Hebrews 3:1-6 | "Jesus: Our Faithful Apostle and High Priest" [Live Stream Edition]

I. Reading of Scripture

Hebrews 3:1–6 ESV

1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

II. Introduction

A. Introduction to Theme

In this first section of Hebrews, beginning in Chapter 1, we are drawn as hearers to listen to the message God has spoken through His Son, because Jesus, God’s Son, is the One who speaks God’s final and complete word to which we should pay attention to, and persevere in!

B. Proposition

When we consider Jesus as a faithful Son over God's house, the Holy Spirit gives us confidence in the hope that we are God's house, secure in Him.

C. Introduction to Text

This text is framed with a command “consider Jesus” and a conditional clause: “if we hold fast to our confidence and boasting in our hope.” Both are related. Our confidence and hope remains when we consider Jesus!

III. Exposition

A. Hebrews 3:1-2 | Jesus and Moses compared

Hebrews 3:1–2 ESV

1 Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.

“Therefore” - based on all of 1:1 - 2:18, and all of who Jesus is.

“holy brothers” - vocative, this is who is being addressed.

Notice the writer of Hebrews is not identified with the hearers this time (not “we/our”) but directly addressing them (Lane, WBC, 74). It is this direct address that now sets this unit apart.

Who is the writer addressing?

The writer is addressing “brothers,” those who share in a family relationship, in this case with a common Father (that is, God) and a common brother (that is, Christ).

These brothers are “holy.” In Christ, you are holy!

Do we think of ourselves in this way? As being consecrated to God? And what makes them “holy”?

It is that they “share in a heavenly calling.”

A “calling” is an invitation to something special (BDAG), and a “heavenly calling” means that “holy brothers” share in a special invitation from God (Allen, NAC). It is this invitation, this heavenly calling from God that makes them “holy.”

It is easy to think that Hebrews, with all of its exhortations and warnings, is written for the benefit of those outside the faith. But even more so here in this text, it is obvious that Hebrews is written for for those who are in the faith - those who are to live faithfully.

And this is important context for the following command.

“consider Jesus” To “consider” means to think reflectively upon (BDAG) or to give careful consideration to (LN). This is the exhortation. This is the strong appeal!

He is the “apostle and high priest of our confession.”

Jesus is the “apostle” our messenger from heaven. He is God come to earth.

Jesus is our “high priest” meaning He is also human, one of us, and the mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). Through Jesus we have direct access to God the Father!

(see Bruce, TNICNT, 55

And there is one more statement identifying the hearers of Hebrews, who are holy brothers, and sharers in a heavenly calling — they have a “confession.” And Jesus is the apostle and high priest of that confession.

A confession means that an acknowledgement has been made in response to what God has done. A confession is an expression of faith in response to the action of God (Lane, WBC, 75).

It is this same confession that Romans 10:10 says we make with the mouth unto salvation, and the basis for such a confession is belief that God acted! That God raised Jesus from the dead! (See Romans 10:9-10).

If we have such an apostle and high priest of our confession, being Jesus, the Spirit of God commands us to consider how Jesus was and is faithful. Meaning, Jesus is trustworthy. He is reliable. He is dependable.

And because of His faithfulness, we too can hold fast to our confidence and hope in Him, no matter what may challenge our faith.

Jesus was

Hebrews 3:2 ESV

2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.

Just as Jesus as God’s Son is better the angels who are servants, so too Jesus as God’s Son is better than Moses who was a servant (see Lane, WBC, 78).

Moses is one of the most important people of the Old Testament. And Moses certainly had failures. But Hebrews here does not point out Moses’ failures, but focuses on Moses’ faithfulness over God’s house.

This is an allusion to an Old Testament passage.

Numbers 12:7–8 ESV

7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?”

Moses spoke with the Lord unlike any other as a servant of the Lord. God spoke clearly to Moses, without riddles, “mouth to mouth” unlike the other prophets. And yet as special as Moses was in this way, as a prophet, Jesus is even better than Moses! (See Keener, IVP Background Commentary).

Verse 3 makes this claim about Christ:

B. Hebrews 3:3 | Jesus is better than Moses

Hebrews 3:3 ESV

3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.

This is the “Christological Claim” (the claim about Christ). And this claim is explained in the following verses:

C. Hebrews 3:4-6a | Explanation

Hebrews 3:4 ESV

4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)

The writer of Hebrews is again making the claim that Jesus is God, builder and Creator.

Hebrews 3:5–6 ESV

5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Moses is a servant. This is not the word for “slave,” but this word is only used here in the New Testament, and shows how Moses served under authority with honor (See Mohler, CCE)).

Jesus is a Son.

Moses serves IN the house.

Jesus serves OVER the house.

D. Hebrews 3:6b | Relevance

What does this mean for us?

Hebrews 3:6 ESV

6 but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.

Yet another way of describing the hearers of Hebrews. “Holy brothers, sharers in a heavenly calling” and now “God’s house.”

“We are his house.”

But then there is this word “IF.”

“if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.”

It is through faith in Christ that we become God’s house. We must hold fast to that faith. Not swerve from it (see Lane, WBC, 79).

Because we have a confidence. This means a conviction that we have access to God through Jesus Christ. He is our faithful high priest.

And therefore we have hope.

We may have confidence, because Christ is faithful.

“if we hold fast” is a call to faithfulness and perseverance. Many things will turn our attention away from what we have heard, will cause us to doubt, or be uncertain. Hold on to your confidence and boasting in hope, because in Christ we are God’s house, and Christ is over that house.

IV. Conclusion

How do we “hold fast to our confidence and the pride of hope?” ANSWER: By considering Jesus, who is faithful.

B. Proposition

When we consider Jesus as a faithful Son over God's house, the Holy Spirit gives us confidence in the hope that we are God's house, secure in Him.