Why Is The Bible So Difficult To Understand?

Have you ever thought, “Why is the Bible so difficult to understand?” I have. As a Bible teacher, I hear this all the time!  And we are right, Bible is often hard to understand.  Today, let’s talk about a few things that will help us gain insight and unlock the meaning of the Bible. God wants us to understand His Word and live out His word in our lives!

To understand the Bible let’s start with the most basic thing we need to do first. God says in His Word…

ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED AND IS USEFUL FOR TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING, AND TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS 2 Tim 3:16

Let’s start by agreeing that the Bible is the very inerrant word of God.

And let’s also confirm…

WHEN THE SPIRIT OF TRUTH COMES, HE WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH. John 16.13

Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we cannot grasp the very words of God. For it is the Holy Spirit that leads us in the Truth of God.

Now let’s ask, why is the Bible still so hard to understand?

There are many reasons the Bible can be a difficult book. We can’t address them all, but understanding a few things about the Bible will hopefully make it easier for you to understand.

I had a huge epiphany when I studied in Israel!

The land, the people, the customs, language, the food, the mindset, and almost everything else were so different than mine! Soooo different!

This land and its people, they are the stuff of the Bible. How then, could I read God’s Word through the lens of who I am and my modern day American experience.

The bible is an ancient book, written thousands of years ago. But it is the most relevant book for our lives today!

Now here’s the thing. We cannot deeply understand the Bible if we think like 21st-century people. And most of us read the Bible using a modern mindset. No wonder we have trouble understanding it!

We are MODERN PHILOSOPHICAL WESTERN thinkers. This is so important to understand!

Our thinking is affected by the world we live in today. We are vastly affected by Greek philosophy and our western culture. Our worldview is modern. It is not grounded in ancient ways.

It is so different from the thinking and ways of the writers of the Bible!

They were ANCIENT ORIENTAL ORTHODOX  thinkers. Like us, their thinking was affected by their world too. So if we want to have a better understanding of the Bible, we need to put the Words of the Bible in the context of the time and the lives of the people in the Bible.

Here’s an example. This passage is often difficult to understand.

“And Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from the region, and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon possessed.”

But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came to Him and kept asking Him, saying, “Send her away, for she is shouting out after us.”


But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”


But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”


And He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”


But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs of the master’s table.”


Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O, woman, your faith is great; be it done as you wish. And her daughter was healed at once.  Matthew 15:21-28

We need to think like a first-century Jew to understand this sometimes difficult passage. So let’s put away our modern thinking!

Jesus and His disciples went to the land of Tyre and Sidon.  I did a little research and found out that Tyre and Sidon were Gentile (no Jews there) lands. Jews would not usually travel in Gentile lands. If they did they would be considered defiled. (Remember, no modern thinking!)

By now Jesus’s fame was close to Rock Star status and He would have been known everywhere He went! This scripture takes place at the height of His popularity. Certainly, His miracles would be very well known.

A Canaanite woman, a person that a good Jew would have nothing to do with, as they were evil, idol worshiping people, came to Jesus and kept calling out for help. This was most unusual during this time. Jews and Gentiles usually did not mix and certainly, a Jewish man would have very little to do with a Gentile woman!

 The Gentile woman called Jesus, SON OF DAVID. This was more than amazing!

SON OF DAVID was the Jewish description for the long awaited King of the Jews. It is another word for Messiah or Christ. Jesus was the long-awaited Savior and King of Kings. This idol worshiper knew to call him SON OF DAVID!

This woman was coming to the only one who could help her even if it was totally unheard of during her time.

She had a sick demon possessed child. Even though she lived among a very evil people group and did not know the One true God, like all mothers, she loved her child. What would you do if your child was in such trouble?

Sometimes, I think we are so jaded by modern medical marvels. They are commonplace and normal in our world. We can cure so many ailments that our lives can be pretty sanitized in our affluent modern world. We don’t understand the desperate way many ancients lived. Lives were shattered by disease, mental illness, birth defects, and accidents. If this was one’s lot in life it remained unchanged!

