The term "hard sayings" refers to passages in the Bible that are difficult to understand, accept, or interpret. These sayings often challenge readers with their complexity, moral demands, or theological depth. They can be found throughout both the Old and New Testaments and have been the subject of much scholarly debate and interpretation.

Old Testament Hard Sayings

1. The Binding of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19): This narrative describes God commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. The difficulty lies in understanding God's request and the nature of faith and obedience. The Berean Standard Bible recounts, "Then God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'" This passage raises questions about divine testing and the nature of God's promises.

2. The Destruction of the Canaanites (Deuteronomy 7:1-2): God commands the Israelites to destroy the Canaanite nations. The BSB states, "When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are entering to possess and drives out before you many nations... you must destroy them totally." This raises ethical questions about divine justice and the historical context of these commands.

3. The Suffering Servant (Isaiah 53): This prophetic passage describes a servant who suffers for the sins of others. The BSB reads, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief." The identity and role of this servant have been debated, with Christian interpretation often seeing it as a foreshadowing of Christ's atoning sacrifice.

New Testament Hard Sayings

1. The Bread of Life Discourse (John 6:53-60): Jesus speaks about eating His flesh and drinking His blood, which perplexes many of His followers. The BSB records, "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.'" This saying challenges readers to understand the spiritual significance of communion and the nature of eternal life.

2. The Cost of Discipleship (Luke 14:26-27): Jesus speaks about the demands of following Him. The BSB states, "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple." This hyperbolic language emphasizes the total commitment required to follow Christ, often misunderstood as a literal call to hatred.

3. The Parable of the Unjust Steward (Luke 16:1-13): This parable involves a steward who is commended for his shrewdness after being dishonest. The BSB recounts, "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly." The difficulty lies in understanding the moral lesson, which emphasizes wise stewardship and the use of worldly resources for eternal purposes.

Interpretative Approaches

1. Historical-Cultural Context: Understanding the historical and cultural background of these sayings can provide insight into their meaning and application. For example, the ancient Near Eastern context of the Canaanite conquest or the Jewish understanding of sacrifice can illuminate these difficult passages.

2. Theological Framework: Interpreting hard sayings within the broader theological narrative of Scripture helps to reconcile difficult passages with the character of God as revealed throughout the Bible. This includes themes of justice, mercy, and redemption.

3. Christological Focus: Many hard sayings find resolution in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Viewing these passages through a Christ-centered lens can reveal their ultimate fulfillment and purpose in God's redemptive plan.

4. Spiritual Application: Hard sayings often challenge believers to deeper faith and obedience. They invite reflection on personal discipleship and the transformative power of God's Word in the life of the believer.

These hard sayings, while challenging, offer profound opportunities for growth in understanding and faith. They invite believers to wrestle with the complexities of God's revelation and to seek wisdom through prayer, study, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.Hard Sayings

HARD SAYINGS; HARD SENTENCES

sa'-ingz;, sen'-ten-siz: In Daniel 5:12 the King James Version (Aramaic 'aqiahan), the Revised Version (British and American) "dark sentences," of enigmatic utterances which preternatural wisdom was needed to interpret; in John 6:60 (skleros. ho logos), of sayings (Christ's words at Capernaum about eating His flesh and drinking His blood) difficult for the natural mind to understand (compare 6:52).

2420. chidah -- a riddle, an enigmatic, perplexing saying or ...
... Usage dark sayings (2), difficult questions (2), insinuations (1), intrigue (1),
riddle (10), riddles (1). dark saying sentence, speech, hard question, proverb ...
/hebrew/2420.htm - 6k

The Great Confession - the Great Commission - the Great ...
... And it is this which also enables us to answer the doubt, perhaps engendered by
inability to understand seemingly unintelligible, hard sayings of Christ, such ...
/.../the life and times of jesus the messiah/chapter xxxvii the great confession.htm

Of Reading
... Hard sayings may be left to disputers and to wise men used for a long time
in holy doctrine. It helps us truly mickle to profit in good. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/rolle/the fire of love/chapter ix of reading.htm

Of the Reading of Holy Scriptures
... Ask freely, and hear in silence the words of holy men; nor be displeased at the
hard sayings of older men than thou, for they are not uttered without cause. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/imitation of christ/chapter v of the reading.htm

Its Results Dependent Upon the Spirit of the Hearers.
... Thus, like those "hard sayings" [156] which were to some the "words of Life," and
to others an insupportable "offence," the parables served to sift and purge ...
/.../section 66 its results dependent.htm

Wesley Meets Peter Bohler
... I give all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and
have not charity, it profiteth me nothing" [I:Cor.13:3]. Oh, hard sayings! ...
/.../wesley/the journal of john wesley/wesley meets peter bohler.htm

But Let it be Granted that Jesus Observed all the Jewish Usages...
... letter, express themselves somewhere, when about to relate histories, in words like
this, "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter hard sayings of old ...
//christianbookshelf.org/origen/origen against celsus/chapter vi but let it.htm

He Accuses the Christian Teacher, Moreover of "Seeking after the ...
... For I seek in preference those who are more clever and acute, because they are able
to comprehend the meaning of the hard sayings, and of those passages in the ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter lxxiv he accuses the.htm

The Danger of Riches
... 8. But who is able to receive these hard sayings? Who can believe that
they are the great truths of God? Not many wise not many ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 87 the danger of.htm

Messiah's Easy Yoke
... on, step by step, and waiting for the proper season of unfolding to them, those
more difficult points, which, for a time, appeared to them to be hard sayings. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/newton/messiah vol 1/sermon xv messiahs easy yoke.htm

Letter Xlii. To Chilo, his Disciple.
... There are to be enjoyed explanations of hard sayings, expositions of the teachings
of the apostles, interpretations of the thoughts of the gospels, lessons in ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/letter xlii to chilo his.htm

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