Read with Me
Hebrews 13:7-10 (HCSB)
Remember your leaders who have spoken God’s word to you. As you carefully observe the outcome of their lives, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Don’t be led astray by various kinds of strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be established by grace and not by foods, since those involved in them have not benefited. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat.
Listen with Me
The writer of Hebrews gives three more exhortations to his readers in this section. The first is to watch and imitate their leaders. These were men and women who were raised to the level of leader not by their politics, or by mere popularity, or by longevity in a particular congregation or area.
Instead, the church was given very specific criteria to follow before elevating anyone to the position of elder, deacon, or deaconess in the Church (1 Timothy 3:1-15), as well as instructions on how to deal with those who went astray. Because the church was faithful in following those guidelines, those in positions of leadership were acceptable role models for those in the Church. So, the writer encourages his readers to observe their way of life and to follow them.
The second exhortation is in the form of a sentence that seems to many readers to struggle for context: Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today, and forever. This is actually an exhortation to his readers to not allow themselves to get caught up in some of the “new and improved” versions of the gospel that were already popping up across the empire, small adjustments to the teachings of Jesus and the meaning of His life, death, and resurrection to better fit what people already believed. But the writer reminds us that Jesus’ teachings are timeless, valid and true in their original form for all times, all people, and all places, since they are rooted in God. And since God does not change, Jesus does not change, nor do His teachings. We are not adapt Jesus’ teachings to our times and preferences, but are rather to adapt ourselves and our actions and attitudes to his teachings.
The next exhortation ties in closely with this: we are not to let ourselves get drawn away from the true faith by “strange teachings”, that is, by teachings that don’t spring directly from the Scriptures. Some of these were based on ceremonies and ceremonial foods that were presented as having deeper spiritual significance than what was taught in the Scriptures and in the teachings of the apostles.
But the writer points out that the teachings of Jesus, and His body in blood which are represented in the elements of the Lord’s Supper are more profound than anything that could be designed by even the most spiritual man and offer no opportunity for amendment or improvement. Instead, every Christian should stick to what they have been taught, and to integrate that more and more fully into their lives.
Pray with Me
Father, in the nearly 2000 years since this letter was written, there have been a plethora of “new and improved” gospels, including more than I can count that have arisen recently. Couple that with the many modern reinterpretations of Jesus’ life and teaching and a crisis in church leadership due to our being unwilling to stick to the biblical standards for elevating people to those roles, and we can easily see that we have some big problems. Help us, Lord, to get back to what You have given us in Your word, plainly, and without the need for adaptation or improvement, so that we can truly be Your Church and can accomplish what You have built us to do. Amen.