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Disciple Up #204

Greater Than – Jesus the Greatest of All Time!

By Louie Marsh, 3-23-2021

“1Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3For 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. 4(For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6but Christ is faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house, if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.” (Hebrews 3:1–6, ESV)

Partakers (μετοχοι [metochoi]). See Luke 5:7 for “partners” in the fishing, elsewhere in N. T. only in Hebrews (1:9; 6:4; 12:8) in N. T. Of a heavenly calling (κλησεως ἐπουρανιου [klēseōs epouraniou]). Only here in the N. T., though same idea in 9:15. See ἡ ἀνω κλησις [hē anō klēsis] in Phil. 3:14 (the upward calling) - Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Heb 3:1). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

Consider (κατανοησατε [katanoēsate]). First aorist active imperative of κατανοεω [katanoeō], old compound verb (κατα, νους [kata, nous]), to put the mind down on a thing, to fix the mind on as in Matt. 7:3 and Luke 12:24. - Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Heb 3:1). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.

The apostle and high priest (τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα). In calling Jesus apostle, the writer is thinking of Moses as one sent by God to lead Israel to Canaan. Comp. LXX, where ἀποστέλλειν to send is often used of Moses. See Ex. 3–7. Often of Jesus - Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 4, p. 410). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons.

The Apostle and High Priest of our confession (τον ἀποστολον και ἀρχιερεα της ὁμολογιας ἡμων [ton apostolon kai archierea tēs homologias hēmōn]). In descriptive apposition with Ἰησουν [Iēsoun] and note the single article τον [ton]. This is the only time in the N. T. that Jesus is called ἀποστολος [apostolos], though he often used ἀποστελλω [apostellō] of God’s sending him forth as in John 17:3 (ἀπεστειλας [apesteilas]). This verb is used of Moses as sent by God (Ex. 3:10). Moffatt notes that ἀποστολος [apostolos] is Ionic for πρεσβευτης [presbeutēs], “not a mere envoy, but an ambassador or representative sent with powers.” - Robertson, A. T. (1933). Word Pictures in the New Testament (Heb 3:1). Nashville, TN: Broadman Press.