Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession (Hebrews 4:14)
Jesus Christ, Our Great High Priest
Our Lord is presently at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 1:3; Ephesians 1:20), this is termed theologically as His present session. The writer of Hebrews discusses at length the function of Our Great High Priest in chapters 4-9. He outlines the similarity of Jesus Christ’s priesthood (5:5; cf. Hebrews 2:17) with the priesthood of Melchizedek, which predated the Levitical priesthood of Aaron by over 400 years (Exodus 28).
This is an extremely important doctrine which the writer to the Hebrews is attempting to communicate regarding the present high priestly ministry of Jesus Christ and that it supersedes the Old Testament Levitical priesthood. This particular doctrine is equally pertinent for us today, for twice he notes that Our Lord’s present ministry is to intercede on our behalf (7:25; 9:24). This is not an isolated truth, for Paul also mentions this in Romans 8:27, 34 (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5) and John declares that He is our Advocate with God the Father (1 John 2:1). However, in Hebrews 5:11-14, the writer expresses that there is a problem in communicating this truth to his readers. This difficulty “arises not wholly from the nature of the subject, but rather from the unpreparedness of the readers.”1
Dull of Hearing
Concerning Him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. (Hebrews 5:11)
The indictment upon the recipients of the letter to the Hebrews is not that they are simply dull of hearing, but that they have actively become dull of hearing and continue to remain in this state of mind. The Greek word for dull means: “slow, sluggish, indolent.”2 The word obtuse3 comes to mind, meaning one who is simple-minded, “lacking quickness of perception or intellect.”4 It indicates that they are making no effort to hear, or they are lacking in concentration.5 Thus the very nature of the word infers that the individuals are disabled from the “activities of the mind or spirit.”6 To put it bluntly: they are simply apathetic and have no interest in learning God’s truth.
He proceeds to chastise them for being dull of hearing:
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. (Hebrews 5:12–13)
He asserts that by now they ought to be teachers, capable of conveying Biblical truth by their words and manner of life. But instead they need to be taught the elementary principles of the Christian faith. And like infant babies, they now require milk, which implies the necessity of a refresher course of the oracles of God, referring to the basic doctrines of “Christian instruction.”7 He makes it clear that it is milk that they need and not solid food—the deeper truths of the Word8—stating emphatically that infants are not accustomed to solid food. The phrase not accustomed is one word in the Greek and means “unskillful,”9 thus they are unable to “know about or put into practice”10 the deeper truths of the scriptures to achieve the necessary skills for spiritual maturity by learning the word of righteousness.
The Crux of the Issue
But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. (Hebrews 5:14)
Next he exhibits the benefit of solid food which empowers the mature believer to counteract the negative results of their apathy towards spiritual advancement. This particular Greek word for practice appears only here in the New Testament and indicates an acquired skill.11 With sound doctrine believers are able to obtain the essential skills for Christian living, namely, by having their senses trained. What the writer means by senses is the believers’ spiritual faculty of perception12—their mind. And since we are rational, thinking creatures, the believer needs to have the mind trained; just as a gymnast, who by self-discipline, exercises to build up muscle in order to successfully compete.
What is the principle that the writer of Hebrews is advancing? That spiritual maturity can only be achieved when the believer implements a steady and consistent regimen of a daily intake of solid food provided by Scripture. This is the process of building up, as it were, spiritual muscle, in order to obtain these indispensable skills for discerning good and evil (cf. Colossians 2:7; Jude 20). The Apostle Paul advocated this in Romans 12:2, that we should submit to the Scriptures’ transforming process for the “renewing [renovating] of your mind.” To possess these skills enables the believer to determine if they are performing divine good and to readily identify personal sin.
Something to Consider
We need to honestly ask ourselves: Have we become dull of hearing and apathetic to learning God’s Word? Are we endeavoring to attain spiritual maturity?
It is important that we remember the significance of our hearing since it is the beginning step of our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Also, note the emphasis upon hearing in the synoptic gospels, as Our Lord commands us to observe His words: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8; 14:53). And not to be overlooked is the Apostle John’s entry in Revelation of this same command as He advises the seven churches: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
Therefore, we should examine ourselves to determine exactly what distracts us from the discipline of studying God’s Word. For many it’s the overindulgence in the details of life: jobs, entertainment, friends, etc. Even church work can sidetrack us from our vital spiritual life-source—the knowledge of His truth. And there are some who either cannot concentrate on studying or mistakenly believe that Scripture is too difficult to understand. They are unaware of the Biblical fact that believers are aided by the Holy Spirit, Who “will teach you all things” (John 14:26), enabling us to comprehend God’s Word along with all believers (Ephesians 3:18f; cf. 1 Corinthians 2:12f).
If we truly desire to achieve spiritual maturity, we must realize that a mere sermon on Sunday mornings is simply not enough; it requires the consistent daily intake of God’s Word. Regard this appeal as Job pleaded his friend:
“Please receive instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.” (Job 22:22; cf. 23:12)
[1] Dods, Marcus (1990). The Expositor’s Greek Testament (Nicoll, W. Robertson, Ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.291.
[2] Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). In Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 2.180.
[3] Preisker, H. (1964–). νωθρός. In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (G. Kittel, G. W. Bromiley, & G. Friedrich, Eds.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 4.1126.
[4] The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4th Ed. (2007). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., p. 960.
[5] Waugh, R.M.L. (1953). The Preacher and His Greek Testament, London: The Epworth Press, p. 88.
[6] Trench, Richard (1975). Synonyms of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, p. 383.
[7] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 4th Ed., Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, p. 149.
[8] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1951 note, 5:12.
[9] Vine, et al., 2.218.
[10] Ryrie, p. 1951 note, 5:13.
[11] Arndt, W., et al., p. 275.
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