A congregation in a Lutheran church in the Midwest was asked….
Question: How many Lutherans does it take to change a light bulb?
The response: Change a light bulb? That’s unheard of! Lutherans don’t change!
Now before you think I’m picking on Lutherans, I was born into a Lutheran home, and spent much of my upbringing going to a Lutheran church and attending Lutheran school.
And granted, there is some real truth in this admittedly stereotypical joke about the Lutherans. They are historically, as a denomination, very slow to change, especially the ultra-conservative Midwest varieties that I knew.
But do you know what else I have come to find out? Baptists are slow to change, and Methodists, and Presbyterians, and Mennonites, and Pentecostals….and Quakers.
Until less than a hundred years ago, a lot of Friends still walked around looking like the Quaker Oats guy. It’s just what Quakers did, and putting down the way things have been done for a long time is really hard, because honestly, most people don’t like to change.
It’s been said that “most people are really conservative by nature -what ever our beliefs, we all want to conserve them, and not deviate from our own core ideas and understandings.
We may not know that much, but we like what we know, and we’re not inclined to change all that much. It gives us a lot of security to know that what we believe to be true, will not change, and we can count on that.
To a large degree, that was the problem among the Jewish Christians who received the letter we are reading from today. They had, if fact, changed. They had come to faith in Jesus, and that was really hard to do all by itself. They were going against the beliefs and opinions of many, if not most, of their Jewish colleagues. And now, in retrospect, they weren’t so sure that the change was such a good idea. They started having some doubts about the whole thing.
They had confessed Jesus as the promised Messiah at very great personal expense. So the temptation to abandon their Christian faith and go back exclusively to Moses and the Prophets was very real and present to them.
So the book of Hebrews is an argument. Just like the book of Romans was an methodical and logical argument presented to the Roman readers, Hebrews lays out the facts for the Jews, both converts and not.
The first couple of chapters of Hebrews focused, more or less, on angels. And even though there was a lot of angel worship in those days, and angels are indeed magnificent heavenly creatures, the author pointed to the fact that Jesus is superior in every way. He is greater even than the greatest of angels, and these chapters spelled that out for those who might be drifting away from the truth.
Then, in chapter three, Hebrews takes on another highly worshiped figure.
Because the question had certainly come up over and over again.
” Ok, you say Jesus is greater than the angels, I’ll accept that, but you’re not saying Jesus is greater than….Moses….are you?”
The answers was absolutely YES, Jesus is greater than Moses.
Hebrews Chapter 3 [From the NLT – New Living Translation]
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and* are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God’s messenger* and High Priest. 2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire* house.
3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself. 4 For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God.
5 Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. 6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God’s entire house. And we are God’s house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.*
7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,
” Today when you hear his voice,
8 don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
10 So I was angry with them, and I said,
‘ Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.’
11 So in my anger I took an oath:
‘ They will never enter my place of rest.’”*
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.* Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. 15 Remember what it says:
” Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”*
16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn’t it the people Moses led out of Egypt? 17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn’t it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness? 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn’t it the people who disobeyed him? 19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
If you think about it, there is only one real reason to compare Jesus to Moses.
And it’s still being done today.
People will say, yes Jesus was great, but Moses was greater, Abraham was greater, Mohammed was greater.
And the real problem with this? In doing this, we’re comparing apples to BMW’s.
On Sesame Street they had this game in which they put four items up on a board and sang this song…”one of these things is not like the others”
By comparing Moses, Abraham, & Mohammed, & Jesus that’s what we’d be doing.
Cause “one of these is not like the others”
Moses – a human being – is seen by almost the whole world (Jews, Muslims, & Christians) as a prophet of God – he lived, now he’s dead
Abraham – also a human being – is seen by almost the whole world (Jews, Muslims, & Christians) as a prophet of God – he lived, now he’s dead
Those two are in many ways pretty much the same.
