The Deception of the Concept “Deep Teaching” (Hebrews 5:11)

The author of Hebrews runs into an interesting problem in chapter 5. He is in the midst of teaching a topic that concerns the priesthood of Jesus Christ when he suddenly says, “We have much to say about this but it is hard to explain.” (5:11) Why was it hard to explain? Was it a complicated subject reserved for the brightest theologians? Was it for the academically gifted? Was he himself struggling to communicate the abstract concept of the priesthood of Jesus Christ. I believe the answer comes next and it is very clear. He writes: “. . .because you are slow to learn.” The problem here was not the teacher nor the subject being taught.

Notice: There is no room to:

1) Play the “I’m not that smart” card.

2) Excuse yourself from the learning table because it is “deep doctrine.” (The only place in Scripture that mentions doctrine as “deep” is in reference to Satan’s teaching (Rev. 2:24) . God’s doctrine is called “healthy,” or “meat” because it is needed for growth.)

The meaning of the Greek word lets us know the problem right away . The word for “slow” is “nothroi” (“no” as “no” and “throi” for “push” ) meaning, “you have no push for learning.” Nothroi means “dull, sluggish, numb.” It was used of a lion, the king of the beast, after he had been shot with poison darts and his limbs were numb, or nothroi.

The teacher was ready to go on with information they needed but their spiritual condition stopped the flow of needed Christian doctrine.

In a healthy condition, lions are great hunters.

A spiritually healthy believer is a great student.
(1 Peter 2:2)