The Pulpit Commentary — Hebrews — Section 160

Ver. 11-ch. vi. 3.-The evil of inability to apprehend the deeper truths about Christ. 'l'his begins a parenthesis continued to end of eh. vi. 'l'he writer has come to the chief illnstmtion of his great theme-the pre-eminence of the Lord Jesus; but he has hardly entered on this section before he feels himself unable to give full utterance to what he sees of the Redeemer's greatness, because of the dulness of spiritual perception in hie hearers. He fears their religious condition will prevent their following him as he tries to scale the more inaccessible heights, and he cannot restrain an utterance ot sorrow, and a solemn warning of the connection between ignorance of these things and apostasy from the Son of God. The subject of the whole parenthesis, therefore, is-The danger of apostasy which lies concealed in '/Jlie immature apprehension of Christian truth ; but of the part, in these verses, the followiug·is the subject-The evil of inability to apprehend the deeper truths about Christ. I. THE TREASURES OF TRUTH WHICH ARE HIDDEN IN THE LOBO JESUS. "Of whom we have many things to say," etc. Why should the writer preface this particular part of his subject with a reference to its difficulty, since no snch reference is attached to the equally profound truths of previous chapters? 'l'here is no necessity to attach this reference only to what follows; it may look backward as well as forward. 'l'he apostle is in the midst of his theme-the greatness, the fulness, the preciousness of Christ, which he knows not how to utter-and is more likely to feel its difficulty there than at the beginning. 1. The treasures hidden in Christ are, of necessity, infinitely great, because he i,s the Revelation of the character and will of God. "In him dwelletl1 all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." He is the perfect expression of God's love to mn.n. He is the Fountain of all good. He is the embodiment of what the Father desires us to have and be. He is the utterance of what God would say to man. When we think of Christ, therefore, we are but children standing on the shore of an ocean whose further side ha.s never been seen nor reached, and whose depth no human line Cfln fathom. 2. But, in as far as this u revealed through God's Word, it is intended to be '11,'T/derstood. It will require an endless life to understand it perfectly. Growing know- ledge resulting in growing gratitude, love, and devotion,-this, perpetuated without end, is the bright future before us. But, however much we cannot know in the present, Scripture contains a revelation of such fulness in th.e Saviour as the wisest and best have not yet understood and appreciated ; and what is revealed here and now, is obviously intended here and now to be apprehended. We cannot overrate the Saviour's desire to reveal himself, the deep things of hie heart, and the best glories of his nature to hie beloved, nor the Father's will that, as far as on earth it can be received, that revelation should be theirs. II. THE HINDRANCES TO oun POSSESSION OF THESE TREASURES. " How is it that ye do not understand?" Why do we know so little about Christ? Why are the Scriptures to us to a great extent sealed? This passage reveals three reasons for this. l. Spif'itualfeibkness. The Hebrews had lost their early religious vigour. "When by reason of the time [since ye became Christians] ye ought to be," etc. Their condition was one of retrogression. (See what they had been once: "Ye endured a great fight," etc.) They had become vacillating, and ready to return to Judaism. A feeble and deteriorated piety was one reason for their dulness of hearing. 'l'hat is natural. Christ's riches are spiritual, and can only be understood by spiritual perception, Let spiritual power decline, and ability to understand Divine truth declines with it. "The foar of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ; " " 'l'he secret of the Lord is with them that fear nim." 2. Intellectual prejudice. They desired to return to Judaism; its ancient glories still fascinated them, and they were predisposed to accept any teaching aimed to show the untruth of Christianity. That was enough to account for their being dull of hearing. Scepticism is made, more than by anything else, by unwillingness to receive the truth. The mind that allows its personal desires to decide what is truth must become increasingly incapable of discerning truth when it is placed before it. Nothing more surely blinds than prejudice. 3. Sirif1tl inattention. "Every one that partakes of tllilk [i.e. not able to partake of the solid food of Divine truth] is without expcricucc [i.e. bas not made himself acquainted by observation and study] of the Word of righteousness; . . . but solid food is for full-grown men, even those who," etc. That is, spiritual discernment, an apprehension of Gorl's deep things, is the result of use. Inability to understand is the judgment QU io:it.t.ention. Scripture is o. sealed book w the heart tliat neglect:; it. oll. v. 1-14.] THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 153