Hebrews 13:17 Commentary and Bible Study

These words are disturbing, because on the face of it ‘Obey them’ seems completely at odds with Christ's teaching and Paul's teaching and Peter's teaching that they are not to lord it over the people, or to have that kind of executive authority. ‘Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves’: now that sounds even worse. So how do we explain this? I am not going to criticise the translation, because in a sense it is right, but it isn't actually the Greek. The same word is used in chapter 11:13: ‘These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them.’ This same word is there translated ‘were persuaded’. Paul uses the word in Romans 8:38, ‘I am persuaded, that neither life nor death’, and so on. So why is it such a different translation here? What it means strictly in this context is, ‘Be persuaded by them that have the rule’, by those who are your preachers that lead and guide you by the preaching of the word. Be persuadable people. That is strictly the sense. ‘Obey’ will do, but it ought to be explained, because it could be taken too literally. Here you are in a congregation. This is not the House of Commons. If it was the House of Commons, you would have one party on one side, and another party on the other. What one party says, the other party by principal opposes, it is not like that in the church. Don’t think that this is politics – if the preacher says such and such, I have got to oppose him as though I am Her Majesty's opposition. This exhortation says, be persuadable, be amenable. ‘They watch for your souls’. The ministry of the word is a calling: the minister watches for souls. Some think the ministry is there to watch for souls and bodies, that is, to provide a social ministry also. No, the whole church is there for that. It is not uniquely the preacher’s job to watch for bodies, but for souls. Remember Acts 6: the apostles were overwhelmed, and called the church, and by divine appointment church officers, deacons, were elected. They were to look after the physical needs of the church. What is the object of the ministry? It is to bring salvation to men and women. That includes the lost also who need to be won through the work of preachers, yes, and also of the whole church. Pastors need to keep the souls of the people of God safe and in touch with God. They also watch for trouble from without and from within church, and in the individual also. How can a pastor function against a wall of disinclination to listen? ‘As they that must give account’ – all preachers will have to give an account, as we all have to at the last day. Let them do their work with joy because the people were persuadable. In Philippians 2:14 Paul says, don’t murmur and grumble, but shine as lights, because then I will be able to rejoice and see that my ministry among you was not wasted. Minister wants to be able to say, ‘In this church the standards of the word count, the doctrines are accepted, and the devil will have a hard job to corrupt. The infiltrator will not be able to get away with it. They have followed the reasoning. They looked like Christians and live like them. In the best sense they have received the word of God critically. The prescriptions of the word have been set before them and the people have learned, believed, and applied them. So if the Minister is called away, they will stand. These people will not neglect the neighbourhood or let the Sunday School run down.’ In any company, always some whom nothing you say can persuade. If the whole church were not persuadable, it would be unprofitable for them. God will call the preacher away and they will be judged.