A Fitting Conclusion

Hebrews 13:15-25

Main Idea: The author of Hebrews brings his letter to a close with some final exhortations, a genuine prayer, and gospel encouragement for his readers.

1. Offer Up Pleasing Sacrifices (13:15-16)
2. Submit to Your Leaders (13:17)
3. Pray for Us (13:18-19)
4. A Remarkable Benediction (13:20-21)
   1. The God of peace and the blood of the resurrected Shepherd
   2. Equipped to please
5. Final Words (13:22-25)

By this point, the author has made it abundantly clear that one of his primary concerns in writing his epistle is to show us the right way to read the Old Testament. This concern continues into the last section of the letter’s final chapter. He begins by discussing worship using the patterns and language that would have been common to Jews in the first century. Having thoroughly addressed the matter, the author then concludes his letter with one last set of exhortations, a prayer, and a benediction of grace.

Offer Up Pleasing Sacrifices

Hebrews 13:15-16

Because of Christ and the new covenant he enacted, we no longer offer animal sacrifices. Although God established animal sacrifices under the old covenant, God’s wrath has now been fully satisfied in the atonement of Christ. Thus, animal sacrifices are no longer necessary. It is, however, for this very reason that the writer of Hebrews exhorts his readers to continually offer up pleasing sacrifices of praise to God in verses 15-16.

We are not to offer up a sacrifice of blood or of bulls or of rams; it is a sacrifice of praise and worship God now desires. This sacrifice comes “through” Christ. That preposition is incredibly important. We do not offer a sacrifice of praise in our own names or power; we do so through Jesus. He is the mediator. We only bring an acceptable sacrifice of praise to the Father if we offer it through his Son.

What does it look like to offer a sacrifice of praise? It looks like “fruit of [our] lips that confess his name.” This harks back to what Paul says in Romans 10:9-10: offering up a sacrifice of praise to God requires that we publicly confess with our mouths our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Our lips are to echo what we believe in our hearts. A continual sacrifice of praise comes out of lips that confess and acknowledge that Jesus is our great high priest.

In verse 16 we are told not to neglect to do good. God is pleased with those who do what is right and meet the material needs of others in the church. Doing good and loving others by sharing what you have are described as sacrifices that please God. Sharing material needs was not a form of Communism; it was a gospel-driven desire and kindness to care for one another. Where we see the church, we should see a willingness to share. God is pleased with such simple acts of love.

Submit to Your Leaders

Hebrews 13:17

Once again, the writer of Hebrews gives a call for Christ’s people to listen to and receive the teaching of those who are commissioned to teach. They are not instructed to do so because their leaders are smarter, but because God knows what his people need—teachers. For this reason, the church rightly sets apart and commissions those who are called and given this gift. We are reminded, however, that they will be held to a higher accountability (Jas 3:1). In this passage the author of Hebrews does not simply instruct his readers to receive the words of their leaders, but to obey and submit to them.

He calls his readers to submit to what is taught—that is, to what the teacher teaches—not necessarily to the teacher. God has determined that his Word be conveyed by the human voice. Teachers are therefore just human instruments that set forth God’s divine Word. This instruction is not some obscure statement of cultic authority. Insofar as the leaders teach in accordance with God’s Word, they are to be obeyed and their teaching is to be taken seriously. Why? “They keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account.”

Becoming a pastor, elder, or teacher in the church is no small thing. It involves the care of souls. Pastors and elders watch over the spiritual lives of their people and exercise their ministry before God, to whom they will give an account—an extremely sobering reality. We are to let our leaders shepherd us with joy and not with groaning, otherwise their labors of love are of no advantage to us. Grudgingly obeying our leaders does not sharpen our hearts; it hardens them.

Pray for Us

Hebrews 13:18-19

The author’s words in this section echo the closing address Paul gives in the book of Acts when he says, “I always strive to have a clear conscience” (Acts 24:16). Church leaders should pray and strive for this very thing. Our goal should be to have clear consciences as we faithfully lead Christ’s church. We want to honor the Lord in all we say, do, and think. Like the author, we do not want to bring any reproach on the gospel. This is why we need the prayers of our people.

At this point in the epistle, we see how much of a letter this book really is. Letters naturally elicit the kind of intimate language that requires the first person pronoun. So far, we have not seen much of the first person because of the letter’s formal nature. As the author begins to close the missive, however, the tone of the writing changes and the pronouns shift accordingly. He urges his readers, rather earnestly, to pray for him so that he might be restored to them sooner. He is a real live human being who is not there with his church but who wants to be.

A Remarkable Benediction

Hebrews 13:20-21

We finally arrive at the benediction. This prayer might be one of the most beautiful prayers ever uttered by a Christian. It stands near the end of the letter as a declaration of absolute confidence in God. It is a prayer for the church from which the author is absent, but which he loves so dearly.

