JESUS IS GREATER THAN MOSES

Hebrews 3:1-19
It is difficult to overstate the
importance of Moses to people of Jewish background. No life
is more intriguing and no ministry had more impact than Moses. But he merely
set the stage for the one whose life and ministry are for us. There is
a better story than the one about Moses. This text draws an analogy between
the present experience of the preacher’s audience and the past experience of
the children of Israel in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses. The
preacher brings the events of Numbers 14 (as reflected in Psalm 95) into
analogy with the present experience of discouraged believers in his
day.
Israel followed Moses into the wilderness. While
Moses was faithful, Israel was not. The church follows Jesus into the
wilderness. Jesus was faithful, but the question remains whether the church
will be faithful. Will the church follow Jesus or will they follow the example
of Israel in the wilderness?
1.
Hebrews 3:1-6
. This section is fundamentally exhortation. It begins
with the most basic exhortation and most foundational exhortation of the
sermon: “fix your thoughts on Jesus.” Because Jesus is the exalted Son who is
greater than the angels but made himself lower than the angels, focus your
attention on him. He is God’s faithful Son. He is further identified as an
“apostle” as well as a “high priest.” The idea of “one who was sent” (apostle)
is closely connected to the “champion” or “leader” (2:10) where those who are
sent are leaders in Numbers 13:2. The Son was sent as a leader, a champion
among God’s people, among his brothers.
2. Hebrew
3:7-19
. This section is an exhortation based upon Psalm
95:7b-11. The text is quoted in Hebrews 3:7b-11 and Hebrews 3:15. After each
citation, the Hebrew writer exhorts his readers in Hebrews 3:12-14 and Hebrews
3:16-19. Thus, we have the pattern of Scripture followed by exhortation.
The Hebrew writer sees that the potential
problem among his hearers is “unbelief.” The first exhortation begins with
“See…that no one among you has an evil heart of unbelief” (3:12) and ends with
“We see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief” (3:19). The issue
is faith or the lack thereof. The question of Numbers 14:11 rings in the
background: “How long will they refuse to believe me?” The “unbelief” here is a
refusal to believe God’s promises and trust that he will accomplish them. It is
not a weakness of faith, but a rebellious rejection.
The rebellion to which Hebrews 3:16-19 alludes
is found in Numbers 14. It was a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, but
ultimately against God as well. The connection here with Hebrews 3:1-6 is
obvious. If they refused to believe God’s promise through Moses and thus could
not enter the rest, how much will the fail to enter the rest if they reject
God’s promise through Jesus who is God’s faithful son.
It is important to understand the nature of this
“unbelief” in Hebrews 3. This is not a temporary lack of faith, or trust. It is
not a moment of weakness. It is, rather, a willful rejection of God’s promise.
It is rebellion. The rebellious cannot enter God’s rest.
We have an exhortation against disbelieving God’s word. The warning comes from the past, when Israel, in its desert wanderings comes from the past, when Israel, it its desert wanderings, stubbornly refused to listen to God. Israel, God’s people in the past, did not continue in faith; and the same fear of faithlessness runs through the mind of the author with respect to God’s present people.
However, he encourages believers who are struggling with their weaknesses to continue their journey. Every community of faith lives with the reality that some in their midst give up their faith, reject God’s promises and refuse to obey. The Hebrew writer encourages us not to be one of those people, but to claim the work of Christ for ourselves and embrace the promise of God’s rest. He encourages us to persevere in faith.
The key to the survival of the church may lie in its response to frustration and disappointment. Disappointment has been a part of the life of faith from the days of Israel until now. A church that knows its history is aware of both the tragedy of failing to endure and the motivating power of God’s promise.
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