Much to Say, Hard to be Uttered

Can a lack of learners' preparation limit how much a teacher is able to teach?

In education, there is a concept known as the null curriculum: topics or portions of a syllabus that teachers avoid, either because they are unfamiliar with the content, believe it is too difficult for learners, or perceive that learners lack the motivation to engage with it.

As a result, these topics are simply not taught. Whether this decision is ethical is widely debated. A similar situation appears in Hebrews 5:11, where the writer struggled to teach a particular portion of the letter, the priesthood of Christ.

Not because he was uncomfortable or unfamiliar with the content, but because of the learners' behavior: they seemed to lack both the background and the motivation to receive instruction on Christ’s priesthood.

How might we tell if someone is spiritually mature?

We might be tempted to compile a long list of signs of spiritual maturity, but for the writer of Hebrews, it can be summed up in one key indicator: a proper understanding of Christ’s priesthood.

I must admit, I struggled with this myself. There were several times I literally fell asleep while reading Hebrews, especially chapters 5 through 7. I didn’t understand a thing; I couldn’t grasp why the writer made such strong arguments or what their implications were. Isn’t it enough that Jesus died?

Why emphasize Christ’s priesthood so much? The teaching was “strong meat,” and at first, I simply couldn’t digest it. It was really strong meat (challenging content) for me.

Dull of Hearing

It seems to me that the acid test of our claim to spiritual maturity is how much of the nuanced teachings of Christ’s priesthood we can digest. The Jewish believers, who were, of course, the primary recipients of Hebrews, were described as “dull of hearing,” and the writer explained why: “Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing.” (Hebrews 5:11).

He seemed to base this assessment on how eager the believers were to receive these teachings. Notice, however, he did not say, “We will not utter it”; he only said it is “hard to be uttered.” Anyone who has taught before will share this feeling when a concept is particularly challenging to communicate.

Grow in the Knowledge of Our Lord Jesus

As a compassionate teacher, the writer multiplied examples, drew on the Levitical priesthood, explained its insufficiency, and then introduced the priesthood of Melchizedek, all to help readers grasp this important topic.

Why? The more we understand Christ’s priesthood, the less people will “crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put Him to an open shame” (Hebrews 6:6). The deeper our understanding, the less likely we are to “tread under foot the Son of God, count the blood of the covenant that sanctifies as an unholy thing, and do despite unto the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). And the more readily we will go “outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Hebrews 13:13).