Heb 5:11-14 Grow Up!

Hebrews 5:11–14 ESV

11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

Martin Luther is well known for his courage and boldness in standing for God’s word when everyone around him did not. You might know quite a bit about Martin Luther, but what you might not know is how he failed to notice his bed sheets. Martin Luther said: “Before I was married, the bed was not made for a whole year and became foul with sweat. But I worked so hard and was so weary I tumbled in without noticing it.” However, when Martin married the runaway nun Katherine Von Bora, the bed was made, the sheets were changed, and the house was kept clean. For some of us, especially the men, we pay very little attention to our bed sheets being washed. I doubt that we would be as bad as Luther and go without washing them for a whole year. But, general hygiene has greatly improved since Luther’s time as well, nowadays to do laundry takes 40 min in the washer and another 40 min in the dryer, and 7 business days to fold the laundry and put them away… It was not that Luther was trying to avoid laundry, but he just did not notice them. This was not a priority for him. In different stages of our life, certain aspects hold a higher priority than others. For example, when you are dating, you might give a higher priority to your appearance, while in school your priority might be on grades, while parenting the priority is on routines. It is not that after you are married that appearance doesn’t matter, but it isn’t as a priority as it might have been before. If we are not careful the same can happen in our spiritual walk. We must consciously evaluate where we are in the basic disciplines no matter our stage of life. If you don’t make these disciplines a priority you will not notice that you are not really spending time with God in His word. This section of scripture is a rebuke, it is calling all of us to pay attention to our walk and to grow up spiritually by getting nourishment from God’s word. This rebuke seems to come up unexpectedly. Previously the author of Hebrews taught us that Jesus is far greater than all the OT high priests. That Jesus is our great perfect High priest, who is able to sympathize with us, and at the same time, Jesus is completely perfect and sinless. In the same manner that Aaron was appointed and called by God, so Jesus was called and appointed by God as a priest after the order of Melchizedek. Our expectation would have been for the author to explain about Melchizedek. Rather, as the author looks at his audience and where they were, he stops and gives them a rebuke.

Hebrews 5:11 ESV

11 About this we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

The “this” the author is referring to is about Melchizedek, which he has much to say and explain. However, he says that it is hard to explain, but when we study chapter 7 we will see that it is not that hard to understand, so why does the author of Hebrews says it is hard to explain? Because “you have become dull of hearing.” The problem here is not the content but the hearer’s reception of the teaching. When it says “you have become” it indicates that the hearers were previously in a better spiritual condition but now they are in a state of dull of hearing. This may sound benign today, but in that day he was being harsh. It would be akin to me saying to you that you are deaf and dumb, that you are slow to learn and lazy, and that you need to grow up. The phrase dull of hearing also indicates sluggishness and lacking a sense of purpose. The wording here indicates that the hearers were culpable of negligence or sluggishness. In short, they were lazy in hearing God’s word. They were not paying close attention to what we have heard. They were lazy and were not reading or studying God’s word. Furthermore, the author is probably making reference to Psalm 95 because of the choice of words in the original language. The author had already made reference to this Psalm, which says “Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” The dullness of hearing might be from sluggishness and or from a heart that doesn’t want to listen to God. This applies to all of us today. We cannot harden our hearts to what God has said. Moreover, we cannot be lazy about spending time in God’s word. If we don’t make it a priority, it might be a year before we notice it. Without noticing we will spend less and less time learning and hearing God’s word. One of the greatest offenses the devil uses against us is to keep us from reading, listening, studying, and obeying God’s word. Because without God’s word we are weak, and when we are weak we are an easy prey. It is not enough to only study God’s word on Sunday. The key to Christian growth is listening and obeying God’s word daily. Maybe in the past, you were spending time in God’s word, but recently you honestly have not. Make it a resolution today, and get back to it today. But remember it will take a resolution. It will take change. It will take intentionality and a willingness to grow back to where you once were. Like Luther and washing his bed sheets. You can’t just read His word when we finally realize we need it, or something is stinking in our lives. We need to be reading daily so we notice the early signs of God needing us to make a change before it requires His discipline! Maybe this is why God has put so many things in our lives that we have to do daily, like eating and cleaning. As we must do these tasks daily – even multiple times a day we should be reminded of our daily need to hear from God, by spending time in His word, by having our nourishment from the word of God, for man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Hebrews 5:12 ESV

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food,

The author was not rebuking believers that had just come to faith. Their background in knowledge of the OT, plus the passing of time as followers of Christ should have caused them to not only be great hearers and students of God’s word. But, at this point, they ought to be teachers. Furthermore, because of their suffering as followers of Christ, it should have caused them to be mature believers, who are able to help and teach others when they go through the same sorts of suffering. Some of you are teachers and you know that it takes a lot of preparation and study before you can teach. If you have ever taught any class you know that when you teach besides learning a lot in the process of teaching, you have to master the content of your teaching, plus you have to know your students and help them learn what you are teaching. I’m not saying that I know better as your teacher of God’s word. However, because I don’t have many years of experience as a pastor it takes me a lot of time to prepare each sermon. I find it most beneficial for my preparation to spend significant time in God’s word. I have been reading through the bible every three months. I’m not saying this to brag, far from it, I am just saying that in order for anyone to be a teacher of God’s word it takes significant time in God’s word. Not everyone is called to be a teacher or a preacher, but every follower of Christ should be growing in their grasp of biblical truth and its application, in order to be able to exhort ourselves, and one another every day against the deceitfulness of sin. This is what the readers of this letter were not doing, they had become dull of hearing because they had not been hearing God and studying His word. You can hear the exasperation in the voice of the author here, he wants to teach them about Melchizedek, but he had to rebuke them first, in order for them to listen and grow up in their faith. “you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God” As the author was saying that the hearers should be able to teach, he continues in this classroom imagery to tell the hearers that they are like older children who cannot read anymore and need to relearn the basics, essentially the ABCs. They needed to relearn the basic principles of the oracles of God, which the author lists in chapter 6:1-2: repentance, faith, baptism, laying of hand, the resurrection, and eternal judgment. If we had to relearn to read, studying the ABCs and phonics would be bad, nor would it take long, but it is regrettable that it is required. Here is my take when learning another language. the most important part is not knowing the grammar and having an extensive vocabulary, even though those are necessary. To learn a language well, you have to master the alphabet, and how to pronounce each letter, especially the vowels. Essentially the phonic and phonemic principles. If you master the pronunciation of the vowels and have it embedded in your brain for every word and their sound, you will be able to get very comfortable with that language. In the same manner, it is only after we master and have ingrained in our heads and hearts the ABCs of the oracles of God, that is the basics of the Christian gospel, that we can go on in understanding the rest of God’s revelation. There is only one foundation, Jesus Christ who is the only foundation for our faith and life. There is nothing wrong with hearing the basics over and over again. The problem here is that they needed someone to teach them the basics again. While they should be able to teach others the basics, their dullness of hearing indicated that instead, they needed to be taught the basics. They needed to be reminded of their needfor Christ. Considering the hearers' need the author continues by saying “You need milk, not solid food,” Paul uses a similar metaphor in 1 Cor 3:1-2 when Paul is correcting the church in Corinth and addressing the problem of division in the church. Paul was saying to the Corinthians that they needed milk and not solid food, not because of their lack of knowledge of the Word, but because of their lack of obedience to the word since there was jealousy and strife among them. We see here in these two uses of the same metaphor that Christian maturity is both knowledge and obedience to God’s word. Let me say that again in another way… It is not just knowledge of God’s word that brings about maturity. Knowledge of Scripture must be coupled with obedience! This obedience is not just because we do it out of love, but like Christ, it is our JOY to listen and obey. That means we find greater JOY in listening and obeying God more than anything else. It would be wrong for us to assume that solid food is more important than milk. Milk is essential for infants. Babies will not grow and develop properly if they don’t get milk. The digestive system of babies is not developed enough, and they don’t have teeth to properly chew solid food. In the same way, the basic principles of the oracles of God, salvation through repentance and faith is foundational for someone who is beginning their walk with Jesus. Here the author of Hebrews is not saying that understanding the truths about Melchizedek or that salvation through Jesus is more important than the other. Rather he is arguing that you cannot learn about Melchizedek without first understanding the basics of salvation. Just as when reading, learning the alphabet is not more important than parts of speech or forming sentences. But without knowing the alphabet you can’t make a sentence. Each believer should grow in maturity and understanding of God’s revelation appropriately to their growth. Jesus is the only foundation, and it doesn’t mean you are better or worse than others if you are a mature believer. God is changing each of us to be more and more like Christ. The longer we are following Christ, the more that is expected of us. From whom much is given, much is required. It seems to me that many believers think that once they are saved, they are done there is nothing else to do. It is partially true, there are no works we can do to be saved. We repent and believe in Jesus. However, there is so much more. God expects us to grow in maturity and understanding of Him. He has given us His Spirit and His word, so for the time we are living, may that be 80 or 120 or less years, we are continuing to grow in the likeness of Christ, as we hear His word and obey Him.