The God of Peace and the Blood of the Resurrected Shepherd

It is not a small thing to be able to say, “God of peace.” God’s disposition toward those who are in Christ is one of peace. Because of Jesus’s work on our behalf, we now know God as the God of peace. We do not have to hope that God will respond to us with peace. In the Muslim system of thought, God’s peace is something one hopes for but cannot presume upon. The reason for this is simple: Christ is missing from their theology. If it were up to us to achieve peace with God, we would always remain eternal enemies with him. Instead, we thank God that Christ has achieved that peace for us. Thus it is a wonderful thing to be able to say, “The God of peace.”

This benediction also shows the centrality of Christ’s resurrection. It is the foundation for our faith. Of all things the author could have brought up about Jesus, he chooses to emphasize his resurrection from the dead. This, among the many other reasons the author has pointed out throughout Hebrews, distinguishes Jesus from all other priests. Unlike every other high priest, Jesus is a high priest who lives.

The author also identifies Jesus as “the great Shepherd of the sheep.” What an amazing title. Of the many titles given to Jesus, could there be a sweeter one? Sheep are aimless, vulnerable creatures; they desperately need someone to take care of them. Given that the letter’s original recipients were Jews, they would have been well acquainted with the imagery of sheep. Therefore, they would have understood themselves to be Christ’s sheep, his people. We are the sheep of Jesus’s pasture. Such a designation encapsulates Christ’s pastoral love for his people. His love runs so deep for his sheep that he gives his life up for us (John 10:11).

Even in this prayer, the author does not miss another opportunity to emphasize the superiority of the new eternal covenant God has made with his people. Jesus is the great Shepherd of the sheep precisely because he shed his blood on their behalf. And that blood establishes this eternal covenant with God. There is no need for another covenant to come. This is the “everlasting” covenant, the purpose for which God made the world: to demonstrate his glory in the salvation of sinners by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Equipped to Please

Verse 21 tells us what the author expects the Lord to do for these people by virtue of forgiven sins through the blood of Christ. He confidently asks God to equip them with everything good so that they can do his will and please him. We need God’s help to do his will. We cannot accomplish it on our own. This is precisely why the author asks God to accomplish these things in his people.

Our aim as Christians should be to do “what is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.” The only way we can please God is through Jesus. No one can please God without him. At the same time, the author asks his prayer to be fulfilled through Jesus Christ, whose great love for us leads us to glory in the Father forever and ever.

Final Words

Hebrews 13:22-25

One would think the word amen that ends the benediction would also end the letter, but that is not the case. The author has a few more things to say and one last appeal to make. The writer intends for his letter to be both encouragement and exhortation. He does not write this church merely to inform them theologically. Though doing so is important, his main purpose is to exhort them to persevere in the faith, thus the appeal to bear with his word of exhortation. Dense as it may be, it is not a particularly long letter.

The writer also wants his readers to know the status of Timothy. This is the same Timothy we read about in 1 and 2 Timothy. He has been released from prison. We are not told why he had been incarcerated, but we can assume it was for the sake of the gospel. If he is able to join the author, the two will visit the readers together.

In the conclusion of the letter, we read the word leader for the third time in the chapter, which again emphasizes the responsibility and stewardship of those who teach. The recipients of this letter are also told that those from Italy send them greetings. This suggests that churches have cropped up throughout all of Italy, not just Rome, and those currently with the author send greetings to this church. This is another interesting statement reminding us that this church consisted of real human beings in a real historical time and place.

The writer of Hebrews closes his letter with “grace.” There may be no more proper and precious way to end a letter like Hebrews than by asking God’s unmerited favor on the recipients. The whole letter has really been about the grace established in the new covenant God has made with his people through the blood of Jesus Christ. We have been saved by grace, and we will endure until the end by grace. Grace be with all of us, indeed.

Reflect and Discuss

1. What does the author have in mind when he urges his readers to offer a sacrifice of praise? What does it look like for us to obey this instruction practically? What does the fruit of our lips have to do with this sacrifice of praise?
2. How might you meet the material needs of someone in your church? Why should local churches be marked by a gospel-driven desire to share and meet the needs of our brothers and sisters? In what other places in Scripture do you see this idea practiced and commanded?
3. How are our submission and obedience to our church leaders contingent on the substance of what they teach us? Why is it important to submit to our leaders with joy? Why is it to our detriment if our obedience and submission are given grudgingly?
4. How is the author’s verse 18 petition for his readers to pray for him related to his desire? Why do church leaders and teachers especially need the prayers of their people? How does verse 18 encourage you to pray for your pastor?
5. What are some of the main elements/images of the Christian faith that you see in the writer’s benediction? How does the author use these elements/images to rehearse the gospel for his readers in the benediction? How does this once again highlight the superiority of the new covenant?
6. How is the author’s prayer in verse 21 connected to the exhortation he gave his readers in verse 16? Why is it impossible to please God through anything other than Jesus Christ?
7. What can you learn about godly prayers through the brief prayer preserved in this epistle? How can you apply what you’ve learned about prayer to your own prayer life?
8. How does the author choose to finish this letter? How did he begin it? Knowing the content of the letter, how is the subject at the end of the letter related to the subject at the beginning of the letter? Why is this a fitting way to end Hebrews?