Brief Comparison Between Moses and Jesus: Hebrews 3:1-6
“1) Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 2) He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3) For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4) For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5) Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6) but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.” Hebrews 3:1-6
The writer of the book of Hebrews now does a brief comparison between Jesus and Moses. In verse one, he calls Jesus “the Apostle and high priest of our confession.” Jesus fulfilled both roles.
According to verses 2-6, both Jesus and Moses were both faithful to the One who called them. The big difference was that Moses was faithful as a “servant”, but Jesus was faithful as a “Son.” There is a major difference between those two relationships.
But let me embellish the comparison a bit more. Jesus fulfilled everything Moses established. He not only kept the Law and was thereby sinless, He also became the Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. (See John 1:29-37) He fulfilled every type, figure, ceremony, pattern and calendar event set forth in the Law. He fulfilled everything given through Moses.
The Bible student can to press the comparison even further in John 8:1-11. When Jesus twice knelt down and wrote in the sand with His finger in the presence of the Scribes and Pharisee who wanted a death sentence against the woman caught in adultery, He may have been giving an astounding object lesson. They quoted from the Ten Commandments. Jesus seemed to be inferring; “This is the finger that wrote the Ten Commandments.” They departed one by one until He was left alone with the woman. They demanded judgement, but Jesus gave grace and forgiveness.
It is almost tragic that the writer of the book of Hebrews devoted such minimal space to the comparison between Moses and Jesus. Yet, according to 2 Corinthians 3:1-18, when a Jewish person turns to the Lord, “the veil is taken away.” The Holy Spirit illuminates them to truth, comparisons and insights that are unfathomable to the Gentile mind. The writer of the book of Hebrews merely cracks the door open for a brief preview. He leaves the unpacking of this mystery to the Holy Spirit as the inner teacher of every true believer.
Daily Bible Commentary By Terry Baxter: Cofounder of GoServ Global