Post 84 of Study: Hebrews 13:20-25
This is the last entry in this series on Hebrews. It is also #2436 of my blog posts since spring of 2006. I am going to take a break from this blog for a while to write elsewhere. My blog's stats have exploded, but I suspect a lot of it is from spam sites. I hope not and I hope this study has been helpful.
20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
22 Brothers and sisters, I urge you to bear with my word of exhortation, for in fact I have written to you quite briefly.
23 I want you to know that our brother Timothy has been released. If he arrives soon, I will come with him to see you.
24 Greet all your leaders and all the Lord’s people. Those from Italy send you their greetings.
25 Grace be with you all.
The benediction. What a way to bless a group of readers!
The God of peace. Do we believe that? We say it at Christmas and when it seems politic, but do we really believe He is the God of peace? Is there peace in our lives? Or strife? Or rebellion?
He is the great Shepherd of the sheep. A friend posted a video of an aerial view of a border collie rounding up sheep; it was viral, so you might have seen it. I posted, “border collies are smarter than some people. Just sayin’.” She wrote: “That’s why we’re called sheep and not dogs.”
We are sheep. We need a Shepherd, and not just any shepherd. This Shepherd works through us and in us to accomplish a larger purpose, His will.
Does this ending indicate Paul wrote this? Timothy and John both lived in Ephesus. There is no mention of prison here; in fact, the writer is free to come and go. Was the writer in Italy? Not necessarily; he could be passing on greetings. It makes no sense for Paul not to identify himself, as he did frequently in all the other books. Quite frequently, really, as if to verify it’s from him (there could have been a lot of false missives going around).
The little bit “for I have written quite briefly” strikes me as funny. Really? This is one of the longer epistles! He probably felt he had much to say—just like John did at the end of his gospel!
Thus ends this series of blog posts! I hope you were enriched by this study.
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