In 1984, the Wendy’s Corporation aired a national television commercial that will still be remembered in the days to come. The commercial was aired to be a competitive knock on both McDonalds and Burger King. The commercial portrayed three elderly ladies going to lunch at a fictional burger place, whose slogan was “home of the big bun.” As the ladies were served their lunch, they could not help but be floored by the size of the hamburger. As the ladies exchanged comments about the massive hamburger, one of them pulled off the top bun only to see this really tiny meat patty with a pickle on top of it. The third lady made a comment that would become a national slogan for all Wendy locations, “where’s the beef?”
Hebrews 5:12-14
For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
It is almost as if the writer of Hebrews writes to believers and asks, “Where’s the beef?” He takes a step back and looks at their life. They go to church, they fellowship with one another and they are busy serving, but something was off. The writer becomes a little more forthright with the readers and shows them that they are lacking the meat.
Although they may have been busy doing the Christian life, they were not growing as they should.
He tells them that at this point in their walk with the Lord, they should be teaching others how to live (vs. 12), they should have progressed in their diet of the Word (from milk to meat – vs. 12), they are unskilled in the Word (vs. 13) and they are unable to wisely discern for themselves, let alone teach others. When the writer says “full age” he is implying, not that they are older in age, but mature in their walk with Christ. These church members where not growing in Christ like they should be at this stage of their relationship.
Why haven’t they grown much? Most likely because they have spent the majority of their Christian life working on the outward appearance and then as the writer opens up the hamburger he reveals to them that they are missing the most important part of their walk with Christ.
Time spent in the Word of God is not meant to accomplish a daily chore, it means much more than that.
It is meant to help us move from milk to meat, it is meant to help us be able to teach others, it is meant to help us be skilled in our knowledge of God and His Word and it is meant to help us grow in our knowledge of what is right and wrong. As we put a concentrated effort into spending time with the Lord in His Word, we will find out that the externals are soon to follow. They are the results of our time with the Lord.
So I ask you the same question the writer asks in Hebrews, are you still drinking milk? Have you moved on to the meat? Do you focus the majority of your time of the externals of acting the part, or have you devoted your time to the foundation and dedicated your time and efforts to the Word?
If not…where’s the beef?
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