Jesus is Greater Than Moses
Notes
Transcript
We did a little word association a few weeks ago. I’d like to try that again. I’m going to say the name of a company or organization and I want you to tell me who’s name comes to mind. This person may or may not be the founder, may or may not be living, may or may not still be active in the company, but I want to see who you say:
Amazon - Jeff Bezos
Apple - Steve Jobs (Tim Cook)
Microsoft - Bill Gates
Facebook - Mark Zuckerburg
Tesla - Elon Musk
The Washington Football Team (Redskins) - Dan Snyder/Jack Kent Cook
Dallas Cowboys - Jerry Jones
(Let’s think in religious circles)
Willow Creek Community Church - Bill Hybels
Saddleback Community Church - Rick Warren
Grace Community Church - John MacArthur
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints - Joseph Smith
Christian Science - Mary Baker Eddy
Here is a related but bigger jump:
Islam - Mohammad
Christianity - Jesus
Judaism - Moses
Each of these individuals are known because of the organizations or movements that they led. Today, we’re going to consider the leaders of the final two on that list - Jesus and Moses as we look at the next couple chapters in our study through the book of Hebrews.
As we work through these verses today, we are leveraging the works of Warren Wiersbe and Michael Kruger and portions of their outlines.
The opening premise is that Jesus is greater than Moses. We can see in the first couple of verses that…
Jesus is Greater in His Person (3:1-2)
Jesus is Greater in His Person (3:1-2)
Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house.
The writer of Hebrews speaks highly of both Jesus and Moses. He acknowledges that they were both faithful to the work the God had called them to. Moses faithfully led the people of Israel for over 40 years. Jesus, while his earthly ministry was much shorter, faithfully served the Lord unto death. Now that he has risen from the grave and ascended to heaven, He is continuing to serve God faithfully.
In fact, today in Kids Connection, the children are considering the question:
Q51: Of what advantage to us is Christ’s ascension?
A51: Christ is now advocating for us in the presence of his Father and also sends us his Spirit.
They are learning that Jesus is still faithfully serving.
But one of the big things that the writer of Hebrews notes is that Jesus is not just faithful like Moses, He is greater because of Who He is.
Did you notice the titles that were given to Jesus?
apostle
high priest
Several commentators noted that these roles are very different, but very unique to the work that only Jesus can do.
As apostle - Jesus is sent out to represent God to humanity. When we hear the title apostle, we often think of the twelve disciples or apostles. The word apostle essentially means one who is sent out. In a sense, Jesus is the first true apostle. He revealed to humanity who God is, what He is like. He demonstrated the love and grace that are a part of God’s character.
But the writer here also notes that Jesus has the title:
As high priest - In this role, Jesus represents humanity to God. A regular priest in the OT would represent humanity to God by offering sacrifices. The high priest was charged with ensuring that the people of God would follow the covenant. In addition to that, the high priest was specifically given the task of representing the people of God on the day of atonement and would enter in to the Holy of Holies. Because of the nature of who Jesus is, he is not limited to certain days of the year. As high priest, he perfectly fulfilled our covenant requirements and grants us direct access to the Father.
So in these roles, Jesus goes both ways - both directions - representing God to us and us to God.
In a sense, Moses did the same. He was called out by God to speak. He was also considered a sort of priest - but that role was really given to his brother Aaron. Being a fallen human - Moses cannot represent God the way that Jesus does. He cannot perfectly mediate the way that Jesus does.
Not only is Jesus greater in his person, but next, we see that...
Jesus is Greater in His Ministry (3:3-6)
Jesus is Greater in His Ministry (3:3-6)
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. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 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.
Just as the CEO or founder of a company would receive more acclaim than a manager, so too, because the ministry of Jesus is over the “house” - he is greater than Moses, whose ministry was within the house.
The house that the writer is referring to here is really the house of God’s people. You and I are part of that house if we have put our faith and trust in Jesus and what He did on the cross.
Moses, came from among the people in order to manage or steward the house. He was faithful to complete the tasks given to him.
We saw over the last couple of weeks how Jesus’ supremacy stems in part from his creative work in the world. Jesus, as the creator of the house, is greater than Moses because his work extends far beyond that which Moses could do. There is no way that Moses, as great as he is, could have the reach of Jesus.
That is part of the argument that the writer of Hebrews is getting at.
Remember, as the first century Jewish background believers were encountering persecution from doubting and skeptical friends, family members, and even political leaders, they were being pressured to return to the line of thinking that Moses shared.
So, the writer’s point so far is that Jesus is greater - because he is God incarnate (1:1-3); he is greater than the angels who gave the message to Moses (1:4-2:18), and now he is greater than Moses himself - because of his person and his ministry. But there is one other way that the writer points out that Jesus is greater than Moses - that is in the rest he provides...
