Today’s text doesn’t begin with the word “Therefore” (although that transition appears multiple times in Hebrews), previous writing on this subject has outlined how Jesus is a “great high priest”, representing us to God the Father. We may talk a lot about how Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, but He was also a high priest in the sense that He offered Himself as that sacrifice, and – having been raised from the dead – He continues to serve as our representative to God the Father. Jesus is uniquely qualified to do so, since He both understands our challenges as human beings, and sits at the right hand of God the Father.
Chosen by God the Father, Jesus (God the Son) also provided an example of the faith we can have in the Father. Even when faced with terrible suffering, Jesus entrusted His spirit to the Father (see Luke 23:46), and the Father was not only faithful by raising Jesus from the dead, but also in giving Jesus great glory and authority. In the same way, we can trust God’s promises, entrusting Him with our spirits, even through our suffering on earth. What He has prepared for us is even greater than we imagine.
However, even after this great news about Jesus’ role as our great high priest, the author of Hebrews needed to pause.
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.
Hebrews 5:11 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.5.11.NIV
Uh-oh! Although there’s a lot more to say about this topic, the original audience of the book of Hebrews was not necessarily ready to learn more about these amazing truths right away. (Having said that, if we’d like to know what the author had “much to say about”, that appears to resume in Hebrews 6:13, to be covered in future lessons from this series.)
The book of Hebrews is generally understood to have been written to Christians with a Jewish background who were being persecuted, possibly under the Roman emperor Nero. When faced with suffering, it sounds like at least some of these Christians were considering leaving their faith, and wondering whether their faith in Jesus Christ was worth the cost. As a result, it makes sense that this first-century audience would be more inclined to listen to other points of view (maybe even from those who had already taken the “easy” way out). In the face of persecution, trying to learn more about Jesus and what it meant to follow Him was probably less appealing than escaping Roman attacks on Christians or living in fear of torture and execution.
Translators of this passage use different phrases to describe the recipients of this letter:
- “…you no longer try to understand.” NIV
- “…you have become poor listeners.” NASB
- “…you have become dull of hearing.” ESV
- “…you are spiritually dull and don’t seem to listen.” NLT
And, while I think that we can understand why this group wasn’t doing a good job of learning more about Jesus, that apathy was not what they needed to help their situation. Still, let’s show some empathy to this group, rather than judgment. For instance:
- I think that we can understand why those who drink too much alcohol or take harmful drugs continue to fall into the same traps, whether to escape the pain of withdrawal or to feel the short-term hit of chemicals, even while we seek to help them out of these dead-end addictions.
- I think that we can understand why people (maybe even some of us) keep doomscrolling to get a hit of dopamine, even if we know that it isn’t good for us.
- I think that we can understand why marketers keep trying to sell products to us, even if they know that we don’t need all of them.
- I think that we can understand why politicians cave to lobbyists and special interest groups that fund their future campaigns, even if they know that they’re not supporting all their constituents.
- I think that we can understand why we sin like we do, even if we know that we shouldn’t.
However, when things seemed bleak, and when human rationale would suggest that caving in to secular pressure would make things better, these first-century Christians – just like Christians today – could find superior hope and a better life through more Jesus: learning more about Him, understanding more about God’s promises, drawing closer to Him, and finding more encouragement in trusting Him. The easy way out may have looked promising in the short term, but it would lead to destruction.
So, when we understand why we – or others – choose sin over righteousness, let us also continue to grow in our understanding of why righteousness is better. Let us look to Jesus Christ, who achieved far more by staying the course than He ever could have by taking the easy way out. Let us get to know Him better, and call upon His help to get us through the difficult times, as well as the temptations that seem to keep overcoming our willpower. When things seem difficult – whether through persecution, trials, or just apathy in our faith – we need more Jesus, not less.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 15, 2026
References:
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. Copyright by The Lockman Foundation.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – Hebrews, by Jim Girdwood and Peter Verkruyse. © 1997 College Press Publishing Co.
