“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Pray for us. We are sure that we have a clear conscience and desire to live honorably in every way. I particularly urge you to pray so that I may be restored to you soon.” -Hebrews 13:15-19
The verses right before this section focused on the sacrifice of Jesus, and these verses continue that thought with more insight about sacrifices.
It is only through and because of Jesus’ sacrifice that we can offer God our praise (verse 15). We are to offer that sacrifice continually, not just occasionally. This brings to mind the idea of offering our lives as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) and continually living our lives for the good of others (James 1:27). Just as 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us, we should always be giving thanks to God for everything, in all circumstances.
Because of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection, there is no longer any need for the people to kill animals as sacrifices to God. Jesus took care of that once and for all, as the perfect sacrifice for all humanity at all times and in all places. The only sacrifice that is needed now is the sacrifice of praise, which we do when we praise God’s name openly. Our praise of God is not something that is supposed to be hidden, but rather it is to be done openly. Jesus openly died on the cross for us; that fact is not hidden, and neither should our praise to Him be hidden.
Even though blood sacrifices are no longer needed, there are times when we need to make sacrifices in our lives as followers of Jesus Christ. The author gives two examples in verse 16: doing good to others and sharing with them. The word for doing good is a very general term, so the author doesn’t provide any specifics for what doing good looks like. The word for sharing, however, is more specific. It refers to sharing our possessions with others (goods, money, etc.) and also sharing with others in fellowship.
Just because we no longer make animal sacrifices doesn’t mean that we don’t have anything to offer those around us. We still can and should make sacrifices in our lives in ways that show our faith – doing good to others and sharing with them. These things will set us apart from the ways of the world, which are very selfishly motivated. As Christians, we are called to sacrifice our selfishness and instead practice generosity to others.
The author shifts gears a bit in verse 17 and ties this thought back to the idea of remembering and imitating our leaders from back in verse 7. This verse encourages Christians to trust those whom God has placed in leadership or authority positions over us. We are to be obedient to what they say because they care for us. The idea posed in this verse that they “keep watch over you” has the idea of the leaders staying awake at night out of concern for the people following them. This shows the level of care that an ideal Christian leader will have for his or her followers. This phrase could also be translated as “they keep watch over your souls,” which implies looking out for their followers’ spiritual welfare. Leaders are concerned for the hearts of their followers, not just their physical needs but their spiritual needs as well.
We also see in this verse that leaders will be called to account for their followers. Of course, all people have their own free will, and leaders are not responsible for their followers' actions in that sense. But leaders are called to look out for their followers, and leaders are responsible for making sure they lead in a manner that is honoring to God and helps their followers to grow and mature in their faith.
When the people submit to their leaders, then the leaders’ “work will be a joy, not a burden.” Leaders will be much more effective at what they are called to do when their followers are helping them in that work rather than hindering it. If the followers submit to the leaders’ authority, then the leaders can lead better, which then, in turn, benefits the followers by having good leadership in their lives.
Finally, the author closes this section with a brief call to prayer in verses 18-19. He urges the audience to pray for “us.” Scholars are not sure who else is included with the author in that “us,” mostly because scholars are not sure of the identity of the author. It may simply be like how we sometimes refer to ourselves in the plural, even when it’s just one person speaking, especially given the author’s use of “I” in the next verse.
But whoever is included in that, he shows the importance of prayer. While the author has at times rebuked and at times encouraged his readers throughout this letter, he still counts on them for their prayer support when he is not present with them. Even though he has the desire to live an honorable life, he knows that he will fail at that, but he asks for prayer to live a life that gives honor to God and keeps his conscience clear.
It is unclear what is keeping the author from “being restored” to his audience, which is again difficult to discern because scholars don’t know the identity of the author. Perhaps he was imprisoned for his faith, perhaps he was physically ill, or perhaps he was doing the work of God’s Kingdom in some other geographic location and was not able to leave. But whatever the reason, it is clear that the author’s situation needs prayer, which he urgently asks for from the audience of this letter.
These few verses of Hebrews encompass a variety of subjects – making sacrifices for the good of others to live out our Christian faith, being respectful and submitting to our Christian leaders, and the importance of prayer. While these may seem like all different topics, they are all simply different aspects of living life as a follower of Jesus Christ. These are all things we should do not because we feel obligated to do them but because we love God and want to honor and glorify Him with our lives. Which of these areas do you need to work on in your life? How will you give God glory through each of these areas?
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