Jesus, the Savior of the world, would not answer the Canaanite woman. He said to His disciples that He had only come to save the “lost sheep of Israel”.

Here is a little context. The Jews were often compared to sheep in the ancient writings. God used sheep, the “stuff” of their time and an everyday thing in their world, to show the Jew just how lost they were and how they needed a shepherd. Sheep cannot survive on their own. They need a shepherd. And Jesus is the Good Shepherd.

Jesus did come to save the world by dying on the cross and taking away ALL sin but during His ministry on earth, His job was to minister to the Jews. And the woman in this scripture passage was a Gentile.

But the woman would not be deterred. She came to Jesus and bowed down to Him. Again amazing! And she calls Jesus Lord, which means master and creator. She must have been so desperate!

Here is Jesus’ response to her “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs“.

An odd and snarky sounding response. This is hard to understand coming from Jesus!

So, let’s put this passage into the context of the day.

Jesus often called the Jews “children”. He was their Rabbi, meaning teacher.

Bread was a staple of life in the ancient world. No wonder Jesus called Himself “the bread of life”.

And why did Jesus talk about dogs?  Now we really have to put away your 21st-century thinking for this one!  A dog was another name for a Gentile.  The Jews called Gentiles dogs. It was common language. One that both Jews and Gentiles would understand.

In today’s thinking, this would be quite an insult. At the time this passage was written that’s just how it was!

So here is what Jesus is saying to the Canaanite woman…

My ministry is with my people, my children the Jews, and not to the Gentiles (at least not yet) who do not know or believe in my Father!

The woman’s reply astounds me!  She said, Yes, Lord, acknowledging Jesus’ statement was true, and added…

But even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.

She was saying that she would take the crumbs of Jesus’ ministry and that will be sufficient!

Oh, what beautiful faith! How many of us are willing to take the crumbs. For even they are sufficient.

And because of her faith, her daughter is healed by Jesus’ word.

And like the Canaanite woman I bow to my wonderful Lord after understanding this! How can you not love Jesus when you understand!!!!!

When we can step out of our world and tread and plod through ancient lands with the ancient peoples and learn their ways we will begin to find such beautiful and deep meaning and truths in the Bible!

I love this scripture. At first glance, I wondered why Jesus was so snarky. Why He would not help.  But when I understood the context of this passage and read the scripture in light of the custom and culture it made sense.

Jesus was really the amazing God I have always known Him to be.  Compassionate, always calling people to a saving belief in Him. Not wanting any to perish.

What a difference when we understand.

Here are some practical things that have helped me study and understand the bible…

We should always read and study the bible starting with prayer. Ask the Holy Spirit, the One who “leads us in all truth” (Jn 16:13) to open our eyes and hearts (our mind, will, emotion and intellect) to the Word.

We should read God’s word, not for head knowledge alone, but because we want to align our lives with what God says. Transforming our lives should be our ultimate goal.

We should read the Bible asking the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. Don’t reach for commentaries or audio or video aids. Always dig into the word and mine out the treasure for yourself. God wrote His Word with YOU  in mind!!!!

 I keep a notebook handy to write what I am learning and to write any questions I have. I always ask the Holy Spirit to help me with my questions and to guide me to the right answer. I also thank and praise Him ahead of time for I know that He will answer my prayer!

Only after I have garnered what I can learn from the word, I consult good, God-centered commentaries and study aids. They often give the historical context of what I am studying.

Knowing God’s word takes time and effort and commitment! He gave us His word to know Him and to bring us unto Salvation and to change our lives.

We are His ambassadors to a lost, dark, and hurting world. We need to introduce them to the Bread of life and the lovers of their souls.

The next time you find scripture difficult, rejoice! Take the time to get into the word and find the context and true meaning. With the help of the Holy Spirit, you will be on the journey to finding beautiful and life changing truth.

You might want to memorize this true and beautiful scripture.

ALL SCRIPTURE IS GOD BREATHED AND USEFUL FOR TEACHING, REBUKING, CORRECTING AND TRAINING IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. 2 Tim 3:16

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46 Comments

  1. Dawn Reynolds says:

    Thank you for enlightening me on that scripture. I had no idea what it was trying to say. It makes sense now. I also want to thank you for renewing my faith in our savior. I have been lax in my faith to say the least but reading your column has helped me come back. I hope you continue to bring this type of scripture study to us. It wakes up my soul!

    1. Oh my! Praise God! What a joyful thing it is to restrengthen our faith and to move forward refreshed. May you press into our Lord and may He show Himself to you in big ways in your life. I pray we all, like you, keep renewing our faith!

  2. I completely agree. Always keep in mind to whom the author was writing or speaking. Very good explanation. Old Testament into Acts was mostly Jewish. Jesus fulfilling Old Testament scripture and trying to prove to the Jewish people who He was. After rejection Paul selected for the gentiles.
    Thanks, Yvonne

    1. Yes! I love how excitedly Paul writes in Eph “to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the bod and fellow partakers of the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel of which I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace to which was given to me according to the working of His power. …
      Praise God He thought about be before the foundation of the world and planned for me as well as the Jews to be in His eternal kingdom!

  3. That was such an enjoyable lesson, Yvonne. Yes, we are so removed from the old culture yet we do share so many roots. Thank you for such an inspirational discussion.

  4. Debbie Atchley says:

    Our culture has come to expect or enjoy, I’m not sure which, being spoon fed the Word of God. The problem with that is you can never know what someone else is feeding you if you don’t “mine” the Word for yourself. There is a real fear of studying the Word ourselves in our culture. The expectation most have is to not to be able to understand God. When in reality we should EXPECT to know Him better every time we come to His Word seeking Him through His Spirit. Applying what He has taught us in each encounter. He’s not hiding from us. This lesson was so very well put Yvonne. Spoken like a true student of the Word. I would like to suggest to your readers if they want to learn how to study the Bible to look into Inductive Study Method.

    1. Everyone that calls themselves a Christian should be seeking a real relationship with the lover of their souls, the Lord Jesus. Listening to and reading second sources about the Bible might tell you something about our Savior, the culture of the day, and more but will never give you a first hand relationship. Studying the Bible will. Debbie, I am an Inductive method teacher. For me, this is the best way to learn first hand, what the Bible says, means and how to apply it to our lives. You are spot on!

  5. Hi Yvonne

    I thoroughly enjoyed today’s Sunday Scripture. Such a good reminder that as we are studying his Word, we must not rush through, but to keep digging for the treasure that the Holy Spirit has for us!
    You shared one of my favorite names that I call Jesus, the Lover of our souls.

    Love your blog so much!
    Nancy

  6. Debbie Atchley says:

    I too am an Inductive Study leader Yvonne!❤️

    1. Lindsay Heller says:

      Love this Yvonne! Thank you for sharing! Miss Thursday mornings around the big table studying God’s word with you!

      1. Me too! I bet you and your family are really enjoying your Mom’s new cottage!

  7. Rita Brantley says:

    Thank you for explaining this passage. The more I learn about the Bible the more I realize how much I don’t know.

  8. I do enjoy your devotions! Bless you

  9. Annabelle says:

    Thank you! I will definitely share this and take your advice. God bless you ❤️??

  10. Margo Arel says:

    I started reading the Bible on a daily plan this year, and you are right, some of it is very disturbing, especially the violence in the Old Testament. I try hard not to fall into modern questioning. Your explanation of this passage is great and provides even more detail than our Priest did yesterday at Mass. these are your best posts.

    1. The Bible is the true story of the Jews and then of Jesus. It is so rich. And like any human story, it is messy and often dark. But Jesus is the true light that shines and there is life and hope in Him.

  11. Thank you Yvonne for this beautiful reminder of how we can read God’s word. Can you recommend any resources for understanding more about the culture of the time Jesus?

  12. Joan Devers says:

    Thank you for this wonderful message. I love how you explained this passage and made it so easy to understand.

    1. I’m so happy that God’s word opened up for you. It’s the Lord and not me.

  13. Thank you for taking the time to share God’s Word. I am reading through the Bible my third time. I will keep these thoughts as I study.

  14. Mary Jones says:

    Thank you for this message. I have trouble understanding the Bible and would never gotten to the root of the passage. I thought she was throwing bread to her child like a dog. I consider I have the mind of a child and I cannot always get to the point. I have a wonderful husband that takes the time to explain what I do not understand.
    I really enjoyed reading this and wanted you to know what a blessing you are.

  15. Yvonne, thanks so much for that explanation of the Sunday Scripture. I heard that same gospel reading this morning in church and really needed it broken down so I could understand it better.

  16. Ginny Ricci says:

    Beautiful, Yvonne. Thank you for such clear interpretation of what was going on in this “story” of the Canaanite woman…it was a blessing! ?Ginny

  17. Yvonne…this is the same sermon we had today in my Church. Your explanations and examinations of the Word have helped me to better understand exactly what this passage means. I so appreciate that you take the time and commitment each Sunday to share your faith with others and brings joy and hope to all. Everyone needs Jesus in their lives. God bless you!

  18. Teri Pickens says:

    Thank you so much for your advice for studying the Bible! I am reading it for the second and am seeing so much the second time through. I am in Solamon’s Song of Songs now. I really had a hard time with Eccleaseastes. It seemed to be wrote by a philosopher. I know it is supposed to be a king in the linage of David, but it is really hard for me to understand it context. Any suggestions?
    Thanks, Teri

    1. The Book of Ecc. theme is “there is nothing new under the sun”. It was written by King Solomon. He was looking back over His life and regretting the choices he made. He started out as a good king following God and then fell away from God and started to fulfill his own desires. And he went overboard in all areas. At the end of his life, he looked back and came to the conclusion that everything is worthless unless it honors God and is in His will. Hope this puts this eye opening book into persective.

      1. Teri Pickens says:

        Thank you so much! I am so glad that you are so knowledgeable in the scriptures! I am using the NIV Bible, but it still went over my head! Have a great week and I will be waiting for your next post

        1. Hi Teri, Have you used the Amplified Bible? I like it for reading scripture.

          1. Teri Pickens says:

            I got the Amplified Bible. I think is going to be great!
            Thanks,
            Teri

          2. So wonderful, Teri! It explains what some of the words mean.

  19. Connie Sumner says:

    Loved your post today! I too teach every Sunday and even though I have been using my spiritual gift of teaching for twenty years there are times that I struggle with what the Word is saying. Thank you for your insight!

  20. Barbara Chapman says:

    Yvonne, everything you’ve shared is so true! God really does talk through his word to us and to whatever we are going through right then. This always amazes me! That’s why the Bible is the living word. ?

    Happy Sunday,
    Barb ?

  21. Thank You….Thank You…. for opening my eyes to understanding the true readings of Christ. God Bless You and May you continue to enlighten us with your Sunday posts.

    1. Praise God! I am thrilled the Holy Spirit is opening your eyes! Thank you for encouraging me.

      1. Teri Pickens says:

        I have not used the amplified but I will! Thank you so much!
        Talk soon,
        Teri

  22. Noele Rene says:

    Thanks so very much for this. Love that you are a Christian. Your blog really has many things I am interested in.

    1. Hi Noele, yes I am a follower of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Praise God! Welcome to our tribe.

  23. I’ve asked for guidance from the Holy Spirit to help me understand the word but as I read I still feel asif the words are just going by and then I get frustrated and want to stop reading altogether.. also I struggle to get my words out during prayer I either stutter or repeat my words and then I’ll stop praying and give up because I feel embarrassed and ashamed that the words won’t flow as id like them to.. I just feel like a total failure towards the Lord.. it makes me even question if I have the Holy Spirit of if I’m even saved as I do BELIEVE in his death, Burial and Resurrection for my Sins and the Sins of the whole World.

    1. If this is how you feel, then just rest, my friend. Jesus does not need you to perform, He just wants you to believe and it seems you do. Don’t be embarrassed! Keep on praying as worship before the Lord. He is well pleased. He loves you so much. On the blog are so many Sunday posts you can read, with your Bible in hand. I hope these post will help you undertand.