In the span of two chapters, the author of Hebrews has demonstrated from the pages of the Old Testament that Jesus is superior to angels. Someone among the Hebrews who received the epistle might ask whether Jesus is greater than Moses. The Jews thought that no one was greater than Moses, for he gave the people of Israel two tablets of stone on which God had written the law (Exod. 34). The angels, by contrast, were only intermediaries at the time the law was given (Acts 7:38, 53).

Having concluded that Jesus is superior to the mediators of the Mosaic law (i.e., angels, 2:2), the author now establishes the superiority of Jesus to Moses himself (3:1–6), of Jesus to the Aaronic high priesthood (4:14–7:28), of the new covenant in Jesus’ blood to the former covenant (8:1–13), and of Jesus’ death to the Mosaic sacrifices (9:1–10:18).

(I) Trustworthy (1 Cor. 7:25; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Pet. 4:19; Rev. 19:11; Sept.: 1 Sam. 3:20; Prov. 20:6). True, sure, trustworthy, believable, worthy of credit (Rev. 1:5; 2:13; 3:14; Sept.: Ps. 89:38; Prov. 14:5; Is. 8:2).

(I) Trustworthy (1 Cor. 7:25; 1 Tim. 1:12; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Pet. 4:19; Rev. 19:11; Sept.: 1 Sam. 3:20; Prov. 20:6). True, sure, trustworthy, believable, worthy of credit (Rev. 1:5; 2:13; 3:14; Sept.: Ps. 89:38; Prov. 14:5; Is. 8:2). Of things, true, sure, such as ho lógos (ho, def. art.; lógos [3056], word), the word (1 Tim. 1:15; 3:1; 4:3; 2 Tim. 2:11; Titus 1:9; 3:8; Rev. 21:5; 22:6). In Acts 13:34, tá hósia Dabíd tá pistá (tá, neut. def. art.; hósia, neut. pl. of hósios [3741], sacred; Dabíd [1138], of David), the sure, inviolable, sacred things (promises, blessings) of David, the sure ones.

(II) Faithful in duty to oneself and to others, of true fidelity (Col. 4:9; 1 Pet. 5:12, a faithful brother; Rev. 2:10). Of God as faithful to His promises (1 Cor. 1:9, “dependable the God” [a.t.]; 10:13; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3; Heb. 10:23; 11:11; 1 John 1:9; Sept.: Deut. 32:4); of Christ (2 Tim. 2:13). As an attestation or oath, God is faithful (2 Cor. 1:18). Especially of servants, ministers, who are faithful in the performance of duty (Matt. 24:45; 25:21, 23; Luke 12:42; 1 Cor. 4:2; Eph. 6:21; Col. 1:7, 9; 4:7; Heb. 2:17). With epí (1909), upon, with, followed by the dat. pl. of olígos (3641), a little, epʾ olíga, with little things (Matt. 25:21, 23); with en (1722), in, followed by the acc. (Luke 16:10–12; 19:17; Eph. 1:1; Col. 1:2; 1 Tim. 3:11; Heb. 3:5); by the dat. of person (Heb. 3:2; Sept.: Num. 12:7; 1 Sam. 22:14).

(III) With an act. sense, firmness in faith, confiding, trusting, believing, equivalent to ho pisteúōn, the pres. part. of pisteúō (4100), to believe (John 20:27; Gal. 3:9). Followed by the dat. (Acts 16:15; 1 Cor. 4:17). Used in an absolute sense (Acts 10:45; 16:1; 2 Cor. 6:15; 1 Tim. 4:3, 10, 12; 5:16; 6:2; Titus 1:6; Rev. 17:14). Used in the acc. as an adv., pistón poiéō (poiéō [4160], to do, perform), meaning to do faithfully, in a believing manner, as a Christian (3 John 1:5; Sept.: Ps. 101:6).

(II) Faithful in duty to oneself and to others, of true fidelity (Col. 4:9; 1 Pet. 5:12, a faithful brother; Rev. 2:10). Of God as faithful to His promises (1 Cor. 1:9, “dependable the God” [a.t.]; 10:13; 1 Thess. 5:24; 2 Thess. 3:3; Heb. 10:23; 11:11; 1 John 1:9; Sept.: Deut. 32:4); of Christ (2 Tim. 2:13).

(III) With an act. sense, firmness in faith, confiding, trusting, believing, equivalent to ho pisteúōn, the pres. part. of pisteúō (4100), to believe (John 20:27; Gal. 3:9).

Jesus and Moses fulfilled their God-appointed roles (2:17; 3:5; cf. Num. 12:7; 1 Chron. 17:14 LXX). Although Jesus is superior to Moses, Moses still receives significant respect (cf. Num. 12:7–8), which elevates Jesus all the more.

The translation employs the past tense, “he was faithful” (italics added). However, the author, by using a present participle in the original, intimates that the work God appointed Jesus to do did not terminate when his earthly task was complete, but continues in heaven. Jesus continues to be faithful in his high-priestly work of intercession and in preparing a place for his people (John 14:3). He remains faithful in loving and in perfecting the church of which he is the head.

V. 3 expresses the author’s concern for the supremacy of Christ over Moses, using as a supplementary argument the hellenistic commonplace that a builder is greater than his building.

The argument reaches its climax in vv. 5f., which use further material (θεράπων) from the OT text. Yet throughout the series of comments, there is also a steady downgrading of the rôle of Moses: first he is simply compared with Jesus (v. 2), then subordinated (v. 3), and finally contrasted with him (vv. 5f.);

The house analogy shows that Jesus as the Son of God (who was also actively involved in creation; see 1:2–3) has a privileged place in the household of God (1 Chron. 17:14), while Moses remains a servant in that household (Num. 12:7).

As we know, the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself has. When a house or a building is erected, people may admire the beauty of the structure and speak words of praise, but they reserve tribute and honor for the architect and for the builder. The architect and the builder stand, figuratively, above the structure they have created. They stand on a different level. By analogy, the author says, God is the architect; Jesus is the builder of God’s house; Moses is a servant in God’s house.

They are asked to fix their thoughts on Jesus and to do this diligently. Apparently the readers of the epistle are not doing this at the moment, for they seem to drift away.

aorist active imperative, second person plural of the compound intensive verb (from κατά [down] and νοέω [I put my mind to]) conveys the message of thoroughly and carefully noticing someone or something; in this case, Jesus.

The readers of this letter needed just that exhortation. They were allowing their attention to relax so far as Messiah and the New Testament were concerned, and their gaze was slowly turning back upon the First Testament sacrifices.

These believers were urged to turn away for a moment from their persecuting contemporaries to the Lord Jesus himself. In looking to him they are giving their best thoughts and highest love to the one who has himself been through testing, adversity and bitter opposition. Only then can they hope to cope with their own trials and be brought to the place of abiding peace and ultimate conquest. They are urged to look earnestly to Jesus and, as in other contexts in the letter, the author quite deliberately uses the human name of Christ to heighten the appeal of his words: ‘But we see Jesus’, ‘consider Jesus’, ‘we have a great high priest … Jesus’, ‘In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers’, ‘the inner shrine … where Jesus has gone as a forerunner’. He lived amongst us, suffered alongside us, died for us, prays for us, as one who fully and completely understands our needs. Consider Jesus for he constantly considers you and enters deeply and sympathetically into your needs.

A DIVINE COMPLAINT

“Hear, O heavens, … my people do not consider” (Isa. 1:2, 3).

They do not consider—(1) The cost of their purchase. (2) The all-sufficiency of their Saviour. (3) The claims of their Redeemer. (4) The purpose of their redemption. (5) The responsibility of their position. (6) The glory of their destiny.

You have not really learned a commandment until you have obeyed it.… The church suffers today from Christians who know volumes more than they practice.—Vance Havner

You must carefully consider, or you will miss the blessing. It will not be enough for you to hear or read; you must do your own thinking, and consider your Lord for yourselves. You may even read the Bible itself without profit if you do not consider as well as read. The wine is not made by gathering the clusters, but by treading the grapes in the wine vat. Under pressure the red juice leaps forth. Not the truth as you read it, but the truth as you meditate upon it, will be a blessing to you. “Read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest.” “See how great this man was.” Shut yourselves up with Jesus, if you would know Him.

The word “apostle” is the English spelling of the Greek word apostolos (ἀποστολος) which in turn comes from the verb apostello (ἀποστελλο), the latter speaking of the act of sending someone off on a commission to do something, the person sent having been furnished with credentials.

Furthermore, he can and may speak only the words his superior gives him. He is forbidden to utter his own opinions when they are at variance with those of the one who sends him. Jesus, then, proclaims the very Word of God. He brings the gospel, the good news.

This is the only place in the NT that Jesus is called “the Apostle,” although John uses the verb over and over to refer to Him being “sent” from the Father

Moses served in the house of God as a servant while Jesus was “a son,” a family member. God called Moses to serve, but sent Jesus from heaven.

On one side stands the crowd.

Jeering. Baiting. Demanding.

On the other stands a peasant.

Swollen lips. Lumpy eye. Lofty promise.

One promises acceptance, the other a cross.

One offers flesh and flash, the other offers faith.

The crowd challenges, “Follow us and fit in.”

Jesus promises, “Follow me and stand out.”

They promise to please. God promises to save.

God looks at you and asks, “Which will be your choice?”

A Gentle Thunder

One of the most important people in Israel, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the nation and, in particular, for making atonement for the sins of the people. The NT recognises Jesus Christ as bringing this role to fulfilment, making the perfect sacrifice for the sins of his people, as both high priest and the sacrificial victim.

Not only does the High Priest offer the sacrifice, but He is the perfect sacrifice. The author places emphasis on Jesus’ participation in humanity, which allows Him to expiate the sins of those who are tempted (Cullman, The Christology of the New Testament, 83, 90–92, 99, 103).

Whereas the term apostle relates by comparison to Moses, the designation high priest is reminiscent of Aaron. The separate functions of these two brothers are combined and are fulfilled in the one person of Jesus. And in his work Jesus is greater than both Moses and Aaron.

Hebrews is the only book of the Bible to call Jesus high priest. It takes an extensive rabbinical argumentation to convince first century Jews that Jesus, from the tribe of Judah, really was a priest.

Not only does the High Priest offer the sacrifice, but He is the perfect sacrifice. The author places emphasis on Jesus’ participation in humanity, which allows Him to expiate the sins of those who are tempted (Cullman, The Christology of the New Testament, 83, 90–92, 99, 103).

One of the most important people in Israel, responsible for the spiritual welfare of the nation and, in particular, for making atonement for the sins of the people. The NT recognises Jesus Christ as bringing this role to fulfilment, making the perfect sacrifice for the sins of his people, as both high priest and the sacrificial victim.

The readers had made a confession of their faith in Jesus Christ. Now they must hold fast this confession/profession (cf. 4:14; 10:23). This is one of the main issues of the book.

An apostle is one who comes out from God with a message to man. A priest is one who goes in to God on behalf of man. The Lord Jesus Christ is both Apostle and High Priest (Heb. 3:1). He came from God, and He went back to God.

If we are to progress to maturity in the Christian life, some time in each day must be devoted to a careful consideration of the person, teaching and work of Christ. In other words, believers must meditate or fix their thoughts on Jesus. Meditation is a lost art. Time for quiet reflection is at a premium.

This expression in Hebrews 3:1 speaks therefore of the Church. Israel has an earthly calling and an earthly destiny. The Church has a heavenly calling and a heavenly destiny. Thus does the writer mark the Jews to whom he was writing, as belonging to the Church and as distinct from Israel.

