In chapter three of the letter to the Hebrews the pastor tells his listeners that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses. This is significant in many respects, and the pastor does this to remind them of their new faith and responsibility to the gospel. In doing this the pastor uses his great Old Testament knowledge and referenced Numbers 12:7-8 and Psalm 95:7-11 in Hebrews 3:3-5. This selection from the Pentateuch describes Moses and the agent by which God gave his revelation to the Israelites [1]. This particular story recounts the rebellion of the house of Israel, and parallels the disobedience of the recipients of the letter.
Christ And Hebrews
Hebrews 3 is motivational in nature, and is building the case from history that those who rebelled did not see the promised land. In the beginning of the chapter the pastor that Moses and Christ both function in the house of God [2]. However, Moses was a servant in the house and Christ is the builder of the house. As a result of him being the builder he is entitled to more superiority than the house itself. This is important for the hearers to understand because it bring in typology between his letter and the Moses account [3]. Moses led the people through the desert for fourth years, but because of their disobedience he was not able to lead them into the promised land.
Faithfulness of Christ
Christ is described as faithful, and as a result will lead his people to Heaven if they remain faithful and persevere. The purpose that Moses served was to point to further revelation, and the fullness of that revelation is found in Christ. Jesus says this himself in John 5:46 when he says, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me [4].” The implications for Christians today and very similar to the hearers of the Pastor’s sermon. We are to hold to the hope that can be found only in Christ.
We see examples of everyday of those who profess Christ, but who do not mature and do not know their faith. When the first sign of difficulty comes along they are no longer seen in church. The world today is becoming more and more hostile t the Christian faith, but we must be bold and stand for the truth. Just like the Hebrews we ill be “considered part of the people of God if we hold fast to the Christian faith [5].”
Some Key Passages in Hebrews 3
He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.- Hebrews 3:2
Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.-Hebrews 3:3
But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory.-Hebrews 3:6
Works Cited
1. Cockerill, Gareth L. The Epistle to the Hebrews. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing, 2012), 153.
2. Ibid, 153.
3. 154.
4. John 5:46, New International Version
5. Guthrie, George H. The Hebrews NIV Application Commentary. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 128.
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