Now we come to the final chapter of this great epistle - Hebrews 13. It is the crown gracing the brow of this inspired Hebrews letter and glitters with the glory and preeminence of Christ. There is a seven-fold presentation of our lovely Lord in this chapter which we shall follow in our continued meditations on the ‘sevens’ of scripture.

The whole epistle sustains one dominant theme from first to last – the supremacy of Christ! From chapter one where we see Him in the character of Son greater than the prophets of old and in whom God has spoken His final word, through to chapter thirteen where the divine story comes to its thrilling climax, Christ is supreme. Apart from Christ God has nothing more to say. Having exhausted His vocabulary in Christ God has no further revelation for mankind. The whole message is Christ! Christ in His glorious person, Christ in His priestly ministry, and Christ in His perfected sacrifice. As to His person he is greater than the angels (Heb 1); as to His priestly ministry He is greater than Aaron (Heb 5); and as to His perfect and completed sacrifice we see Him as the enthroned Sin-purger (Heb 1) sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high!

The reason for the Christ-exalting theme of the epistle is to establish the superiority of Christ’s comprehensive ministry over that of Judaism founded upon the Mosaic code. It is again an encouragement for Paul’s readers to go on to Christian maturity, and to realise the ‘better’ things they now possess in Christ. Nine times over they are told of these ‘better’ things. Christ is better than the angels (Heb 1:4); they have a better hope (Heb 7:19); a better covenant and promises (Heb 8:6); better sacrifices (Heb 9:23); a better substance (Heb 10:34); a better country (Heb 11:16); a better resurrection (Heb 11:35); and Christ’s blood speaks better things than that of Abel (Heb 12:24). All these better things are because of their union with the true Messiah, Jesus Christ. Now the epistle ends with this 7-fold presentation of their majestic Messiah in Heb 13. He is seen to be: