Greater Than Moses

Hebrews 3:1-6

For many years I lived right near Oak Park, Illinois, a prominent suburb of Chicago, and also the home for many years of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  I have seen many of the world-famous houses he designed, along with his famous studio and home.  His style of design was so admired that many other architects tried to copy it.  What made his houses and designs so admired and famous?  Was it because of who lived in them, or was it because they were designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright?  It was his name that mattered, not that of the tenant.  As we look into our Scripture for today, we see that same idea - which is more important, the one who built the house or the tenant or caregiver of the building.  Let’s see what the Lord teaches in this passage.

As our Scripture opens, the author urges us to consider the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (vs. 1).  To consider Jesus is to fully observe Him, what He said and what He did, which is recorded in the Gospels.  Even though we may desire to follow Jesus, our life can get off track if we are not careful.  We need to constantly fix our eyes upon Jesus, to consider and follow His path (Hebrews 12:2), following Him every step of our life.

Our Scripture now brings to our consideration the great Old Testament leader, Moses.  Moses was one of the most important people in Israelite history.  He was the faithful messenger of God, the instrument through which the Law was given, and the one who established the Levitical priesthood.

As important as Moses was, Jesus is superior.  Moses was faithful as a servant (vs. 5).  Jesus was faithful as a Son (vs. 6).  Moses was a witness to what God would speak in the future (vs. 5).  Jesus was the message (Hebrews 1:1-2).   Moses was faithful in God’s house (vs. 2).  Jesus was the Builder of the house, and faithful as Son over God’s house (vs. 6).

While being the caretaker of a building can be very important, the builder of the building has greater honor.  Without the builder, there would be no building to take care of.  Moses was the caretaker.  Jesus was the Builder.

This is not to denigrate Moses.  He was a very faithful and devout servant of God, and the Lord used him in a mighty way.  However, he cannot even approach the majesty of Jesus, the Son of God.   Moses was the servant, Jesus is the Son.

The houses and other buildings that Frank Lloyd Wright built aren’t famous because of who lived in them.  For some of these buildings, only real Frank Lloyd Wright experts even know who they were.  Others might have been well-known in their day, especially since one had to be rather wealthy to afford a Wright-designed house, but now they are forgotten to history except for the fact that they once had or lived in one of his houses.  It was the designer and builder of the house that was important, not the caretaker or tenant.

Let us devote ourselves to following the Builder, the Lord Jesus Christ, and not anyone else.  Let us fix our eyes on Him alone, considering Him and following the path that He has laid out.