyous fellowship.
So it is appropriate that the pastor closes his sermon of instructions and exhortations and comfort and even warnings with a personal connection. One of our group described the end of Hebrews as a finale of fellowship. We noted numerous relational aspects.
-
- The audience was not just “congregants,” but brothers (or, “brothers and sisters;”[8] CSB, NASB2020, NET, NIV2011, etc.).
- Timothy, a believer mentioned many other places in the New Testament, is also a brother to the Hebrew congregation.
- Timothy’s “release” (presumably from imprisonment for his faith) was an encouragement to the congregation.
- The pastor looked forward to a reunion with the congregation and hopefully Timothy as well.
- The final greeting included all the leaders and all the saints. We discussed why the writer would make that distinction. Perhaps in this congregation there was discord. Some were at risk of leaving. Some had experienced more persecution. Some were neglecting meeting together. Perhaps the pastor wanted to ensure that even those on the fringes were included in the fellowship as much as possible.
- The relational connections extended beyond the local congregation. The Hebrew fellowship would have known who the writer meant by “those from Italy,” even if the reference is not clear to us. Their greeting would be an encouragement. The local difficulties did not define their faith. There were other committed believers who cared for the persecuted Hebrew Christians.
Finishing Where He Started
The pastor closes his sermon where he started, summarizing the gospel and exalting God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. – Hebrews 1:1-4
…
Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the eternal covenant, even Jesus our Lord, equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen. – Hebrews 13:20-21
And he immediately puts his weighty theology into the relational context of concern for his congregation.
For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. – Hebrews 2:1
…
But I urge you, brethren, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. – Hebrews 13:22
May the study of Hebrews do the same for us, growing both in theological understanding of God’s Word and in relational depth with God’s people.
[1] https://www.biblegateway.com/verse/en/Hebrews%2013:21
[2] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that in the original text, the main verb of the sentence is “equip.” “Working” is a participle that describes how the equipping is done. As it seems often the case, NASB is more precise, while NIV is more readable. Both translations communicate the writer’s intent.
[3] Ann Spangler, Praying the Names of God (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1989), 146.
[4] e.g. Matthew 3:16, 12:28, 28:19; Luke 3:22; John 15:26; Acts 2:33, 10:38; Romans 1:4, 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:11, 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 4:6; Ephesians 1:13-14, 17, 2:18, 22, 4:4-6; Titus 3:6; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Jude 20‑21; cf. https://overviewbible.com/trinity-bible-verses/
[5] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperCollins, 2000), 163.
[6] A.W.Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: Harper & Rowe, 1961), 23.
[7] J. E. Leslie Newbigin, Christian Witness in a Plural Society (London: British Council of Churches, 1977), 7.