The aim of Hebrews Chapter 3 is to show that Jesus is better than Moses
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus (Hebrews 3:1)
We are called
1. Holy brethren
2. Partakers of the heavenly calling
Christ is called
1. The Apostle and High Priest of our confession
Apostle of our confession
The word “apostle” means the one who is sent. Jesus the Son was “sent” by the Father to make Him known.
High Priest of our confession
Notice those last words, “[the] High Priest of our confession.” That means that our confession enlists Jesus as our High Priest. Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. If we do not make a confession, we have no High Priest. Not that Jesus has ceased to be our High Priest, but we have given Him no opportunity to minister as such.
Jesus is the High Priest of our confession. If we make the right proclamations in faith, with our mouths, according to Scripture, then Jesus has eternally obligated Himself to see that we will never be put to shame—we will always come into the experience of what we confess. However, if we fail to make the right declaration, then, alas, we silence the lips of our High Priest. Lacking our confession, He has nothing to say on our behalf for us in heaven.
In connection with this, Jesus in 1 John 2:1 is also called our Advocate. The word advocate is pretty similar to the modern word attorney. Jesus is the legal expert who is there to plead our case in heaven. He has never lost a case. But if we do not make a confession, He has no case to plead. So the case goes against us by default.
who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house. (Hebrews 3:2)
The contrasts in the life of Moses have been beautifully captured by I. M. Halderman. He writes:
“He was the child of a slave, and the son of a queen. He was born in a hut, and lived in a palace. He inherited poverty, and enjoyed unlimited wealth. He was the leader of armies and the keeper of flocks. He was the mightiest of warriors, and the meekest of men. He was educated in the court, and dwelt in the desert. He had the wisdom of Egypt, and the faith of a child. He was fitted for the city, and wandered in the wilderness. He was tempted with the pleasures of sin, and endured the hardships of virtue. He was backward in speech, and talked with God. He had the rod of a shepherd, and the power of the Infinite. He was a fugitive from Pharaoh, and an ambassador from heaven. He was the giver of the Law, and the forerunner of grace. He died alone on Mount Moab, and appeared with Christ in Judea. No man assisted at his funeral, yet God buried him” (I. M. Halderman).
Both Moses and Jesus were “faithful” to God but only Jesus was totally obedient and never sinned or disobeyed.
This contrast is in no way an attempt to put down Moses the man of God. It was not that Moses was bad and Jesus was good. It is simply a contrast between a man, on one side, who is faithful but still a sinner prone to weaknesses and failures. On the other hand, you have Jesus, who is perfectly faithful, obedient, although tempted in all areas, He never sinned. (See Hebrews 4:15)
For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who built the house has more honor than the house. (Hebrews 3:3)
The term “house” of God here is not a reference to the Temple but to the people of God collectively.
The reason Jesus is worthy of greater glory than Moses is that although Moses was faithful and played a crucial role in God’s redemptive purposes, he was still only a part of that house, a member of it. Jesus, on the other hand, is the builder and maker of the house. Moses is himself one of the people of God. Jesus is the Creator, Savior, and Lord of all such people. There is a sense in which it might even be said that Jesus is worthy of greater honor and glory than Moses because Jesus made Moses!
For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God. (Hebrews 3:4)
Although Jesus is fully human He is also fully God. In verse 3 it says that Jesus built the house and in verse 4 it is said that God built all things - not only the house but everything. The point is that Jesus is God!
And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as a servant…. but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:5-6)
It is true that both Moses and Jesus served the people of God. But what sets them apart is that Jesus is more than a servant of God’s people: He is God’s Son! He is the Savior of God’s people! The Son, by way of inheritance, owns the house and is lord and master over the house and provides for the family within it and protects them from danger and destruction.
for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward (Hebrews 3:6)
The author of Hebrews in no way puts down Moses and the Old Covenant to establish the superiority of Jesus.
In Hebrews 3, Moses has been rightly praised as a faithful “servant” of God. But the Old Covenant under which he lived was temporary. Its primary purpose was to point forward to something greater, more lasting and more glorious.
Things which would be spoken afterward
These are things that Jesus brought to us in the New Covenant