“Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; who verily was faithful to Him that appointed Him, as also Moses was faithful in all His house. For this Man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he that hath built the house hath more honor than the house. For every house is built by some one; but He that built all things is God. And Moses verily was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; but Christ as a Son over His house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” Hebrews 3.1-6
In this quotation we have in two instances departed from the common version and have used the rendering of the Revised Version instead, since it is more literal, and hence clearer. In verse 4, instead of “some man,” we have in the Revision “some one,” which is manifestly the correct rendering. God is not a man, yet He has built a house. Also in verse 6 have we, as in the Revision, omitted the word “own” in the first line, since it is not found in the original. As we shall see, the statement is not that Christ was faithful as a Son over His own house, but that just as Moses was faithful in God’s house as a servant, so was Christ faithful in God’s house as a Son.
“Wherefore.”—Note that there is no break between chapters two and three, any more than between one and two. Indeed, there is no break anywhere, since the entire book is a single letter, written for a special purpose, and having one single grand purpose. To begin reading the second chapter without any thought of the first would be almost as unsatisfactory as to begin a history lesson with the question, “What happened next?” “Wherefore, consider Christ Jesus,” is the sum of the first verse. Why, and in what capacity, should we consider Him? Because He has been tempted as a man, we are to consider Him as one of the brethren in all things like all the other brethren, only that He was in all respects faithful. No matter how highly Christ is exalted, or how great His power and glory, if we consider Him in any degree separated from us, and not as “the Man Christ Jesus,” we, to that degree, deprive ourselves of the comfort of the Gospel.
Christ Compared to Moses.—Christ was faithful to Him that appointed Him as also Moses was. That is to say, Christ was as faithful as Moses. At first glance one would think that it would be more fitting to compare Moses with Christ, and say that Moses was as faithful as Christ; but that would not be true, for Moses made at least one mistake after he left Egypt, while Christ never made any. But it is perfectly true of Christ that He was as faithful as Moses; and at the same time it is the highest commendation to Moses that any man could have. People are inclined to belittle Moses, and to speak slightingly of him and his writings; but just to the extent that they do that, they show then selves unacquainted with the Lord. When God foretold the work of Christ, He said to Moses, “I will raise them up a prophet from among