Jesus: Better Than Moses (Hebrews 3:1–6)
In first-century Jewish culture, there were a few men of the past who qualified as heroes of the culture and of the faith. One of those men was Moses, who answered — although somewhat reluctantly at first — God';s call to lead the people of Israel out of captivity in Egypt. The first-century Jews had a very high opinion of Moses, and rightly so. And while the writer of Hebrews doesn';t downplay the faithfulness or faith of Moses or the importance of what he did, he wrote that “Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God” (Hebrews 3:3–4).
Jesus himself didn';t downplay the importance of Moses';s part in God';s plan of redemption. In his famed Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Don';t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to accomplish their purpose” (Matthew 5:17).
In other words, Moses, just like every other human being, was created by God, the same God Jesus represented perfectly in everything he did. But still, Moses played his part in the plan to bring salvation to the world: “Moses was certainly faithful in God';s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God';s entire house. And we are God';s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ” (Hebrews 3:5–7).
Moses was called to fulfill his part in God';s plan of redemption for all of humankind, and he played that part. While he wasn';t perfect in everything he did and said — as Jesus was — he faithfully and obediently did as God had called him to do.
Jesus, on the other hand, was perfect in everything he said and did — perfect in his obedience to God and in his service to humankind. He was everything that Moses and other servants of God had been before him as they prepared the world for his arrival. But he was far, far more.
While Moses was a great leader of the Jewish people and a man who is to be revered, he was only a foreshadowing of what Jesus Christ would be. Jesus is our Savior, the One sent of God to seek out and save the lost (Luke 19:10). He is God in the flesh, and as such he is worthy of infinitely higher praise and reverence than Moses.
Study Questions
How did the writer of Hebrews describe Moses?
How did the writer of Hebrews compare and contrast Moses and Jesus?
