“There is much more we would like to say about this, but it is difficult to explain, especially since you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen. You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.”
As a writer, I try not to insult my readers. The author of Hebrews does not share that perspective. Or perhaps this author is not afraid to confront the readers on their lack of spiritual growth. So far the book of Hebrews has not been light reading material as far as I am concerned. It’s pretty understandable that the readers would need some teaching on the nuances of the nature of Jesus and other heavenly beings. Even the author (or authors? — notice the “we” here) acknowledges it is difficult to explain.
Let’s receive the contents of this letter as if they were written to us today. Are we spiritually dull? Do we have trouble listening? Are we still satisfied with a milk diet rather than maturing to deeper things? If you’ve been a Christian for a year or more, are you teaching others what you’ve learned so far?
When we follow Jesus, we get to live with a continual hunger for more. We can never be satisfied because there is always more of God. We can never go deep enough that we reach the end of God. When we are satisfied with our spiritual lives, we get complacent. When we are complacent, we stop trying to grow. Don’t be satisfied with what you’ve discovered about God so far. Whether you have been following Jesus for one day or fifty years, there’s more to discover. Ask him to show you more of himself in this moment.