Come and Go Sunday School Lesson with Dr. Herb Prince & Dr. Frank Carver “Long Ago God Spoke: Part 36: Faith Communities Are Supposed to Work Like This!” at First Church of the Nazarene in San Diego, California, United States
Long Ago God Spoke
Part 36: Faith Communities Are Supposed to Work Like This!
Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly friendship continue; 2 but don’t forget to be friendly to outsiders; for in so doing, some people, without knowing it, have entertained angels. 3 Remember those in prison and being mistreated, as if you were in prison with them and undergoing their torture yourselves.
4 Marriage is honorable in every respect; and, in particular, sex within marriage is pure. But God will indeed punish fornicators and adulterers.
5 Keep your lives free from the love of money; and be satisfied with what you have; for God himself has said, “I will never fail you or abandon you.”[Hebrews 13:5 Deuteronomy 31:6]6 Therefore, we say with confidence,
“Adonai is my helper; I will not be afraid —
what can a human being do to me?”[Hebrews 13:6 Psalm 118:6]
7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke God’s message to you. Reflect on the results of their way of life, and imitate their trust — 8 Yeshua the Messiah is the same yesterday, today and forever.
9 Do not be carried away by various strange teachings; for what is good is for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods. People who have made these the focus of their lives have not benefited thereby.
10 We have an altar from which those who serve in the Tent are not permitted to eat. 11 For the cohen hagadol brings the blood of animals into the Holiest Place as a sin offering, but their bodies are burned outside the camp.[Hebrews 13:11 Leviticus 16:27] 12 So too Yeshua suffered death outside the gate, in order to make the people holy through his own blood. 13 Therefore, let us go out to him who is outside the camp and share his disgrace. 14 For we have no permanent city here; on the contrary, we seek the one to come. 15 Through him, therefore, let us offer God a sacrifice of praise continually.[Hebrews 13:15 Leviticus 7:12; 22:29; Psalms 50:14, 23; 107:22; 116:17; 2 Chronicles 29:31] For this is the natural product of lips that acknowledge his name.
16 But don’t forget doing good and sharing with others, for with such sacrificesGod is well pleased.
Let mutual love continue. . . (Heb. 13:1).
[L]et us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking
to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith . . . (Heb. 12:1c-2a).
The human task. . . is the right use of gifts graciously bestowed by a loving God for the sake of the good that God intends—and ultimately assures
Introduction
Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. recalls a scene from the film Grand Canyon. An immigration attorney finds himself stuck in traffic and attempts to bypass the traffic situation by taking a different route. He travels through back streets that grow progressively more deserted. Then, it happens. His expensive car stalls. The man phones for a tow truck, but before it arrives, five young street toughs surround the car and threaten the attorney with considerable harm if he resists them. At that moment the tow truck arrives and the operator begins to hook up the disabled vehicle. The five protest. Then the tow operator takes the leader of the group aside and says:
Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this. Maybe you don’t know that, but this ain’t the way it is supposed to be. I’m supposed to be able to do my job without askin’ you if I can. And that dud is supposed to be able to wait with his car without you rippin’ him off. Everything’s supposed to be different than what it is here.[Cornelius Plantinga, Jr. Not The Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 7. ]
“Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this” sounds familiar. The line resonates with a related question: “Who is in charge here?” Together they bring to mind the entire issue of power and of authority. Power and authority are always “in.” It is difficult to escape their presence. On the international scene, Palestinians and Israelis both desire to control disputed land between them. Every day at the national level brings another sharp division between political parties as each contends for advantage before the next round of elections. On the state scene, the governor, consumer groups and the energy companies wrestle with issues of responsibility and payments with the public awaiting the outcome. Closer to home on the municipal level, those who want to build a football stadium and those who do not are expressing their views through the pages of the local newspaper. We are living in a time of assessment of power and what power even means and for whom. Just ask any Greek citizen on the topic! Yes, one sees “power” in the news these days. One also sees many folk saying, “Man, the world ain’t supposed to work like this.”
Service Well-Pleasing to God
A form of power and authority is at work in this morning’s biblical text. Leadership is expressing itself in a responsible and caring manner in conformity with the understanding of the Gospel. The ‘power’ set forth is intentionally graceful. Up to this point in Hebrews the argument has been carefully developed. The divine Son is the High Priest whose once-for-all unique and sufficient sacrifice, followed by his continued priestly intercession, provides the answer to the spiritual needs of humanity. The exhortation to take full advantage of the way of salvation and to live faithfully in obedience is matched by the urgent warning not to fall away “for our God is a consuming fire” (12:29).
Now as the author moves into what will be the final chapter of his word of exhortation (13:22), he lays out a series of practices for his recipients to pursue or to avoid. In brief, he tells us how human relationships are supposed to work in the body of people known as ‘Christian.’
