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.
Here is the two-pronged admonition from the author of Hebrews.
First, he accuses them of being sluggish in their capacity to listen, hear and act. Almost like a school teacher who knows it is important for his students to listen,
to hear what he is trying to teach them, but all he sees when he looks out at the classroom…is glazed looks and droopy eyes.
It is one thing for people to be genuinely young in their faith…in fact, there is much that is inspiring in watching them. For example, some young people, say ages
8-13, are immature in their faith simply because they are 8 to 13. But at the same time, they sing in full voice, without shame, nothing holding them back…and in that, we adults could learn something.
At our church orchestra concert we were treated to the fruit of Mr. Jansen’s labors while listening to a number of children in that age group playing their violins
and cellos, some of them young boys. That is inspiring and is a great hope for the church’s future. Young men who will mature in the realization that music is not simply for girls…but for all of God’s people.
We rejoice in watching and participating in the growth of the immature into maturity, regardless of their age. But it is another thing for people who have been Christians
for some time, and show all the ability and desire to grow in every area of their lives…Even pursuing those desires with a vengeance…but not when it comes to the practice of their faith…to their knowledge of the Lord and His word, or the effort necessary to
establish rituals and liturgies that form us into mature Christians. Why is that do you suppose?
Some folks think that they will just leave such things to the “professionals” or say that they are not gifted at theological pursuits”, by which they often mean, I
don’t want to be bothered with all of that. In other words, they want to remain spiritual babies…babies get served but do little serving…in fact, infants, have nothing demanded from them, but do whatever comes natural…Spiritual infants are in effect, doing
the same thing…I will accept folks serving me, doing for me, being there for me…but I will not be a responsible, giving, serving mature person.
And with all seriousness, think about this for a moment, think honestly and candidly: What happens to people, what happens in your life, where do we end up if all
we are doing is what comes natural?
We all know that it is quite natural to sin…to be self-centered, to look out only for ourselves. It is quite natural to manipulate, twist the truth, and use people
instead of love people…all those and much more comes naturally. And that is what the immature are inclined toward…doing what comes natural.
The preacher tells his people that they should be teachers by now, they have been taught well enough, instructed well enough that they should be those who are helping,
serving and loving others…but they are not.
Prong number two, but first, let’s ask a question: What is this maturity that the author is going after? Well, he strongly implies that those who are ready for solid
food, those who are mature and maturing are skilled in the word of God’s righteousness. (13)
Now, this is a bit confusing, so stay with me. The word that is used for righteousness, is actually the word justice…skilled in the word of God’s justice. And they
are trained by experience and practice in the Word of God that they can tell good from evil, right from wrong, what is pleasing to the Lord and what is not.
This word, translated righteousness in the ESV is a tricky one and that is why some prefer justice. Here is why: When we think of righteousness, the word leading us
to righteousness, we might be short-sighted and think it is speaking only to your behaving yourself in a kind of self-conscious manner.
Being skilled in God’s word means, in this sense, that God’s word is training you to be a holy person, that the point is simply your personal conduct. And that is
not untrue, it is just too narrow. The idea is not just that God’s word trains you personally how to conduct yourself, but how God intends through his Word to set the world right.
Training us to understand God’s purpose in righteousness through His word: Who is Jesus, through His word, Holy Scripture, to bring everything into submission to the
King, who is Jesus Christ. God’s word, when it takes hold of us, as we are maturing influences everything…not just you personally, but you and everything you touch, everything you are…everything you venture to do that is much bigger than just yourself.
What the preacher wants is that the people of God, that we, become proficient in understanding and using the entire message of God’s healing, restoring, and saving
justice. He wants us to know our way around the whole message of scripture and of the gospel to be able to handle this message in relation to our own lives, our families, our church, our community and even the world as a whole.
Remember, Christianity is not just that God forgives us and then we go to heaven when we die…No, as God’s family, we do our Father’s work…we image the kingdom, now
as we wait for its fullness.
Here is the bottom line: If we find ourselves wanting to coast in our Christian lives…we know God, we know His word just fine and we turn away from the challenging,
the self-emptying, the deepening humility and the serving of the world around us…not wanting to think a bit harder about our faith, refusing to develop Biblical liturgies and habits that take us deeper into the life of faith, then we might want to ask ourselves
whether we are prepared to settle for permanent spiritual babyhood…Hebrews says that is exactly what we are doing.
Some years ago a young man who had grown up in a good church that took the Bible, the Christian life, quite seriously, was questioning out loud why it is that he seems
to be dealing with so much more in his life than his friends who didn’t take their Christian lives all that seriously are dealing with? They were not asking questions about honoring the Lord’s Day…they weren’t asking questions about how the Lord governs their
dating life…they weren’t all that concerned about what they watched, or how lying to their parents about their whereabouts was the wrong way to go.
He concluded: It would be better to be ignorant of what God says about all those things. If I didn’t know, what I know, if what God says wasn’t so clearly set before
me, then I wouldn’t have all these pressing questions bothering me! I wouldn’t have to work so hard as to get around what God wants! Ignorance would be bliss!
Now, what would you say to such a young man? Be careful, it is possible to quote Nathan the prophet, You are that man.
It is the desire of our flesh to stay infants, to live as a spiritual Peter Pan and never grow up. The sermon of Hebrews is very clear, there is only one way to know
good from evil…to know the Lord and His ways, to be skilled in the Word of justice…by doing…by putting into practice being who we are.
I know, believe me I know…that ice-cream is, in the moment, more enjoyable than broccoli…but solid food is for the mature…let’s grow up.
Prayer: Father, forgive my unholy yawning…living as though Your grace, mercy and love mean so little. Open my eyes to see more clearly so that I might have a great
desire for holiness and to set my life to its pursuit. Holy Spirit of God, give me sight to the unseen, to the promises that a living hope makes to seem seeable and touchable. Help me, that I would not be ashamed at the coming of my King and Savior, through
Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.
Hymn: Miserere Mei