Covenantal Bookends: Grace to You All Text: Hebrews 13:22-25
Introduction: The End is the Beginning
Every magnificent symphony must come to a close. Every great sermon must land the plane. After thirteen chapters of the most glorious, Christ-saturated, Old-Covenant-fulfilling theology in the entire canon, the author of Hebrews now picks up his pen for some final personal remarks. We have soared to the heights of Christ's high priesthood, we have walked through the heavenly tabernacle, and we have been warned sternly against apostasy. Now, the author turns from the glorious "what" to the personal "who" and "how."
It is a great temptation for modern Christians, particularly those with a theological bent, to treat these closing remarks in the epistles as little more than the rustling of papers as the preacher gathers his notes. We think the "meat" is over, and now we just have the polite sign-off. But this is a profound mistake. The Bible is God's Word from "In the beginning" to the final "Amen." These personal notes, these greetings and benedictions, are not incidental. They are intensely theological. They are the practical outworking of everything that has come before. Covenant theology is not an abstraction; it is lived out in real relationships, with real people, in real churches. These final verses are the covenantal bookends to this mighty sermon. They show us that this high doctrine is meant for the trenches of Christian fellowship, for our life together under God.
The author has just given us a panoramic view of redemptive history, culminating in the unshakable kingdom we have received in Christ. He has exhorted us to go to Jesus "outside the camp," bearing the reproach He endured. And now, he brings it all home. He speaks of his letter, of his friend, of their leaders, and of God's grace. This is how high theology cashes out: in love for the brethren, submission to godly authority, and a complete reliance on the grace of God. Let us not, therefore, tune out at the end. Let us lean in, for here we see the sinews of the body of Christ, the ordinary, glorious business of being the church.
The Text
But I urge you, brothers, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. Know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you.
Grace be with you all.
(Hebrews 13:22-25 LSB)
A Brief Word (v. 22)
The author first gives a final plea regarding the letter itself.
"But I urge you, brothers, bear with this word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly." (Hebrews 13:22)
He calls this entire magnificent letter a "word of exhortation." This is the same phrase used in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch when Paul and Barnabas were invited to speak. It means a sermon. This whole book is a sermon, written down and sent. And what is the nature of this sermon? It is an exhortation. It is not a detached theological treatise for an academic journal. It is a passionate, urgent appeal. The author is not just informing their minds; he is pleading for their hearts, for their very souls. He has warned them about drifting, about hardening their hearts, about shrinking back. Now he says, "bear with it."
This implies that some of what he wrote was hard to hear. The warnings against apostasy in chapter 6 and 10 are some of the most severe in all of Scripture. He has called them out for their spiritual dullness, their failure to advance to solid food. He has told them that God's Word is a sharp, two-edged sword that cuts deep. Such preaching is not always comfortable. It is not meant to be. Faithful preaching comforts the afflicted, yes, but it also afflicts the comfortable. So he urges them, as brothers, to receive it. Don't stiffen your necks. Don't get defensive. Let this word do its work in you.
And then he says something that must strike us as wonderfully ironic: "for I have written to you briefly." Briefly? After this dense, intricate, thirteen-chapter argument? What this shows us is the author's heart. He knows the subject of Christ's supremacy is inexhaustible. He could have gone on at much greater length, as he hints when discussing Melchizedek. Compared to the infinite glory of the subject, this letter is just a drop in the bucket. He has only scratched the surface. This is not false humility; it is the genuine awe of a man who has gazed upon the glory of Christ and knows that all our words fall short. He has given them a telegram, when the subject deserves an encyclopedia.
Good News and Travel Plans (v. 23)
Next, we get a personal update concerning a beloved figure in the early church.
"Know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you." (Hebrews 13:23 LSB)
This little verse is packed with covenantal warmth. He calls Timothy "our brother." This is the language of the family of God. Timothy, Paul's true son in the faith, is a brother to these Hebrew Christians as well. The church is not a collection of isolated individuals; it is a household, a brotherhood. And this brother has been "released." The word likely means he has been let out of prison. In that day, to be a faithful Christian leader was to have an arrest record, or to be on your way to getting one. Persecution was not a bug; it was a feature. The good news of Timothy's freedom would have been a great encouragement to them, a sign of God's faithfulness in the midst of imperial opposition.
