Глава XIII

An exhortation to love of strangers, brotherly love and purity of life (1–6). An exhortation to obey your teachers, to imitate their faith and to follow in the footsteps of Christ (7-17). Final greetings and good wishes (18–25). Hebrews 13:1. May brotherly love remain among you. He didn’t say, “Be kind to brothers,” but, “Let brotherly love endure.” He didn’t say: be hospitable, as if they were not like that, but: “don’t forget your hobbies.” Look how he commands them to keep what they already had, and does not add anything else (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:2. Do not forget the love of hospitability, for through it some, unknowingly, showed hospitality to Angels. Then he adds something that could especially encourage them: for through love of hospitableness, he says, “some unknowingly showed hospitality to the Angels.” See, what an honor, what a benefit! (Zlat.). – “They treated the Angels without knowing it. But Abraham received the great reward that he entertained the Angels, not knowing that they were Angels; and if he knew, it would not be at all surprising. Some think that the apostle also means Lot here and says this about him” (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:3. Remember the prisoners, as if you were in bonds with them, and the suffering, as if you yourself were in the body. The commandment about prisoners and sufferers obviously has its historical basis here in the fact that many of the Christians at that time were subjected to imprisonment and bonds, as well as all kinds of other suffering. At the same time, it is made clear that the same danger is close to everyone, and, therefore, the opportunity for everyone to experience the need for that help and those consolations to which the apostle calls. The general meaning of the apostle's answer is this: with such feeling, sympathize with your fellow prisoners, as if you yourself were bound; remember the suffering, so if you were in their bodies and would endure the same thing that they endure. Hebrews 13:4. Let everyone's marriage be honest and the bed undefiled; But God judges fornicators and adulterers. He said in advance: “marriage is honorable in everyone and the bed is undefiled,” and then he added the threat of punishment, showing that he justly made a further increase. Hebrews 13:5. Have a non-money-loving disposition, being content with what you have. For He Himself said: I will never leave you nor forsake you, Hebrews 13:6. so we say boldly: The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear: what will man do to me? “Have a disposition that is not money-loving,” that is, let your mind be free, let your thoughts express wisdom; and this will be revealed if we do not look for what is superfluous, if we are satisfied only with what is necessary... He also adds consolation so that we do not despair (Golden), recalling the words of God in Gen. 28:15; Joshua 1:5 and the words of the Psalmist - Psalm 118:6. Hebrews 13:7. Remember your mentors who preached the word of God to you, and, looking at the end of their lives, imitate their faith. What is the sequence of thoughts here? Very good; looking, he says, at their “life,” that is, at life, imitate their faith, because faith comes from pure life (Zlat.). What does it mean - looking? Constantly turning to this, reasoning within ourselves, reflecting, carefully examining and testing, as you like. He said well: “to the end of their life,” that is, life to the end, because their life had a good end (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:8. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Here by the word yesterday the apostle means all the past time; the word “today” – present; the word “forever” means a future that has no end. And the meaning of his words is as follows: you heard the high priest, but not a temporary high priest. He's always the same. Perhaps then some said that the Crucified One is not the expected Christ, but another will come; That’s why he says: “yesterday and today, the same and forever,” expressing that Christ will come again, that He is one and the same, and was before, and is, and will be forever (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:9. Do not get carried away by different and alien teachings; For it is good to strengthen hearts with grace, and not with food from which those who engage in them do not benefit. “Do not get carried away by different and alien teachings...” He wants them not to get carried away not only by alien, but also by different teachings; he knew that both of them lead to death for those who get carried away (Zlat.). - “It is good to strengthen hearts with grace, and not with food.” Here he alludes to those who, based on their strange teachings, observed a superstitious difference in food. For faith everything is pure; you need faith, not food (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:10. We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. What we have, he says, is not like the Jews, so even the Jewish high priest is not allowed to participate in our sacraments (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:11. Since the bodies of the animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for the atonement of sin, are burned outside the camp, - Hebrews 13:12. then Jesus, in order to sanctify people with His Blood, suffered outside the gates. Hebrews 13:13. Let us therefore go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach; Do you see a clear prototype? So, he says, “outside the camp” and here – “outside the gates.” Therefore, we must imitate the One who suffered for us and be outside the world, or better yet, outside the affairs of the world... bearing His reproach, that is, enduring the same thing, participating in His suffering. Just as He, having been condemned, was crucified outside the gates, so we will not be ashamed to withdraw from the world (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:14. for we do not have a permanent city here, but we are looking for the future. Wed. Hebrews 12:22; Phil 3:20. Hebrews 13:15. Therefore, through Him, let us continually offer to God the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips glorifying His name. “What sacrifice is he talking about? He himself explains this when he says: “the fruit of the lips of those who glorify His name,” that