Hebrews 5:13 ESV

13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

Notice that the author here says everyone who lives on milk. It does not mean we should not have milk, but the emphasis is on living on milk. Are you still depending on and learning only the basics of the oracles of God? Living on milk is when you are content and satisfied in knowing just enough to be saved. If you have settled down in the basics of the faith and are content with coming to church on Sunday or letting someone else study scripture for you then this rebuke is for you. You need to grow up literally. You need to seek God’s word independently. God longs to have you grow in understanding and knowledge of the one you say you are following. You might ask why? Isn’t it enough to know Jesus and be saved? God’s desire for each of us is not only that we come to the knowledge of the Son of God and be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. But that “we all attain the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Eph 4) If you look at American history and how much the American church has been given and then look in general at the status of the majority of Christians in America. We could say that we have an immature American church because there are so many who are being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, by false teachings, and by deceitful schemes. How do we keep from being led astray? By eating solid food. This means you desiring to grow in your knowledge and obedience to Jesus. This means you are spending time in His Word so that when someone shares something with you, you have enough maturity to pause and catch when something contradicts scripture.

Hebrews 5:14 ESV

14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

When it says “distinguish good from evil” is probably making an allusion to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and how Adam and Eve had to distinguish, make a decision, namely what not to do. A mature believer is someone who through constant practice has listened and obeyed God so he/she is able to distinguish good from evil. We will not grow overnight, it takes time and practice. It takes a lifetime of studying and reading God’s word. Furthermore, it takes a lifetime of perseverance in obedience to grow in spiritual maturity. Studying and obeying God’s word cannot be separated. There are so many unbelievers that know the Bible better than many Christians. There are many college professors who know the Bible well, and they teach about the Bible, while at the same time they are atheists. Just head knowledge is not enough. James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Remember how often demons would cry out saying you are the Son of God when Jesus was casting them out. Knowing the Bible, believing that there is God, and even believing that Jesus is the Son of God is not enough to keep you from hell. If the way you live is not in submission and obedience to Christ. Our submission and obedience to Christ cannot be only for the sake of salvation. It has to be because of our JOY and delight to listen and obey Him. Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. The commandment in the Psalm is for us to delight ourselves in the Lord, to find our Joy in Him. It is only when we find our joy in the Lord that we will listen and obey, and we will do it with joy because the Lord is our delight. How do we grow up? By finding our joy and delight more and more in the Lord. He loves us, He redeemed us, He is refining us, and we are going to be more and more like Christ if we grow in our love and delight in the Lord. Don’t be discouraged, because if we depend on ourselves we will not be able to perfectly listen and obey. But, we are not left alone, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be our helper. We need to cling to Jesus and ask for His help and the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth and He will give us the discernment and the wisdom and the ability to obey. We might not notice our state and need to grow, but the Holy Spirit knows and He notices and because He cares for us, He wants us to grow and ask for His help so that we might grow to mature manhood to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.