A. INTRODUCTION
1. The primary purpose of the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews is to present " C __ __ __ __ __ P __ __ - e __ __ __ __ __ __." In the process our author demonstrates an exquisite mastery of the Greek language, an impressive knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and an aggressive, persuasive logic as he encourages his readers to closely study the Old Testament and to honestly evaluate the facts.
2. Thus far in our study he has set before us Christ's clear superiority to:
a. the p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and
b. the a __ __ __ __ __.
3. In our text this morning he will expand his argument to include one of the most venerable of all the heroes of the Jewish faith: M __ __ __ __.
4. As he does so he will continue add to his long list of Christ's credentials, characteristics, and attributes. We will consider three today:
a. Christ as p __ __ __ __ __ __;
b. Christ as A __ __ __ __ __ __; and
c. Christ as H __ __ __ P __ __ __ __ __.
B. TEXT: Hebrews 2:10 - 3:6
1. In 2:10-18 Christ's essential h __ __ __ __ __ __ __ is considered.
a. V.10 calls our Lord the archegos of our s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
KJV: "captain"
NIV: "author" ( The same Greek word is so translated in 12:2. )
NEB: "leader"
RSV: "pioneer"
(1) The literal meaning of the Greek noun archegos is "founder," "originator," or even "source."
"Every American knows that in 1804-1806 two explorers, Captain George Clark and Captain Meriwether Lewis, were sent by President Thomas Jefferson to find a way across the old, trackless West from St. Louis to the Pacific coast. Such an exploration involved tremendous preparation, special provisions and wise decisions. It was accomplished through great danger and many hardships, as the Lewis and Clark journals make clear. When the explorers returned the whole American West lay open to development. This is the thought behind the word archegos. Jesus, our archegos, opened up a completely new spiritual country, the realm of universal dominion for the human race, which was originally intended for us but was lost by Adam. Those who follow Jesus now are fitted and trained to live in that new world as they walk in the footsteps of Him who has gone before." - Ray C. Stedman: Hebrews ( Volume 15, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series )
(2) We are told that "it is fitting" that God should "perfect" ( "make fully adequate" ) the founder of our salvation "through suffering."
"The real point of the appropriateness referred to at the beginning of the verse is that the Son should become fully like human beings, sharing their suffering, which here means identification with humanity to the point of death. "Making Jesus perfect through suffering refers primarily to the accomplishment and fulfillment of God's purposes. The perfection is not a moral or ethical perfection, for Jesus in this sense was always perfect. Jesus was made perfect in the sense of being brought to a certain 'completeness' associated with the fulfillment of God's plan. In his suffering and death there is therefore a completeness to his humanity that corresponds to his completeness as God's Son. - Donald A. Hagner: Hebrews ( Volume 14, New International Biblical Commentary )
ref: 2 Corinthians 5:21
Isaiah 53:3-6
1 Peter 2:18-24
b. In the sense of His shared humanity with mankind, Jesus Christ is quite literally our "b __ __ __ __ __ __." ( 2:11-12 ) Both of the relational characteristics of the Levitical priesthood are presented in these verses. There is one who "s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __" and there are those who "are being s __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __." As we shall soon see, the priesthood of Jesus Christ is not limited to these two relationships, but His priesthood must include both.
c. In v.12-13 the writer again turns to the Old Testament to more fully establish his premise of the essential humanity of Christ. The first reference ( v.12 ), taken from Psalm 22:22, does so with clear directness.
d. Christ's humanity in v.14-18 is seen as equipping Him to uniquely help men and women.
(1) The chief purpose of the I __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( "f __ __ __ __ and b __ __ __ __," v.14 ) was to enable the Messiah to d __ __.
(2) The purpose of Messiah's dying was "that through d __ __ __ __ He might destroy him who had the p __ __ __ __ of death, that is, the d __ __ __ __." ( v.14 )
(3) The purpose of destroying Satan was the "r __ __ __ __ __ __ [of] those who through f __ __ __ of death were all their lifetime subject to b __ __ __ __ __ __." ( v.15 )
ref: 1 Corinthians 15:54-57
e. But let us not think for a minute that the effectiveness of Christ's humanity lies 2,000 years in the past!
(1) Certainly the p __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ ( "making atonement" ) for our sins through His death ( v.17b ) was the necessary first step in the salvation, sanctification, and glorification of the elect.
(2) But Christ, in His role as a "m __ __ __ __ __ __ __ and f __ __ __ __ __ __ __ H __ __ __ P __ __ __ __ __" ( v.17a ) also has an on-going, present tense ministry in the lives of believers. His Incarnation has enabled Christ to experience all the facets of human experience -- including limitations such as hunger ( Matthew 4:2 ), fatigue ( John 4:6 ), ignorance of fact ( Luke 8:45-47 ), and sorrow ( John 11:35, 38 ). Our Lord also experienced t __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ (Matthew 4:1-11 ). All these experiences which He shares with His mortal "brothers and sisters" allows Christ to both empathize and sympathize with us!
"If Jesus had come into this world in a form in which He could never have suffered, He would have been quite different from men and so no Saviour for them. It is, in fact, this identification with men which is the essence of the Christian idea of God. When the Greeks thought of their gods they thought of them as Tennyson pictures them in The Lotus Eaters:
'For they lie beside their nectar, and the bolts are hurled
Far below them in the valleys, and the clouds are lightly curl'd
Round their golden houses, girdled with the gleaming world:
Where they smile in secret, looking over wasted lands,
Blight and famine, plague and earthquake, roaring deeps and fiery sands,
Clanging fights, and flaming towns, and sinking ships, and praying hands.'
The basis of the Greek idea of God was detachment; the basis of the Christian idea is identity. Through his sufferings Jesus Christ identified Himself with man. Through this identity Jesus Christ sympathizes with man. He literally feels with them.
Because He sympathizes Jesus can really help. He has met our sorrows; He has faced our temptations. As a result He knows exactly what help we need; and He can give it." - William Barclay: The Letter to the Hebrews
2. In 3:1-6 our writer turns his attention to the superiority of Jesus to M __ __ __ __. His purpose in this is not to denigrate their great patriarch, but to begin the development of his argument for
the superiority of Christ to the L __ __ and of the New Covenant to the Old Covenant.
a. In v.1 Jesus is called the A __ __ __ __ __ __. This is the only place in the New Testament where this occurs. He is also again referred to as High Priest.
(1) The common Greek noun apostolos meant simply "one who is sent forth." But the term is very different from the ones commonly translated as "messenger." The apostle not only carried with him the message of the one who sent him, he was also virtually clothed with the a __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ of the one who sent him. He was literally the voice of the king or the country which had sent him.
The authority with which Jesus taught from the Scriptures in the synagogues astounded those who heard Him. He Himself claimed to have "all authority." He sent forth His disciples into the world with all His authority, and He was disappointed when they they did not have sufficient faith with which to exercise it.
ref: Matthew 7:28-29
John 17:14-17
Matthew 28:18-20
(2) Just as Christ the Apostle served and serves as God's representative to man, so does Christ as High Priest serve as man's representative to God. The Latin word for priest is pontifex, which literally means "bridge-builder."
"The priest is the person who builds a bridge between man and God. To do that he must know both man and God. He must be able to speak to God for men and to speak to men for God. Jesus is the perfect High Priest because He is perfectly man and perfectly God; He can represent man to God and God to man. He is the one person through whom man comes to God and God comes to man." - William Barclay: Op. cit.
That Christ is the perfect High Priest should serve as a reminder to us that we no longer need an earthly, human priesthood. It is no longer necessary for men to try to build a bridge between mankind and God. The bridge has been built! It is in the shape of a Roman cross, and it is set in place forever. Hallelujah!
ref: Leviticus 16:1-30
Matthew 27:51
Hebrews 9:1-8; 10:19-22
b. And what has all this to do with Christ's superiority over Moses?
(1) "There is moreover a close connection between the apostle and the high priest. Both were 'appointed' and did not take the office on themselves. Both were representative offices, in which the holders were acting on behalf of others. The apostle represented Jesus Christ, and the high priest represented God before men and men before God. Since a comparison between Christ and Moses immediately follows, it is noticeable that Moses performed the function of an apostle in acting as God's representative to the people and the function of intercessor before God on behalf of the people. He is never specifically called either apostle or priest. His brother Aaron was in fact appointed to the office of priest instead of him. Christ is seen to be superior to Moses in perfectly fulfilling both functions." - Donald Guthrie: Hebrews ( Volume 15, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries )
ref: Exodus 32:1-14
(2) Christ's superiority over Moses can be clearly seen in the nature and the effectiveness of each other's ministry.
- Moses ministered in the "house of God" ( the Tabernacle ) in the midst of the house of Israel, and he did so under the Old Covenant.
Today Christ ministers in the midst of the "house of God" ( the Church ) in the midst of the kingdom of God, and He does so under the New Covenant.
- Moses was, indeed a faithful s __ __ __ __ __ __ in the house.
Jesus Christ is the S __ __ over the house!
- Moses was a member of the household.
Jesus b __ __ __ __ the house!
- Moses spoke of things to come.
Jesus Christ brought the fulfillment of these things.
ref: Numbers 12:1-8
John 5:17-47
C. APPLICATION
1. You would have to look hard in our day and age to find a Christian who sincerely believes that Moses is greater than Jesus Christ! So what can we take away from this lesson?
2. One answer can be found in a re-reading of Hebrews 3:1.
Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus...
3. Three important characteristics of Christians are presented here almost matter-of-factly.
a. We are described as "h __ __ __ brethren." This could be rendered literally as "children who have been cleansed and made holy."
(1) Again, the use of the word here does not mean "sinless." Rather, it should be understood in the same sense in which we understood that Jesus Christ was "made perfect" through His sufferings in the flesh: brought to c __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ for the purposes of fulfilling God's plan for each of us. The Holy Spirit we have each been given empowers us to do this and the local church which Christ Himself established provides an arena for the exercise of those ministries which characterize our having been "brought to completion."
ref: Matthew 19:16-22
1 Peter 1:13-16
Colossians 3:12-17
Romans 8:1-6
b. We are depicted as "partakers ( "sharers" ) in the heavenly c __ __ __ __ __ __." Not only have we been saved by grace ( "cleansed and made holy" ) but we have been created for good works! Christ calls His disciples to participate in the ministry He began during His Incarnation!
ref: Ephesians 2:8-10
Luke 4:16-19
Matthew 28:18-20
Colossians 1:20-22
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
c. We are exhorted to "c __ __ __ __ __ __ __" ( "pay more careful attention to" ) Jesus Christ.
ref: John 14:15-23
John 15:1-11
1 John 2:3-6
2. It is nothing less than Christ's on-going call to His believers to move beyond belief into fully functional d __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __.