is, prayers, songs, thanksgiving are the fruit of the lips. They brought sheep and oxen, giving them to the priest; We will not offer anything like that, but gratitude and imitation of Christ in everything as much as possible: this is what should grow from our lips!” ... Hebrews 13:16. Do not forget also charity and sociability, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. “Let us offer Him, he says, such a sacrifice that He will lift it up to the Father” (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:17. Obey your teachers and be submissive, for they are vigilantly watching over your souls, as those who must give an account; so that they do this with joy, and not sighing, for this is not good for you. Anarchy is evil and the cause of confusion; but no less evil is the disobedience of subordinates, since the same thing happens from it. However, obedience to mentors obliges the mentors themselves to do a lot. Let them listen, says Chrysostom, not only to subordinates, but also to superiors, that just as subordinates must be obedient, so superiors must be vigilant and vigilant. What are you saying? The boss is awake, bringing danger on his own head, subject to punishment for your sins, experiencing such fear because of you, and you are lazy, reluctant, vain and do not want to obey! That is why the apostle adds: “so that they do this with joy, and not sighing, for this is not good for you.” Do you see that a boss, if he is neglected, should not take revenge, but his tears and sighs serve as the best revenge? And rightly so... The boss’s sigh is worse than any revenge. When the sigher himself cannot do anything, then he calls on the Lord; just as with a teacher and educator, when a child does not obey him, another, more strict one is called in - so it is exactly here (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:18. Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, because we desire to behave honestly in everything. You see, says Chrysostom, that he is justifying himself, as if addressing people who were dissatisfied with him, turned away from him, looked at him like apostates, and did not even want to hear his name. He demanded from those who hated him what others could only demand from those who loved him, and therefore he now says the following: “we are confident that we have a good conscience.” Do not, he says, make accusations against me: our conscience does not accuse us of anything; We do not realize that we are harming you. “We want to behave honestly in everything...” - we did nothing out of greed, nothing out of hypocrisy. He was probably accused of this (Acts 21:21). Hebrews 13:19. I especially ask you to do this so that I can be returned to you as quickly as possible. Thus, asking them to pray is characteristic only of those who love them deeply. Not just, he says, pray, but with all zeal, so that I can come to you as soon as possible. Thus, wanting to come to them and ask them to pray for him is characteristic of someone who is not aware of anything about himself. Therefore, having asked for prayers from them in advance, he then himself asks God for all the best for them (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:20. The God of peace, who raised up from the dead the great Shepherd of the sheep through the blood of the everlasting covenant, our Lord Jesus (Christ), “The God of peace” says this because there were disagreements between them (Zlat.). - “He who raised up the Shepherd from the dead...” The doctrine of the resurrection of Jesus Christ was supposed to show the Jews that Christians believe not only in the suffered Christ, humiliated, serving as an object of temptation (1 Cor 1:23), but also risen from the dead alive forever, and therefore great and able to help those who believe in Him (Rom 10:9; Heb 4:14, 10:21). - “Blood of the eternal covenant...” - refers both to the clarification of the greatness of the Shepherd, who redeemed His sheep with this Blood, and to improvement in every good deed and pleasing God, for which the Blood of Christ provides the most powerful forces and means. Hebrews 13:21. May He perfect you in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is pleasing to Him through Jesus Christ. Glory to him forever and ever! Amen. “May He perfect you...” The Apostle testifies to their great virtues, because that which has a beginning and continues to be fulfilled is accomplished (Zlat.). - “Look how he inspires that virtue comes neither entirely from God nor from us alone; He explains this with the words: “may he perfect you in every good deed,” and the following, as if he were saying: you have virtue, but you need to improve it... He made a wonderful addition: “doing in you what is pleasing before Him.” “Before Him,” he says, “because the greatest virtue is to do what is pleasing before God” (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:22. I ask you, brethren, accept this word of exhortation; I didn’t write much to you. Having written so much, the apostle calls it small, comparing it with what he wanted to write (Eph 3:3, 4). Hebrews 13:23. Know that our brother Timothy has been released, and I, together with him, if he comes soon, will see you. This was enough for them to observe meekness if he and his disciple were ready to come to them (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:24. Greet all your teachers and all the saints. The Italians greet you. Look what honor he showed them by writing a message to them, and not to these mentors (Zlat.). Hebrews 13:25. Grace be with you all. Amen. When does grace happen to us? When we do not insult this blessing, when we do not neglect this gift... It depends on us whether she remains with us or leaves. “The first,” says Chrysostom, “happens when we care about heavenly things; and the last - when about everyday things... He who carries a flame with him is not afraid of those who meet him, be it an animal, or a man, or many nets, while he is surrounded by a flame - everything yields to it, everything moves away from it. This flame is unbearable, this fire is unbearable and all-destroying. Let us clothe ourselves with this fire and send glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, and with him to the Father with the Holy Spirit glory, power, honor, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen". You might be interested in: