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Introduction**
We move now into the third argument for the superiority of Christ: Christ is better than Moses.
Of course, Moses was the great hero of the Jewish nation, and for Paul to prove Christ’s superiority over Moses was tantamount to proving the superiority of the Christian faith over Judaism.
How could these people go back to Judaism when what Christ offered was so much greater than what Moses could offer?
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, a great theme of this letter is the “betterness of Christ.”
I pointed out that there is a Greek word used throughout this letter … κρείττων kreittōn which means “Better.”
The word occurs 12 times in these 13 chapters.
In the first chapter of this letter, the author pointed out that Christ is better than the patriarchs and the prophets.
This would have been pretty shocking for many Jews to hear, because they highly revered the patriarchs and the prophets.
And they revered none more so than Moses … the man through whom God gave Israel the law.
To an Israelite, Moses stands supreme as the pioneer of the nation.
To the Jew, Moses stands supreme as the pioneer leader of the nation; to the Jewish Christian respect for Moses continues, but ‘Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses’—such is the testimony of verse 3.
To the Jewish Christian respect for Moses continues, but as verse 3 says, ‘Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses.’
While Moses was the pioneer of the nation, as chapter 2 said, Jesus is the pioneer of our Salvation.
Moses couldn’t take Israel into the promised land … only Joshua or Yeshua … or Jesus could.
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A great illustration of the betterness of Christ is what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, which really wasn’t named that … it was a crest of Mount Hermon that the events happened.
A great illustration of this is what happened on the Mount of Transfiguration, which really wasn’t named that … it was a crest of Mount Hermon that the events happened.
It’s recorded in , , and .
Peter also referenced it in 2 Peter 1.
Jesus took a few of His disciples with Him … Peter, James and John.
And as they observed, Jesus was transfigured before them … the Shekinah glory of God, incarnate in Christ, shown through.
And Moses and Elijah appeared and were in conversation with Jesus.
Peter then interrupted and suggested that they should build three tabernacles … one for Moses, one for Elijah, and one for Jesus.
In other words, they were putting the law (represented by Moses), the prophets (represented by Elijah), and the Gospel (represented by Jesus) on the same level.
But the reality was that Jesus was better.
And so the Father spoke out and said, “Listen to My Son.”
And suddenly, the only One who stood before them was Jesus.
This is important, guys.
If you go back in scripture … if you dig into the Torah and the Navi’im you will find that they speak of Christ.
That was the point of the law … it was, “Our tutor (schoolmaster, guardian) to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
Do not read below:
The law is good in that through the law we become aware of our sin.
But nobody will be declared righteous in God’s sight by works of the law.
Why can’t we be declared righteous by works of the law?
Because:
And ...
Paul wrote that the law was made weak through the flesh which was incapable of keeping the law perfectly.
But what the law could not do, God did.
He sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
And as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.
And so ...
God had introduced a system of sacrifices of animals.
That could offer a temporary covering for man’s sins, but those sacrifices had to be made day after day, week after week … year after year.
Jesus, however, fulfills all the requirements for a sacrifice and because He ever lives to intercede on our behalf, His sacrifice is once for all who will receive Him.
So then … Jesus offers a better revelation … a better position … a better priesthood … a better covenant … a better sacrifice … and a better power.
Jesus is better than the patriarchs and the prophets … He is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets.
He is better.
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The author spent the better portion of the chapter explaining that Christ is better than angels.
He did this because people came to think of the angels as intermediaries between God and human beings.
people came to think of the angels as intermediaries between God and human beings.
They came to believe that God spoke to them through the angels and the angels carried their prayers into the presence of God.
This is an idea that needed to be defeated because:
NKJV
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,
And so in chapter 1, he asked a series of rhetorical questions and provided the answers using scripture.
Generally it was along the lines of, “To which angel did God ever say … but to the Son He says ...”
And he finally gets to the point that the angels are ministering spirits and they minister to those who will inherit salvation.
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In chapter 2, the author continued in his presentation of the “betterness” of Christ, focusing on Christ over angels.
But let’s not overlook that the author made it clear that Christ’s work was not for the angels, but for man.
The author was writing primarily to Messianic or Christian Jews who were drifting away from the truth of the Gospel.
As is the case for most of us, the old habits tend to retain a pull.
Can you imagine how hard it was for Jewish believers in that day NOT TO participate in the sacrifices when family and friends did?
AND … how hard it would be to not drift back to the law when under threat of persecution by those who hold to the law?
But as we will see soon enough the author of Hebrews calls out and confronts this behavior as “drifting and backsliding.”
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Chapter 2 closed out with some really deep theological truth.
That truth is this:
• did not come to save angels (note ).
Jesus did not come to save angels.
He came to save people.
This meant that He had to take on flesh and blood and become a Man.
Only then could He die and through His death defeat Satan.
Satan is the author of sin, and sin brings death.
Satan uses the fear of death as a terrible weapon to gain control over the lives of people.
We who trust in Jesus Christ have once and for all been delivered from Satan’s authority and from the terrible fear of death.
And because Jesus became like us and endured temptation as we do, yet without sin He is able to be a merciful and faithful High Priest.
And because Jesus became like us and endured temptation as we do, yet without sin He is able to be a merciful and faithful High Priest.
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We move now into the 3rd argument for the superiority of Christ.
So then, that argument is: Christ is better than Moses.
Of course, Moses was the great hero of the Jewish nation.
In today’s chapter, the author is going to take on the Jewish reverence of Moses.
While Moses was not a patriarch, HE WAS revered as great because it was through him that God gave the law to Israel.
If the author was to prove that Christ is better than Moses it would be the equivalent of proving the superiority of the Christian faith over Judaism.
And if salvation is by grace through faith and not by works of the law or by being born an Israelite, then why choose the law over grace?
If salvation is by grace through faith and not by works of the law or by being born an Israelite, then why choose the law over grace?
And in regards to backsliding believers … How could anyone go back to Judaism when what Christ offers is so much greater than what Moses offers?
So that’s where we are this morning.
Let’s pray, and we’ll dig into our Bibles.
v1-2
Prayer: Lord, as we embark to study your Word, we ask that our hearts would be open to receive all that You have to say to us.
We desire to be hearers and doers and for You to lead us in Your ways.
We pray this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
v1-2
In verse 1, holy is ἅγιος hagios meaning holy as in belonging to God.
Brethren is ἀδελφός adelphos meaning brothers and sisters as in a closely associated group of persons.
Apostle is ἀπόστολος apostolos meaning a special messenger.
And High Priest is ἀρχιερεύς archiereus (AH-hee-ehr-ez) meaning most important priest.
The first 2 describe those who would be reading this letter.
The latter 2 describe our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, from the first 2 we know that the intended audience of this letter were believers … that is, those who have been saved by the Gospel.
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