Please read the passage before reading the commentary.
The author has considered the great task of the high priest Jesus Christ. The author has briefly reviewed the great cloud of witnesses that have gone before us. Now the author challenges us.
Brotherly love must continue. Hospitality must be exercised. Hospitality may bring us into contact with angels. Hospitality also provides a safety net for travelers and people new to an area.
Prisoners in ancient times included those guilty of not adhering to the state religion as well as criminals. The Hebrews were well acquainted with those in prison for their religious beliefs. Some of them might also have been in prison for their religious beliefs.
Criminals are in prison because of their crimes. They usually have two sets oof victims, those directly hurt by their crimes and their own families which often lose the chief source of income. While we may feel justified in punishing criminals, their families are not guilty, and the perpetrators have not lost their human dignity. There are many reasons for us not to neglect prisoners. We should be mindful of prisoners.
Marriage must be honored. The covenant between husband and wife, mother and father, commands our respect.
A spirit of poverty is highly recommended.
How we live within the community, how we treat those who have injured the community, and how we honor those covenanted within the community reflect on Jesus Christ who is always the same, yesterday, today, to sorrow and always. We are called to the same ministry of the high priest Jesus Christ. We must act like him because we have been called by God and have put on the Lord Jesus through our faith in God. Through Jesus let us offer God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that confess his name.