Jesus is Greater in His Rest (3:7-4:13)
Jesus is Greater in His Rest (3:7-4:13)
Moses became well known initially because he led the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt toward the promised land. The people had become comfortable as slaves in a foreign land. In some ways, they reluctantly followed Moses.
How often do we get to be that way - settling for the second best here and now, rather than patiently waiting and enduring for the promises that God has for us in the future?
Even as the people escaped from Egypt and saw God work wonderful miracles, they rebelled and turned away from God. In return, God allowed a whole generation to pass away in the wilderness - leaving the promised land to their heirs.
The writer of Hebrews refers multiple times back to Psalm 95 as he calls us to learn from the mistakes of the past and not forfeit the promised rest in lieu of a cat nap now.
Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’ ”
Over the course of the remainder of the passage that we’re considering today, He reiterates and re-quotes “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” a total of 3 times. I think he wants us to pay attention to that!
When did Israel do that?
Well, there were several times, but specifically, Psalm 95 refers to an incident in Exodus 17:1-7 when the people grumbled against Moses and the Lord, thirsting for water. The writer of Hebrews simply calls this “testing in the wilderness” but in Psalm 95 he refers specifically to the name that was given: Massah - which means testing and Meribah - which means quarreling. Rather than seeking the Lord and graciously asking for provision, they demanded it. God showed up in the face of their testing and quarreling, but it did not turn their hearts. Over the course of the next several years, they continued to want to turn away from the Lord.
The exhortation that the writer of Hebrews gives us is...
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
What was the sin of the Israelites?
Some would say it was unbelief. They refused to believe and respond to the word of the Lord.
Sin - in all of its forms - has a way of deceiving us, pulling us away from the best and truest that God intends for us. The temptations of this world promise a rest but only manage to deliver a temporary satisfaction. The result- a hardening of our hearts.
Now, that word “hardening” is not talking about a medical condition like Arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), but spiritually speaking the same sort of equivalent. You see, arteriosclerosis happens when our blood vessels become damaged as a result of poor diet or high blood pressure or high cholesterol. The lining of our vessels begins to restrict the blood that is flowing.
But I think there is a parallel. Let’s think about this from a couple of perspectives.
One of the reasons people are leaving the faith is because they feel that the moral standards of scripture are too limiting.
“If God loves me then he will let me do this or sleep with that person or....” Or
“if God loves me, he would not have made me the way that I am - having same sex attraction or being tempted by these vices.” Or
“There are so many good religions out there, how can we know that Christianity is the only right way? Isn’t that bigoted and narrow minded?”
So if we begin to follow that path, we begin to resent the good plan that God intended. We begin to resent God himself. Now our souls are beginning to constrict with anger and bitterness, rather than being submissive and pliable to the plan that God has intended.
Or, let’s think about this from the perspective of a follower of Christ - after-all - that seems to be the people that writer of Hebrews is addressing (Heb. 3:1).
Politically - we assume that our political camp is always aligned with biblical values, and so we easily confuse the political and the spiritual - all the while thinking that God endorses this party or that party.
Personal Freedoms - Being an individualistic society, we can easily elevate our personal rights over that which is spiritually or congregation-ally prudent. Now, if I haven’t stepped on toes up to this point, I’m about to.
Let’s consider the idea of masks. No - Hebrews does not discuss masks, but it does address the hardness that happens when sinfulness comes into play.
I hate these masks - I really do. I don’t like how it causes my face to heat up. I don’t like how it makes breathing less comfortable. I don’t like how it makes it really difficult for me to hear you. I have heard and have read contrary things regarding the effectiveness of masks. Part of the reason I got the vaccine is so that I would’t have to wear a mask - though the main reason I got it is so that I would not inadvertently pass along this virus.
That being said - our governing authorities in our county - whether we voted for these people or not - have mandated that we wear masks at indoor, public gatherings - except when speaking or presenting. That means, here at church.
We’ve tried to communicate about this in a couple of places, but are not trying to bully people into compliance. We’ve taken the stance that since the county has mandated masks, we will comply, but we will not turn anyone away. Some may come and may not be able to wear masks for health reasons - the county has provided some exception for that. Part of the reason we are not going to turn anyone away, is that we don’t want to be the mask police or to evaluate who falls under that exception.
But, for some of us who refuse to wear masks because we disagree with the mandate or feel that our vaccine should protect us or we simply have a different political view and want to stand our ground - what is the cost? Again, I don’t want to bully or coerce, but I want us all to think carefully about why we are doing what we are doing and what is the collateral damage.
