Hebrews 3:1

A Comparison Between Jesus and Moses, The One The Son Over The House, The Other The Servant In The House (Hebrews 3:1-6 )

‘For this reason, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus.’

Because of all he has said about the superiority of Jesus the writer now calls on his ‘holy brothers and sisters’ to consider Him. ‘Holy’ reminds us of His act of sanctifying (making holy) them and making them brothers and sisters (Hebrews 2:11). If they are His He has made them ‘holy’, set apart for God by the power of His working. Compare Ephesians 2:19, ‘fellow-citizens with the holy ones (His people)’. ‘Brethren’ reminds us of the fact that they are one together with Him as ‘brothers’. The writer thus confidently hopes that he is speaking to those who are true believers.

‘Partakers of a heavenly calling.’ Their being sanctified by Jesus has made them partakers of a heavenly calling. This is in contrast with Moses’ call to an earthly Utopia, a ‘land of milk and honey’. They have been effectually called by Him and set apart to a heavenly life, both through enjoying ‘eternal life’, the life of ‘the world to come’, already in this life (John 5:24; 1 John 5:13), and by living by faith now in the heavenlies, in the spiritual realm, in Christ (Ephesians 1:3; Ephesians 2:4-7), as citizens of Heaven (Philippians 3:20), setting their minds on things above and not on things that are on earth (Colossians 3:2), until they are ‘led to glory’ (Hebrews 2:10) and finally reach Heaven itself (Hebrews 12:22). For that is where they are now destined for, the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10), the heavenly Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22).

‘Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus.’ Having this wonderful privilege they are to fix their thoughts on Jesus as the Apostle and High Priest of the faith they confess. We note here that Jesus combines the two positions of authority and priesthood, something that Moses could not cope with.

He has already in the first two chapters given us a vivid word picture of the glory and status of Jesus in all that He is as the Son and in all that He has done for us, and now he says ‘consider Him, gaze on Him (‘behold’ - Hebrews 2:9), weigh Him up, take Him into your hearts, meditate on Him, and never cease having Him in your thoughts’.

‘The Apostle.’ Using this word of Jesus may suggest that most of the Apostles were now dead so that he sees Jesus as the Apostle supreme, the heavenly Apostle, Who is, in His heavenly presence, as it were, taking their place. But not because He is their successor but because He is their predecessor, and superior. It is as though he were saying that there would be no new Apostles to look to, for those who knew Jesus in the flesh were dying out, but that they still have Jesus, Who is always there, Who is greater than them all, alive from the dead and living in their hearts. Let them therefore now look directly to Him. For He was the original Sent One Who chose the Apostles and sent them out, and while they have ceased, He ever remains.

The word has deep significance. It is literally ‘One sent forth’, and could be used of an ambassador or an authoritative messenger, and is a reminder that Jesus was sent forth from the Father as the ‘Sent One’ (Matthew 21:37; Luke 4:18; Luke 4:43; Luke 10:16; John 3:17; John 3:34; John 4:34; John 5:23-24; John 5:30; John 5:36-38 and in every chapter to chapter 17; John 20:21). The word thus links Jesus closely with the Father in a unique relationship and firmly establishes Him as God’s chosen. He is God’s direct ‘Sent One’, with no intervention of angels. He has come directly from God.

‘And High Priest.’ As God’s sent One He has become the High Priest of His people, as the writer has already stated in Hebrews 2:17, and will expand on later on (7-10). For that was why He was sent, to make the way of forgiveness and reconciliation available to those whom God has chosen. Thus does He combine within Himself that which had been too great a burden even for Moses. He is greater than both Moses and Aaron.

‘Apostle and High Priest.’ He was sent from God to His people from Heaven (John 3:13; John 3:16-17; John 3:31; John 3:34; John 5:36-38; John 6:29 etc.) as the Sent One (Apostle) that He might act on God’s behalf towards His people, and He was appointed High Priest that He might act on behalf of His people towards God. Thus was His ministry two-way. It was a complete ministry. He was the complete Deliverer.

But why should the High Priesthood be mentioned here when the writer is about to compare Jesus with Moses? It is certainly partly in order to confirm that He is the complete Deliverer but it surely also has in mind that before Sinai Moses was both Trek Leader and ‘High Priest’ of Israel. And the aim is therefore surely to undergird the verses which follow with the reminder of Jesus’ High Priestly work. It is because of His High Priestly work that they can be His house and enter into rest.

‘Of our confession.’ He is the One Whom they confess before the world as their God-given Saviour and Lord, and in Whose name they live out their lives in the world revealing His glory, the One Whom they proclaim as the revelation of God in all His fullness, and the One Whom they declare to be the Master of their destinies.

‘Even Jesus.’ There must be no doubt of Whom he is speaking, it is of Jesus, about Whom he has spoken in all that has gone before, the One crowned with glory and honour throughout His ministry on earth (Hebrews 2:9), and now crowned with glory and honour in Heaven.

This was in contrast with Moses. Moses also was ‘sent’ (Exodus 3:12-15; Exodus 4:28). But he came from the wilderness not from Heaven, and he was too weak to bear the burden alone so that Aaron became the High Priest.