#DailyDevotion Jesus Is Better Than Moses

Heb. 3 And so, fellow Christians — you’re holy, and heaven called you as it called us — look at Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest Whom we confess, ²being faithful to Him Who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in God’s whole house. ³He deserves greater glory than Moses, as the builder of a house is honored more than the house. ⁴Every house is built by someone, but He Who built everything is God. ⁵Now, Moses was faithful in God’s household as a servant who was to testify of what would be said later, ⁶but Christ was faithful as the Son in charge of God’s household. We are His household if to the end we continue unshaken in our courage and in the hope of which we boast.

The author moves from how Jesus is greater than angels to Jesus is greater than Moses.

Our translation today is trying to make a dynamic equivalence to explain the first verse but I think a literal translation is actually more helpful. We are “holy brothers.” We are participants, fellowshipers of a holy calling. We are made holy by our calling. We know we are called because Jesus baptized us with His name.We are called and made holy first by Jesus’ calling through the Holy Spirit. Consider the Apostles and all the disciples. They were all called first, made holy and then started conducting themselves in holy ways.

Since this is our status, we should look at Jesus, “the Apostle and High Priest Whom we confess.” Jesus is the Apostle because He is the One the Father has sent to redeem us. Apostle means sent one. Jesus prays to the Father in John 17, “¹⁸As You sent Me into the world, I sent them into the world.” We confess Jesus as being sent by the Father. We confess Jesus is our High Priest. Hebrews will elaborate more on Jesus being our High Priest. Sufficient to say, Jesus offered up His own blood to cleanse us from sins and intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father.

Jesus is faithful to the Father who appointed Him “just as Moses was faithful in God’s whole house.” So now we begin with the comparison of how Jesus is better than Moses. Jesus is better than Moses because Moses only looked after the house as a servant and is part of the house. Jesus built the house. God built the house and Jesus is God. Jesus says in John 14, “. . .because I go to prepare a place for you. ³And when I have gone and prepared a place for you, I’ll come again and take you home with Me so you’ll be where I am. You know the way to the place where I’m going.”

Now Moses testified as to what was to come. Jesus was faithful in fulfilling all the promises of God. Moses was faithful as a servant. Jesus is “faithful as the Son in charge of God’s household.” Now house or household is from oikos which also means family. We are God’s sons in Christ Jesus. We are His family. Jesus is in charge of us. We are His brothers, children and citizens. We are this if we remain faithful in this hope of which we boast. This hope that Jesus has us, called us, made us holy is our hope and this hope gives us courage to face the day and all obstacles in life. We know this life and everything in it is passing away. Having a sure and certain hope in Jesus and the future He has for us in the world to come gives us the fortitude to get through everything.

Heavenly Father, continually give us Your Holy Spirit that we may be faithful to Your Son Jesus Christ and live in the hope He gives us as His household. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.