Hebrews 3

So Let Us Now Consider This Jesus vv1

The beginning of Chapter three in the King James begins with a “wherefore” that hearkens back to the arguments made in previous chapters.  The author is calling for you to pause a moment and consider what has already been said.  It might also behoove you to look back again for a reminder, because we’re about to develop an even deeper understanding who this Jesus is.  Verse one calls for us to “consider” who He is based on the the information that has already been given in chapters one and two (v1), and in my opinion this also assume the reader has already been through the Gospels.  This command to consider is actually a repetition of the similar command in 2:1 to take a more earnest heed to Christ’s words.

The call to consider the identity of Jesus is an important conclusion of Christianity.  Christianity is not filled with mindless rhetoric, magical incantations, or meaningless rituals.  Christianity in a person’s heart and life ought to be the result of careful thinking, the engaging of ones full faculties that understands who this Jesus is. Therefore the Gospel is not a magic formula to obtain God’s blessing.  It does not equate “sinners prayer” that if said unlocks the bountiful blessings of God.  The Gospel is information, news, knowledge that leads to salvation in Jesus Christ.  One must realize who he or she is in the light of who Jesus is.

Greater Than Moses vv2-19

We have another standard to compare Jesus too as we consider who He is.  Not only is He greater than the angels, and not only is He the greater High Priest, but He is also the greater Moses.  Certainly any Hebrew, as the letter is addressed to, would have considered who Moses is, the greatest of the prophets.  Moses was chosen as a faithful servant in God’s house that mediated the laws of God to His people.  However we should ascribe more honor to Jesus than we do to Moses (v2-3).

Why?  For the simple fact that Moses was merely a servant in God’s house, whereas Jesus is the Son over His own house, the heir of everything God is.  This is the house we hope to belong to through faith, as long as our faith is of the true sort that stands firm through diversity (v4-6).

Since we are to belong to God’s house by faith, again the author shows mastery of Christ’s hermeneutical process of the OT scriptures by quoting Psalm 95:7-11.  The Psalms quoted demonstrates a quality of faith that the unbelieving Hebrews did not possess as they traversed the desert.  This quality of faith must exist in our own if we are to belong to God’s house. Was there not a grand multitude of Hebrews among the numbers brought out from Egypt? Yes there was.  But why did so many of them fail to enter God’s rest in the promised land?  Because of their unbelief, their faith was not of the saving kind.  A murmuring, disobedient faith can only be called unbelief.  It is because of their unbelief, they failed to enter God’s rest. This is is the final summary of the chapter (v19).

The quoted Psalm reveals their unbelief in their lack of obedience and murmuring against God.  They constantly tested the LORD’s patience with their unbelief, and ultimately the LORD refused them entrance into His rest because of it (v7-11).  So why bring up this Psalm now?  Because of the similar theme and the same kind of faith that God requires in the New Testament.   Is our so called faith of the murmuring kind? While we are not following the “Angel of the LORD”, in the wilderness, we are following the Son of God.  While we are not following Moses, God’s servant, we are following His Son.  So let us consider what sort of faith we will respond to the Son with.  Let it be of the sort that is obedient and steadfast.  This is the sort of faith that does not fall away, or becomes hardened after an uncomfortable experience.  This is the saving faith whose object is Jesus Christ, the One who accomplishes the saving.  The only logical assumption is that if a person is to be saved, their faith must be centered steadfastly in Christ alone.  For our salvation is not accomplished by any angel, or by any lesser high priest, or by Moses.  It is accomplished by Jesus Christ, whom God now exalts above any standard of evaluation.