Jesus the Messiah, the Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever — What It Really Means

There’s a favorate verse often quoted in charismatic circles—especially when discussing healing or the gifts of the Spirit:

“Jesus the Messiah is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

— Hebrews 13:8, ESV

As someone who wholeheartedly believes that the gifts of the Spirit continue today—healing, deliverance, prophecy, the whole Book of Acts—I want to say something that may surprise some:

Hebrews 13:8 is not about healing.

Yes, Jesus healed in the Gospels.

Yes, He heals today.

Yes, He will continue to heal tomorrow.

But the author of Hebrews did not write this verse to defend charismatic practice.

In context, the meaning is far richer, more sobering, and far more relevant to the days we are living in.

1. The Context: A Community Under Pressure

Hebrews was written to Jewish believers undergoing severe persecution. 

• Some were imprisoned (Heb. 10:34; 13:3).

• Some had property seized.

• Some were tempted to deny Messiah to avoid pressure (Heb. 6:4–6; 10:32–39).

• Some had already died for their faith (Heb. 13:7).

  
  

These believers were shaken. They were emotionally exhausted and drifting from a place of confidence (Heb. 10:35). They were losing heart. 

In Hebrews 13, the writer shifts gears into a series of rapid-fire pastoral exhortations—almost like we see in Proverbs—meant to stabilize a weary community: 

Hebrews 13:1–4, paraphrased 

• Let love for one another endure (v.1).

• Show hospitality even to strangers—you never know when you may be hosting angels (v.2).

• Remember prisoners and the mistreated—identify with them as if it were your own body (v.3).

• Honor marriage and sexual purity, for God will judge immorality (v.4).
  

It’s a pastoral reset for a persecuted church. But then the tone deepens.

2. Remember Your Leaders Who Have Finished the Race 

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God.

Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”

— Hebrews 13:7 

The phrase “the outcome of their way of life” strongly suggests that these leaders had already died, and we assume as martyrs. Their perseverance under pressure becomes the example for the next generation. 

This echoes Hebrews 11, where the writer honors those who endured torture and death: 

“Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life.”

— Hebrews 11:35 

The message being communicated is to look at those who finished faithfully. Remember their endurance in the face of persecution. Imitate their courage.

And then—immediately—comes verse 8. 

This is not accidental.

3. Verse 8: The Unchanging Messiah Who Sustained Them Will Sustain You 

“Jesus the Messiah is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

— Hebrews 13:8 

This verse flows directly from verse 7 (obviously).  

The same Jesus who gave your leaders grace to endure—even unto death—is the Jesus who stands with you right now. It is an anchor for a storm-tossed people who were tempted to abandon their faith as the cost of following the Messiah increased. 

Ray Stedman captures this beautifully. Commenting on this verse, he quotes the inscription on John Wesley’s memorial in Westminster Abbey: 

“God buries His workmen, but carries on His work.”

— Inscription on the memorial to John Wesley, Westminster Abbey

(quoted in Ray Stedman, Hebrews, IVP) 

This is precisely the point of Hebrews 13:8.

Leaders change. Circumstances change. The world changes.

But Jesus never does.

4. The World Is Shaking—But Messiah Is Unshakable

Hebrews was written to people watching the world fall apart. 

So are we. 

During COVID, I sensed strongly that it marked the beginning of a new season. As I was praying in March 2020, asking the Lord about this new thing called coronavirus, I felt strongly to open my Bible to Matthew 24, and when I came upon the phrase birth pangs, it jumped out at me. I sensed that the pace of global shaking would only accelerate. I wrote this in 2020, believing we would see rapid, cataclysmic shifts in the coming years.

Look at what we have witnessed since: 

Since COVID, the world has convulsed: 

• The most chaotic election cycle in U.S. history

• Thousands stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6

• The October 7 massacre—the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust

• Syria was overthrown almost overnight

• The 12-day war between Israel and Iran severely set back Iran’s nuclear ambitions

• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was supposed to take a week, has lasted three and a half years

• Escalating international instability

• Economic tremors

• Severe weather events and natural disasters

• Cultural fragmentation at an unprecedented scale

  
  

It is as if the ground is moving beneath our feet. And into that world, God speaks the same words He spoke to persecuted believers in the first century: 

“Yeshua the Messiah—Jesus Christ—is the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” 

What the author of Hebrew was trying to communicate, and what God is trying to speak to us today, is: “Don’t be afraid. Don’t give in. I told you that these things would come, but I will never leave you nor forsake you.” The writer even quotes that verse in Hebrews 13:5.

5. The Real Message of Hebrews 13:8 

The passage is not about the charismata (which are for today!) but about the faithfulness of Jesus. 

It is a call to persevere.

A call to courage.

A call to fix our eyes on the One who is unchanging. 

As the world races toward the end of the age, as nations shake, as culture shifts and pressure rises, Hebrews shouts to us that the Messiah who sustained the martyrs will sustain you. You can stand firm. And as you do, you can keep your eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:1). 

Everything in this world changes: 

• Governments rise and fall

• Cultures mutate

• Crises erupt

• Leaders die

• Movements fade

• Systems collapse

  
  

But one thing remains eternally, gloriously constant: 

Jesus never changes.

— Hebrews 13:8