Joyful Submission: The Unprofitable Alternative Text: Hebrews 13:17
Introduction: The Allergic Reaction to Authority
We live in an age that is constitutionally allergic to authority. The modern man, and sadly, many a modern Christian, believes that he is his own pope, his own king, and his own god. The very words obey and submit send a democratic shudder down the spine of our egalitarian sensibilities. We have been catechized by our culture to believe that all authority is inherently suspect, all submission is demeaning, and all obedience is a form of slavery. Our default posture is one of cynical suspicion toward anyone who would dare to claim any measure of authority over us.
This is not a new problem, of course. It is the ancient lie of the serpent, whispered in the garden: "Did God really say?" The essence of sin is autonomy, the desire to be a law unto oneself. And when this rebellious impulse is baptized into the church, it creates a chaotic and disordered body. It produces congregations of disconnected individuals, "sheep without a shepherd," who treat the church like a spiritual buffet. They pick and choose what they like, consume what makes them feel good, and leave when the menu no longer suits their tastes, all without ever placing themselves under any real, binding, covenantal authority.
But the Bible knows nothing of this free-range, atomistic Christianity. The Christian life is a covenantal life, lived out in a covenantal community, under a covenantal government established by Christ Himself. And this is not a burden; it is a grace. God has structured His church to have leaders, not as a necessary evil, but as a positive good for the flock. To reject this structure is not to assert your freedom in Christ; it is to assert your bondage to the spirit of the age. It is to declare that you know better than God how His church ought to be ordered.
Hebrews 13:17 is a direct, frontal assault on this rebellious mindset. It is a sharp, clear, and intensely practical command that defines the relationship between the flock and their shepherds. It tells us not only what to do, but why we are to do it, and what the consequences are if we fail. This verse is one of the clearest arguments in all of Scripture for meaningful, defined, local church membership. You cannot obey leaders you haven't identified, and leaders cannot give an account for souls they don't know are under their care. This verse assumes a defined flock and defined shepherds, and it lays out the duties of each with bracing clarity.
The Text
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.
(Hebrews 13:17 LSB)
Command and Ground: Obey, Submit, and Why
The verse opens with a pair of commands that are distinct but deeply related.
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account..." (Hebrews 13:17a)
The first command is "obey." The Greek word is Peithesthe, which carries the sense of being persuaded, of trusting and having confidence in. This is not a blind, unquestioning obedience to a tyrant. This is the kind of obedience that flows from trust. You are to obey your leaders because you are persuaded of their godly character and their commitment to the Word of God. This assumes you know them, and they know you. This assumes you have seen their manner of life, as the author mentioned just a few verses earlier (Heb. 13:7). You are to follow their faith. So, this obedience is rooted in a relationship of trust.
The second command is "submit." This is a military term, meaning to arrange yourself under. It has to do with recognizing and honoring a God-ordained rank and order. While obedience relates to specific commands, submission relates to your general posture and disposition. You can be in a state of submission even when you are not receiving any specific orders. It is an attitude of the heart that recognizes God's authority in the leaders He has appointed. This is the opposite of a contentious, argumentative, or challenging spirit. It is a spirit that is easy to lead, quick to yield, and slow to find fault.
Now, our rebellious hearts immediately want to ask, "Why should I?" The Holy Spirit anticipates this and provides the ground for the command immediately: "for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account." This is a staggering thought. The authority of your elders is not for their own benefit, their own ego, or their own power. It is an authority tied to an immense and terrifying responsibility. They are spiritual watchmen on the walls, guarding your souls from wolves, false doctrine, and the deceitfulness of sin.
The word for "keep watch" means to be vigilant, to stay awake, to be alert. It's the word used for a shepherd guarding his flock through the night. Your elders are charged with the sleepless task of caring for your eternal well-being. And this is not a job with a performance review from the congregation; it is a job that ends with a final, solemn accounting before the throne of God Himself. They will stand before the Chief Shepherd and give an account for how they cared for the sheep He purchased with His own blood. This reality should do two things. First, it should make any sane man tremble before aspiring to the office of elder. Second, it should make every church member eager to make the task of their elders as easy as possible.
Motive and Consequence: Joyful Groaning and Your Profit
The verse then moves from the ground of the command to the desired motive and the practical consequence.
"...so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you." (Hebrews 13:17b)
The goal of your obedience and submission is a very specific one: that your leaders might fulfill their soul-watching duty "with joy and not with groaning." God desires a happy, joyful, and vibrant church, and that includes a joyful eldership. The joy of a pastor is a significant spiritual barometer for the health of the congregation.
What brings joy to a faithful elder? Seeing the flock walk in truth (3 John 4). Seeing them grow in grace, love one another, and submit cheerfully to the Word. Seeing them repent of sin and embrace the means of grace. A teachable, responsive, and obedient flock is the crown and joy of any faithful minister.
Conversely, what causes a pastor to do his work "with groaning"? The Greek here means to sigh, to groan as one in pain. This is the grief that comes from dealing with a stiff-necked, contentious, and rebellious people. It is the groaning over endless squabbles, the resistance to sound doctrine, the refusal to repent, the constant second-guessing, and the spirit of suspicion. When the sheep are constantly biting and kicking the shepherd, the work of shepherding becomes a heavy, grievous burden.
And here is the kicker, the part that should snap us to attention. The writer concludes with a starkly pragmatic warning: "for this would be unprofitable for you." This is not an appeal to altruism. It is a direct appeal to your own spiritual self-interest. It is in your best interest to have joyful leaders. It is spiritually disadvantageous, unprofitable, and detrimental to you to have leaders who are weary, discouraged, and groaning because of your contentiousness.
Think about it. A discouraged pastor is not going to be at his best in the pulpit. A weary elder is not going to be as sharp in counseling. A groaning session of elders is not going to be as bold in leading. Their groaning will inevitably spill over and affect the whole spiritual life of the church. Their prayers for you will be hindered. Their preaching will lack power. Their leadership will be timid. When you make your leaders' work a grief to them, you are directly harming your own soul. You are sawing off the branch you are sitting on. A church that grieves its leaders is a church that is actively working against its own spiritual profit.
Conclusion: The Gospel of Cheerful Authority
This entire structure of authority and submission in the church is a reflection of the gospel. Our ultimate leader is Christ, the Chief Shepherd. He rules and reigns with all authority in heaven and on earth. And how did He lead us? He joyfully submitted to the will of His Father, even to the point of death on a cross, "for the joy that was set before Him" (Hebrews 12:2). His authority is not a domineering tyranny, but a self-sacrificial love that laid down His life for the sheep.
In the same way, the authority of elders in the church is to be a servant-leadership, modeled on Christ's. They are not to be lords over the flock, but examples to it (1 Peter 5:3). And our submission to them is not the cowering of a slave before a master, but the glad and willing submission of a sheep who trusts the good shepherd God has placed over him. It is a reflection of our ultimate submission to Christ.
When a church functions this way, with humble, accountable leaders watching over a trusting, submissive flock, it becomes a picture of the gospel to a rebellious world. It demonstrates a different kind of kingdom, where authority is for service, and submission is for joy. It shows a world that is allergic to authority that there is a way to be led that results in freedom, a way to obey that results in joy, and a way to submit that is profoundly and eternally profitable for your soul.
So, look to your leaders. Pray for them. Encourage them. Obey them. Submit to them. Do not cause them to groan. Do it for their sake, for the sake of the church, for the glory of God, and for your own spiritual profit. Because a church with joyful shepherds is a church on its way to green pastures.