Hebrews 13:1-16
Let mutual love continue. 2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. 3Remember 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. 4Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers. 5Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” 6So we can say with confidence,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”
7Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them. 10We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. 11For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. 13Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Here is a series of exhortations dealing with some 15 separate topics. Floyd Filson observes, “We now have a calmer tone, a more varied range of topics, [and] a brief reference to each topic rather than an extensive development of one theme.”[Floyd Filson, ‘Yesterday’: A Study of Hebrews in the Light of Chapter 13 (Alec E. Allenson, 1967), 13] A four-fold approach to “Life in the Faith Community” is apparent in the chapter:[Following the outline of Fred B. Craddock, “The Letter to the Hebrews,” The New Interpreter’s Bible, vol. 12 (Abingdon Press, 1998), 161-170. Omitted in this lesson is 13:17-19. ]
13:1-6: Mutual duties
13:7-8: Examples to follow
13:9-16: Christ’s sacrifice revisited
13:17-19 Concern for leaders
Pastoral interest shows its self on the part of the writer throughout the text. The themes are familiar and basic so only a selective examination follows. This is seen particularity from the outset in the first exhortation: “Let mutual love continue.” The Greek term for “mutual love” is philadelphia (literally, “brotherly love”), a term well-attested in the Hellenistic world (see e.g., Plutarch’s tractate, On Brotherly Love).[For additional examples see Luke Timothy Johnson, Hebrews (Westminster John Knox Press, 2006), 339. ] More than a matter of sentiment, the term carries a complex set of dispositions and practices. This focus is immediately followed by a specific practice, that of hospitality. A linguistic link is at work: brotherly love (philadelphia) extends itself to love for strangers (philoxenia).
2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it.
The writer explains by noting how some have given welcome to angels. This is a general reference without any particular instance mentioned. Several examples could have been cited, from Genesis 19:1-14 (angels refused hospitality in Sodom) to Judges 6:11-14 (birth of Samson announced). The recipients of Hebrews are called on to extend hospitality to all strangers even if they may never know what manner of visitation from God the strangers may bring (Johnson).
Just as the previous couplet is driven by the directive “Do not neglect,” so the next couplet begins with the directive “Remember.” To be remembered are those in prison and those mistreated, a topic mentioned earlier (10:33-34). Here in 13:3 however the partnership of the earlier time is even more stressed with a note of solidarity:
3Remember 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.
Literally, the last phrase (in Greek) is “as though you yourselves were in the body.” As Fred Craddock says (163),
It means refusing to distant oneself from those suffering out of fear of becoming the target of the same mistreatment, providing for the needs of prisoners (prisoners depended on those outside for food, clothing, and all other needs), even though this meant exposing oneself as a fellow Christian, and being present with the sufferers in every way that might encourage and give relief.
The third couplet focuses on marriage and in particular on the sexual relationship within marriage.
4Let marriage be held in honor by all, and let the marriage bed be kept undefiled; for God will judge fornicators and adulterers.
The position espoused here is in line with Judaism, with most Christian practice at the time,[That not all Christians were clear on this is attested by a number of New Testament texts, Acts 15:28-29; I Cor. 5:9-11; Eph. 5:3, 5; 1 Thess. 4:3-7; 1 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 21:8; 22:15. ] and with Greek moralists. The New Testament uses the Greek term pornos (‘fornicator’) and variations for every form of sexual immorality. Luke Timothy Johnson says that the pornos in verse 4 “defiles the marriage bed/relationship by despising it and seeking pleasure where he will.” Johnson then proceeds to draw a ‘cautious conclusion’: the author saw or assumed that his readers/hearers were not troubled by specific problems, as were the Corinthians (342).
The fourth couplet in vv.1-6 concerns the love of money.
5Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for he has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”
Again, we have a common teaching in Hellenistic literature. Contentment was frequently cited as a philosophical virtue as over against any internal disturbance. The tranquility of the soul was essential, said Epicurus (C.E.55-135). Here in Hebrews it is contentment with financial resources that is stressed. This is in conformity with what Jesus himself taught with regard to material possessions (e.g., Matt. 6:19-21, 24-34) and with later warnings by early Christian authors about greed (Eph. 5:3, 5; 1 Cor. 5:10). The exhortation is shored up with a quotation from Proverbs 118:7:
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not be afraid.
What can anyone do to me?”
The text now narrows its focus to those who have led the recipients through difficult days.
7Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever
Chapter 11 provided examples of leaders worthy to follow. Abraham, Moses, and others down through the prophets marked a tradition worthy of note. To that tradition the writer now asks the readers/hearers to consider those in their own time. As Craddock notes, there is no indication of particular offices or titles that set those present apart. The term used here for ‘leaders’ (hegoumenon) is a general term found not only in politics but in military and religious circles. Identification is only by function: they “spoke the word of God to you.” It is assumed that these are those who preached the gospel (Acts 4:20, 31; Phil. 1:14; 1 Pet. 4:1). What is to be considered is the outcome of their way of life. Since there is no indication of what that might be in particular, it is assumed that this means that they were faithful to the end (cf. 6:11-12).
11And we want each one of you to show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope to the very end, 12so that you may not become sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The acclamation of Jesus Christ then follows.
8Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
For Fred Craddock (165) this may well have a two-fold purpose: 1.) to recognize that faithful leaders may have passed on but Jesus Christ, of whom they preached, has not; and 2.) to prepare for verse 9 by providing a sharp contrast. Jesus Christ is the place to stand when the congregation is called upon to deal with “all kinds of strange teachings” (13:9).
The purpose for what follows is difficult to determine.
9Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings; for it is well for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by regulations about food, which have not benefited those who observe them
The combination of “specific detail at the level of imagery” and “vague reference at the level of history” make a precise determination of the situation “maddening,” as Johnson says (346). Still, the main point seems clear: Those who follow Jesus are in touch with what is eternal while those out of touch with Jesus are simply dealing with the temporary.
All that is said specifically is that these “strange teachings” have to do with food. The writer has already made it clear that food and drink and practices of the body “cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper” (9:9-10). Be that as it may, verse 9 does not appear to be directed as a polemic against some heresy within the congregation. It suffices to recall the sacrifice of Christ from which limitations for the writer’s recipients can be made. Thus the text moves to exposition in the service of exhortation (Craddock).
10We have an altar from which those who officiate in the tent have no right to eat. 11For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood.
There is no consensus regarding the altar and those having no right to eat. Thus it is assumed that the altar is to be understood in a metaphorical sense, as the place of having received and continuing to receive the grace of God through the high priesthood of Jesus Christ. Our altar is in the heavenly sanctuary where Christ is, having gained for us access to God. As the text shows (13:11-12) the Day of Atonement is recalled (Lev. 16). The bodies of the sacrificed animals were not eaten by the high priest but were burned outside the camp. Jesus suffering outside the city gate is the equivalent of “outside the camp.” In brief, Jesus fulfilled through his own suffering, through his sacrifice and death the service of the Day of Atonement.
Having concluded his exposition the writer returns to several additional exhortations.
13Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. 14For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come. 15Through him, then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Three injunctions appear: “Let us” (v. 13), “Let us” (v.15), and “Do not neglect” (v. 16). As Fred Craddock notes, all three reflect the language that began this hortatory unit in verse 9. By declaring themselves strangers and aliens on earth (11:13) they took on the abuse that goes with being a pilgrim on earth. The second “Let us” calls on the readers/hearers to not allow the abuse to define them. The exhortation is to offer a sacrifice of praise to God continually by offering up the name of Christ through which access to God has been made possible. The final exhortation is broad, to do good and share what one has.
Practices in a New Key[This is a variation of Susanne Langer’s 1951 title Philosophy in a New Key. Appreciation extended to Dr. Keith Pagan for calling attention to this book on several occasions.]
We are now in the midst of concluding our study of Hebrews. Everywhere we have looked the writer has confronted us with his theological perspective. Even practices (especially practices!) are wrapped in theological garb, as they should be and as chapter 13 demonstrates. Christian practices are more than just what Christians do, as over against what a non-Christian might do. By their very presence, as it were, by their givenness, Christian practices are an invitation and imply judgment.[Christian practices are judgment in terms of an’ essential offense.’ This is the necessary critical edge that is needed when speaking of Christian practices. More on this ‘new key’ is needed here. ] They are an invitation inasmuch as God is already involved before we even take up what is to be done. Practices are gifts; offerings as it were to fulfill God’s purposes in the world. The Spirit of God is at work in, with and under given situations, attempting to bring good out of them. The invitation is to see, to recognize that whatever good incurs is due to the work of the Spirit, not me, not you, but Other!
Thus Christian practices are similar in one respect to icons and to sacraments: they are an outward sign of a deeper invisible reality. They are akin to what Jean-Luc Marion regards as “saturated phenomena.”[See e.g., the translators’ “Introduction” in Jean-Luc Marion, In Excess: Studies of Saturated Phenomena, trans. by Robyn Horner and Vincent Berraud (Fordham University press, 2001), xiv-xvi.] That is, Christian practices ‘contain’ more than what appears. In Hebrews various practices shout out: “God is at work! Faith communities are supposed to work like this!”[This is true even when expressed negatively, by what is to be avoided.]
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