David Bahn – Reflections

Hebrews 13:17, 25

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

²⁵ Grace be with all of you.

We’re picky about who we follow – we Americans. With the election of the top government official just over a month away, charges and counter-charges fly left and right. People get bent out of and into shape around this or that candidate, political philosophy, party or cause. And we elect our leaders.

All would be well if, once we elected a leader we would obey him or her. Not blindly. Not unquestioningly. Not in such a way that we disobey God. But fourth commandment respectful obedience. Our obedience to our leaders, however, is more often an obedience of convenience or an obedience out of duress (paying taxes, for example). That’s obedience in the political landscape.

Sadly the landscape in the church is also littered with convenient obedience, cheap grace lifestyles, and consumeristic leader-shopping. We don’t like what this preacher is preaching? We go to a different church. We don’t like what this church stands for? We find a different cause to subscribe to. We get challenged to get out of our pew and put our faith into practice in some inconvenient way? Too often we simply get out of the pew. And we don’t come back.

This is truly sad because our spiritual leaders keep watch over our souls. They will give an account for their leadership – good or bad. Letting them do their leadership task with joy is to our good. I know very few Christian leaders whose primary motive for leading is the personal satisfaction of having people do what they command. While I’m sure some have such base motives, most do not. Most leaders I know lead out of a sincere commitment to follow God and help others follow him as well.

Some people like to cause their leaders grief. Some do so because of a mis-guided desire to keep their leaders from becoming too conceited and self-important. Others do it because of a dysfunctional personality quirk. In either case such an approach is misguided. The saying is true: More leaders die with a broken heart than with an over-inflated ego. We who lead know our failings and frailties. It is such an encouragement to know those whose souls we watch over love, respect an pray for us.

In the end the close of this letter summarizes why good leaders lead and good followers obey. The writer leaves us with this simple wish: “Grace be with all of you.” That is the desire of every good leader for all of his or her followers.

Hebrews 13:17-25

 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have togive an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things. ¹⁹ I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.

²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, ²¹ equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in usthat which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly. ²³ You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon. ²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings. ²⁵ Grace be with all of you.