“Just a bunch of miscellaneous admonitions?”

By Rev. Michael Stonhouse

Meditation – Monday, February 7, 2022

Hebrews 13:1-16 (Forward, p. 9) CEV p. 1270

Far too often, at least in the popular mind, Christianity is considered to be a list, a roster, of do’s and don’ts.  Certainly, much of today’s passage would leave us with that conclusion, for our author has quite a list of things that we should or should not be doing:

 -we should be concerned about our fellow believers and care for them;

 -we should welcome strangers into our homes;

 -we should remember those who are imprisoned or suffering;

-we should respect marriage and always be faithful to our partners;

 -we should be satisfied with what we have and not fall in love with money;

-we should especially remember and respect our leaders who have taught us the Gospel;

-we shouldn’t be fooled or led astray by any kind of strange teaching, especially those that have to do with food, with what we eat;

-we should continually be offering our praise to God in the name of Jesus;

-finally, we should be aware of each other’s needs and help them whenever possible by sharing our possessions with them, for this is pleasing to God and is like offering a sacrifice to Him.

So, is this all that we are to take away from this passage?  Most certainly not, for underlying all of these admonitions, are a couple of interrelated truths:

Firstly, that Jesus is here for us, and will never leave us or forsake us.  He can be counted upon.

Secondly, that Jesus is entirely sufficient for our needs.  He has already bestowed upon us His undeserved kindness, His grace.  He has already taken care of everything through His death on the Cross and has granted us His strength.  It is such that we can fully depend on Him and be supported and helped in our duties as Christians.  His admonitions, therefore, are not onerous or difficult, but empowered and undergirded by His love and His grace, and so are not a burden to us, but a pleasure.  Amen.

Forward notes: “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it” (verse 2).

“Hospitality is a surprisingly loaded word.  Expectations around hospitality vary dramatically by culture and even by household. At my in-laws’ house, proper hospitality calls for breaking out the good china and serving a beautiful five-course meal.  In the apartment where I was raised, there was no china to be found, but friends in need were always welcome to come crash on the couch.  They could (and did) turn up at all hours and find a safe, welcoming place to stay for the night.

“Over and over, Scripture affirms the importance of hospitality—not only to friends and loved ones but also to strangers.  However, Scripture does not prescribe any single way to practice it.  It’s up to us to determine a practice of hospitality that makes sense for our context.  These words from Hebrews challenge us to share freely of everything we have, so that we may have a chance at entertaining angels—and so that we may glimpse, in every person we encounter, the face of Christ.”

Moving Forward: “How can you extend hospitality to others this week?”