Hebrews 3:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.

NASB: 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.

CSB: For Jesus is considered worthy of more glory than Moses, just as the builder has more honor than the house.

NLT: But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself.

KJV: For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.

NKJV: 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.

Prior verses pointed out that Jesus, as a person, is superior to Moses. This verse expands on the concept. Moses was ultimately a created being. His work and his accomplishments were impressive. However, no matter how amazing a building might be, whoever designed and built it is obviously worth more honor and glory than the thing they built. In that way, Jesus, as the Creator of all things, is worth as much more honor than Moses as a builder is worth more honor than the house they build.

This is critical to the Hebrew mindset. In Judaism, there is no greater figure than Moses. It was Moses who led Israel out of slavery in Egypt and brought the laws of God to the nation of Israel. The author of Hebrews does nothing to diminish the character or reputation of Moses. On the contrary, he is depicted as faithful. However, these verses do make it clear that Jesus is far above Moses when it comes to authority or example.

This implies two separate and important ideas. First, if we acknowledge that Moses is a good example, and should be followed, the same is even more true of Christ. Also, as discussed later, if there were dire consequences for those who followed Moses, but lost their trust, there will be even greater consequences for those who follow Jesus, but lose their trust in Him.

Hebrews 3:1–6 explains how Moses, while a powerful and faithful servant of God, is not the ultimate example for us to follow. Jesus is not a servant, but the Son of God. He is not the created thing, He is the Creator. He did not come to predict God's plan, He came to fulfill it. For these reasons, the Jewish Christians reading this letter should have every confidence in following Christ. This passage ends with a condition: that believers ''hold fast.'' This is not a reference to losing salvation; however, it does introduce the warning beginning in verse 7, which discusses what happens when a believer fails to trust in God.

Hebrews chapter 3 uses a reference to Israel's wandering in the desert from the story of the Exodus. In this incident, the nation of Israel came to the border of the Promised Land and then lost confidence in God. Rather than trusting Him, most of the people gave up hope. As a result, only a tiny remnant of the nation was allowed to enter into Canaan. This chapter explains that Jesus Christ is superior to Moses and all of Moses' accomplishments. Christians, therefore, need to encourage each other to fully trust in God, in order to see fulfillment of His promises.

In chapters 1 and 2, the author of Hebrews showed that Jesus was not an angel. In fact, Jesus' role as Messiah required Him to be fully human. Starting in chapter 3, the author will explain how Jesus is also superior to various Old Testament characters such as Moses. This will help to set the stage for later references to Christ's superiority. Part of the warning in this chapter extends into chapter 4. Namely, that Christians who doubt God's promises risk missing out on the victories He has in store for us.

The book of Hebrews is meant to challenge, encourage, and empower Christian believers. According to this letter, Jesus Christ is superior to all other prophets and all other claims to truth. Since God has given us Christ, we ought to listen to what He says and not move backwards. The consequences of ignoring God are dire. Hebrews is important for drawing on many portions of the Old Testament in making a case that Christ is the ultimate and perfect expression of God's plan for mankind. This book presents some tough ideas about the Christian faith, a fact the author makes specific note of.