They have been made ‘holy’ or sanctified by Christ’s atoning work (2:11). These Christians are then described in terms of their privilege. They are not only holy brothers, but heavenly partners; they have rich privileges, having become partakers or sharers in a heavenly call.

The recipients of the epistle are also sharers in the heavenly calling. This is a unique calling, a heavenly invitation to enter the kingdom of God (Rom. 11:29; Eph. 1:18; 4:1, 4; Phil. 3:14; 2 Thess. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:9; 2 Peter 1:10).

Seventeen years ago I was in Paris at the time of the Great Exhibition. Napoleon the Third was then in his glory. Cheer after cheer would rise up as he drove along the streets of the city. A few short years and he fell from his lofty estate. He died an exile from his country and his throne, and where is his name to-day? Very few think about him at all, and if his name is mentioned it is not with love and esteem.

How empty and short-lived are the glory and the pride of this world! If we are wise we will live for God and eternity; we will get outside of ourselves, and will care nothing for the honor and glory of this world.

The metaphor that describes the people of God as a house or a building occurs rather frequently in the New Testament (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Peter 2:5). We are the house of God, says the author of Hebrews. This means that now the believers in Jesus Christ, not the Jews, constitute the household of God (Eph. 2:19–22; 1 Tim. 3:15). Only Christians acknowledge Christ Jesus as the chief cornerstone.

There is no suggestion, as one might expect, of two separate communities, a house of Moses and a house of Jesus, Israel and the Church. (Contrast already Barn. 13:1: οὗτος ὁ λαὸς … ἢ ὁ πρῶτος.) On the contrary, both Moses and Jesus are related, though in different ways, to the one house or people of God.

He is also sent to form or establish a house, or household, a redeemed community

Christ came not only to save fallen individuals but to gather a vast company of his followers, the redeemed people of God.

The word “house” in verses 5, 6 must be defined by the context in which it is found. The general application in all instances of its use in these verses is to the house of God. In the case of Moses, it was the house of God as related to Israel. In the case of Messiah, it was the house of God as related to the family of God in all ages. In the case of the “we” of verse 6, it is the house of God as related to the saints of this dispensation.

True Christian confidence is unwavering faith in a trustworthy God. He who has promised to keep us is eternally faithful and will not disappoint his people

Later in the epistle the writer explains what he means by hope. He speaks of the unchangeable nature of God’s purpose and the impossibility that God would lie.

Hope what you please; but remember, that hope without truth at the bottom of it, is an anchor without a holdfast. A groundless hope is a mere delusion.

We don’t hope for what we already possess. Every Christian has Forgiveness of Sins, Peace with God, and Eternal Life.

Lewis Smedes wrote, “Is there a hope when hope is taken away? Is there hope when the situation is hopeless? That question leads us to Christian hope, for in the Bible, hope is no longer a passion for the possible. It becomes a passion for the promise.”

If these Jews, to whom he is writing, hold fast their confidence and the rejoicing of their professed hope in Messiah firm to the end of their lives, that fact shows that they belong to the house of God, in other words, are saved. If they do not do so, but instead, renounce that profession and return to the abrogated system of Levitical sacrifices, that shows that they never were saved. It is not the retention of salvation that is in question here, but the possession of salvation.

It is important to recognize the seriousness of this letter when it rightly insists on perseverance. F. F. Bruce describes this persistent endurance as ‘the test of reality’. There is no casual easy-going presentation of Christianity in these chapters

Bunyan agreed with the author of our letter that the Christian life is a rewarding yet strenuous race. His aim was not ‘to run a little now and then, by fits and starts, or half way, or almost thither; but to run for my life, to run through all the difficulties, and to continue therein to the end of the race, which must be to the end of my life’

The rest of this chapter and chapter 4 is one continual warning (1) for the Jewish believers to move to maturity and (2) for those who have heard the gospel and seen it powerfully in the lives of their believing Jewish friends to fully accept it themselves.