Scripture:
Hebrews 3:1-6, 1. Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2. who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3. For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. 4. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5. Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6. but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope. (ESV)
Observation:
Who is Jesus? Why does the writer to the Hebrews spend time comparing Jesus to Moses? Why does the writer state the obvious that Jesus is superior to Moses? Well the way the Pentateuch ends is with a prophecy that someone greater than Moses is coming and he is the Messiah. And the other part of that prophecy that is daunting states that no one till the Messiah will be as great as Moses. So, if one can prove that Jesus is greater than Moses, then the point can be made that he is the Messiah. Many times in the Gospels the Pharisees and others pledged their loyalty to Moses. They knew that to say that Jesus was the Messiah they would have to say he was greater than Moses. They could not bring themselves to say that.
Application:
Who is Jesus to You? Is he the greatest person that ever lived or just another moral teacher? I love the argument that C.S. Lewis makes on this point. He states:
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
Do you believe Jesus to be the God of the universe or not? There is no middle ground on this question.
Prayer:
Father God we thank you for Jesus. I pray we would give him the praise, glory and recognition due the God of this universe. Thank you for including in your Word logical arguments to that effect! We love you so very much. Thank that although you are the God of the universe, you are mindful of us.
dmbaldwin
Sixty-six books in a year 