This mention of Timothy is also one of the strongest indicators of Pauline authorship, or at least that the author was in Paul's inner circle. Timothy was Paul's right-hand man, his apostolic delegate. To speak so familiarly of him, and to plan a joint trip, places the author squarely in that orbit. The author's plan is to visit them, and he hopes to bring Timothy along. This is not the cold correspondence of a bureaucrat. This is the heart of a pastor who longs to see his people face to face. Letters are good, but presence is better. He wants to be with them, to minister to them in person, to see how their souls are prospering. This is the heartbeat of true pastoral ministry.
Covenantal Order and Fellowship (v. 24)
The greetings that follow are not mere pleasantries; they are acknowledgements of the God-ordained structure and fellowship of the church.
"Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. Those from Italy greet you." (Hebrews 13:24 LSB)
Notice the order. He first says to greet their leaders. These are the men mentioned earlier in the chapter, whom they are to obey and submit to, for they keep watch over their souls. The author reinforces this structure. A healthy church is an ordered church, with recognized leadership. This is God's design for the protection and maturation of His people. To greet the leaders is to acknowledge and honor their office. It is to say, "We recognize the authority Christ has invested in you." This is a profoundly anti-egalitarian sentiment, and it is essential for the church's health. Where everyone is in charge, no one is in charge, and chaos reigns.
But it doesn't stop with the leaders. He says to greet "all the saints." The leaders are not a separate class of Christian; they are saints who lead other saints. The word "saint" simply means "holy one," one who has been set apart by God in Christ. This is the status of every single believer. The greeting is to be extended to everyone, without exception. This is the fellowship, the koinonia, of the body. Every member matters. Every saint is to be greeted, loved, and acknowledged. The church is a community, not an audience.
Then comes a greeting from abroad: "Those from Italy greet you." This tells us something of the interconnectedness of the early church. News traveled. Believers in one part of the empire cared about and prayed for believers in another. These Italians, likely fellow Christians with the author in his current location, hear that he is writing to the Hebrews and they say, "Send them our love!" This is the catholicity of the church in action. We are part of something much bigger than our local congregation. We have brothers and sisters all over the world, bound to us by the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same faith. This simple greeting is a reminder that the kingdom of God is an international, global, conquering reality.
The Final Word is Grace (v. 25)
The sermon, the letter, the exhortation, concludes with the most important word of all.
"Grace be with you all." (Hebrews 13:25 LSB)
This is the characteristic Pauline sign-off, another fingerprint pointing to the apostle. But more than that, it is the sum and substance of the Christian faith. What is the final word that the author wants to leave ringing in their ears? Grace. Not law, not works, not your own striving, but grace. Unmerited, undeserved, sovereign favor from God.
This entire book has been an exposition of this grace. How can we draw near to a holy God? By grace. How was a better covenant established? By grace. How is our sin cleansed? By the blood of Christ, which is grace. How are we to persevere and not fall away? By holding fast to the throne of grace. How are we to offer acceptable worship? By grace. Everything is of grace. It is the beginning, the middle, and the end of our salvation.
And notice the scope: "Grace be with you all." This grace is for all the saints, leaders and laity alike. It is for the strong and the weak. It is for those who are running the race well and for those who are stumbling and struggling. The grace of God in Christ Jesus is the only thing that can keep them, and it is the only thing that can keep us. This is not a polite "sincerely yours." It is a prayer. It is a benediction. It is a final, powerful reminder that our entire Christian life, from start to finish, is suspended from this one golden thread: the free, unmerited, all-sufficient grace of God.
Therefore, as we close this book, let us take this final word to heart. Let us live in the good of it. Let us extend it to one another. Let us rely on it completely. For it is by this grace, and this grace alone, that we will one day enter that heavenly city, the unshakable kingdom, and see the great Shepherd of the sheep face to face. Grace be with you all. Amen.