RELIGION —
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, 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. (Hebrews 13:20-21)
I love benedictions. The whole idea of blessing someone — saying something affirming to them while pointing them in heaven’s direction — isn’t that something we are all in need of giving and receiving?
Benediction refers to the act of “speaking well of or blessing” (Online Etymology Dictionary). To no one’s surprise, “bless” is a big word in Scripture — used over 300 times. Paul tells us to, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14). Jesus’ last recorded action on earth before being taken up to heaven was that of blessing His disciples (24:51). There’s real power in a community that blesses.
The writer’s blessing in Hebrews begins with “The God of peace.” The disciples he was writing to knew their share and more of conflict and opposition (10:32-35; 12:4-7). They were in a life-or-death struggle in regard to whether they would continue to embrace Jesus’ work at the cross or go back to the temple and its sacrifices (see 10:26ff).
But they also knew that God had brought them peace through the priestly, atoning work of Jesus and by His power He had brought the great Shepherd of the sheep back from death. This was all in accordance with His eternal purposes as expressed in the new covenant. Peace was theirs — even amid the storms they were experiencing.
But the writer’s benediction is more than a blessing that brings comfort, it’s also a blessing that calls upon God to equip them with “everything good” for doing His will. He prays that God will give them what they need so they can give Him what He deserves. When Christ ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He sent the Spirit, who in turn gifted disciples for their role in building up the body of Christ (see all of this in Ephesians 4:7-13), so that’s possibly a connection he’s making with these words.
Finally, the benediction is conclusive. As they yield to God, He works in them, “what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” God worked in them to bring glory to His Son. In our better moments, that’s what we all want. We’re part of Team Jesus and we exist and find fullness of life as we bring glory to Him.
We find in these brief words several blessings, don’t we? To be reminded our Father is the “God of peace” is certainly something we all need. To think of Him equipping us and working “in us what is pleasing to Him” fills us with the hope that maybe we aren’t just stumbling along, that our lives do have purpose and meaning beyond what we’re able to fathom. This is also something that should inform our individual and corporate prayer life. Finally, we’re taken to the pinnacle when the writer speaks of Jesus being exalted — when Christ is exalted in our lives — that’s when we know we are living.
We need more of this!
You can find more of Bruce’s writings at his website: a-taste-of-grace-with-bruce-green.com