The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 8:1-12 regarding food sacrificed to idols. In the Corinthian culture, there was a lot of meat that was sacrificed in honor of certain false deities. Because some had come to the knowledge that idols are really nothing - they are pieces of wood and metal - that have no spiritual value - they felt perfectly comfortable eating any food. But others, who came out of that old system, were crushed by the thought of dishonoring God. Though they may be “weaker” in Paul’s estimation, they still need to be considered. Here is the bottom line of what Paul writes:
1 Cor. 8:9-13 “But take care that this right [to eat food or in our case to wear masks] of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol’s temple, will he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak person is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.”
I will do my best to wear the mask that I hate in order to keep my brother or sister in Christ whom I love from stumbling - and so avoid hardening my heart against the Word of the Lord.
We could pick any number of other personal freedoms - drinking alcohol, smoking, listening to secular music, watching movies, etc. I’m not saying we can’t do any of those things, I’m just saying that we need to be mindful of how our actions will impact our brothers and sisters in Christ. In fact the writer of Hebrews gives us a helpful command - to exhort one another - essentially to have a conversation. If you are offended by someone not wearing a mask, one solution might be to go to them in love and ask them why they don’t wear a mask when we’re together - or vice versa.
The whole point that the writer of Hebrews is getting at is that Moses and then Joshua led the people of Israel to a promised rest in the promised land. They could not fully give them what was promised because of the sin in the camp.
His exhortation to us is that the rest Jesus provides is better because it is perfect and complete. He has paid the price of our admission into that rest. Which begs the question...
How do we enter His rest?
How do we enter His rest?
Michael Kruger summarizes our path to entering the rest in this way:
Faith (4:2-3) -
Faith (4:2-3) -
For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened. For we who have believed enter that rest, as he has said,
“As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest,’ ”
although his works were finished from the foundation of the world.
The people who were not able to receive the rest that Moses offered, could not do so because they were not “united by faith.” They didn’t fully believe.
Jesus is our uniting faith figure. In order to receive his eternal rest, we must trust fully in what he has done on the cross. We must believe by faith that He has paid for our sin. I pray that today, you will trust in him by faith.
Secondly, we enter his rest through...
Fear (4:1)
Fear (4:1)
Therefore, while the promise of entering his rest still stands, let us fear lest any of you should seem to have failed to reach it.
There is a sense in which FOMO, or fear of missing out, must come into play. God has demonstrated his love for you and me by sending his son as an apostle and as a high priest. If we don’t allow Jesus to represent us before God, then we will missing out on that eternal rest - that eternal peace - that eternal sabbath. Let that healthy, biblical FOMO compel us to keep the faith.
Which brings us to Kruger’s final recommendation:
Fight (4:11)
Fight (4:11)
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
That word “strive” has the connotation to fight or be diligent. I don’t think he is saying here that we must fight or earn our salvation, but rather we must fight against our own inclination to rebel, to be disobedient.
He continues in the next verse, which may be very well known:
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
As we allow the Word of God to permeate our hearts and minds - if we remain softened to it’s movement, then it will help us cut through the social, political, cultural, and sinful clutter in our lives in order that we might be the men and women that God has called us to be.
Jesus is greater than Moses because of his person, his ministry, and the eternal rest he provides. Will we follow the path of some of the Israelites and rebel, or will we keep the sclerosis out of our spiritual veins and strive think and act in a way that is fully honoring to God?
Let’s pray.
Benediction:
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Question of reflection and discussion:
How is the rest that we receive from Jesus different than the rest that Moses and Joshua brought to the Israelites?
How are Jesus’ roles as apostle and high priest significant?
Have you responded with an appropriate fear in order to receive the salvation that Jesus offers by faith?
What areas of your life do you need to strive/fight in order to yield them fully to the Lordship of Jesus?
References:
https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/hebrews/
http://newcitycatechism.com/new-city-catechism/#51
Brown, Raymond. The Message of Hebrews. The Bible Speaks today. Leicester; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1982.
Hewitt, Thomas. The Epistle to the Hebrews. TNTC. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans 1975.
Kruger, Michael J. Hebrews for You. The Good Book Company, 2021.
MacFarlane, Mary B. “High Priest.” Edited by John D. Barry, David Bomar, Derek R. Brown, Rachel Klippenstein, Douglas Mangum, Carrie Sinclair Wolcott, Lazarus Wentz, Elliot Ritzema, and Wendy Widder. The Lexham Bible Dictionary. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016.
Wiersbe, Warren W. Be Confident: Live by Faith, Not by Sight. NT Commentary: Hebrews. Colorado Springs, David C. Cook: 1982