Then there’s Mohammed – also a human being – and seen by mostly Muslims as a prophet – rejected by everyone else, but either way – he lived, now he’s dead
And then there’s Jesus – he did come in the flesh as a human being , but he’s also the one and only Son of God – the Messiah – he lived, and he died, but now he is resurrected and alive.
Nobody, Jew, Muslims, or Christian dispute that the first three mere just humans, and their dead.
The real contention comes with number 4. Just is not like the others.
Unlike the first three, Jesus is not “just a prophet”.
But a bunch of people want to lump Him with the others.
That’s not an option, because He’s not that. He is the Lord God incarnate. You accept that truth or you do not. There is no middle ground.
And so you can ee, in today’s age, the arguments presented here in Hebrews are very timely.
The whole book is about how Jesus was and is not just a person, not just a prophet, he is in every way greater than that.
For the sake of what we’re talking about here, I’m not going to continue to talk about Mohammed. I’m not going to do that any more because at the time he hadn’t even been born. The Islamic faith hadn’t even started to spring up yet. The bible doesn’t deal with Mohammed.
But it certainly could have and Hebrews is a great book to use while talking to Muslim about his faith in hopes that he would accept Christ and come to follow Him as Savior.
You could use this text and even concede “even if we were to accept that Mohammed was a prophet….that’s were the comparison ends….because Jesus is not just a prophet, he was so much more, and here’s why….”
And that’s what God is saying through these words in Hebrews, “Yes, Moses was a prophet, and a great one, and Abraham was the father of the nation, and a prophet, and a great one, but that’s where the comparison ends.”
Jesus did prophecy, but He is not just a prophet, he was so much more, and and again here’s why…
Hear this from Ephesians 1:19-23 [From the NLT – New Living Translation]
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else-not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Abraham could not claim these things.
Moses could not claim these things.
Jesus is far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.
This says….Give Jesus any name, and he is greater than that, always has been, always will be.
So we must listen to the advice of the writer to the Hebrews.
We must “Fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.”
All the true prophets pointed to Jesus, but none of them, were Jesus, and they knew it.
And yet sometimes with false prophets, they start to assume the role of God himself.
We all know the stories of various cults that are led by men claiming to be Christ returned, and the disastrous results that come from that. These situations are pretty obvious to most, but sometimes is much more subtle.
In these cases, we find that little by little we have started to think we can take over and claim Jesus’ job. And little by little, followers come to hold these leaders in such regard that they are put them up on pedestals and worshiped, even unconsciously.
That cannot be. Because every though, we, or someone we admire, may indeed be doing mighty works in the coming of God’s Kingdom. They may be faithful and obedient, and steadfast, just like Moses and Abraham.
We must remember that every day, and in every way, they are still less than Jesus.
Sometimes you hear churches being referred to as the church of the pastor..for example….”I heard such and such was going on at Pastor Joe’s church….”
I hope that we remember that this church is a fellowship of people who worship Jesus, and does not belong to any one of us.
Occasionally I’ll overhear someone say “over at Tim & Tonya’s Church” and when I have the opportunity I jump in and clarify. Yes, we go there, and yes, we minister there, but this is Jesus’ Church, and it’s important that we never forget that.
I’ve seen churches be all about just one minister. And when the minister leaves or dies, the church folds up. I’ve seen that, and it’s kind of scary.
And that’s one of the reasons I’m very proud of this churches long history. It reminds me also that you and I will come and go, as many have before us. But Jesus is still here. His gospel is still being preached. His truth is still being told. And it will be, in the future, when the changing of the guard happens again.
So yes, a lot of things have changed over the years, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In many ways, that’s a good thing. We don’t like changes, and thankfully Jesus never changes. He is always here with us.
There was a story was being told by a pastor about a game he played with his little girl.
In talking about change, he was reminded that lots of things will change. Music will change, decorations will change, language will change, the members of a congregation, and even the minister will change.
But he asked his girl. “What do we do if we come to church and something changes and now nobody’s talking about Jesus anymore….”
The little girl yells out….”quick, hurry, get out!”
That is so true.
Our text says….12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
And yes, there is no arguing that Moses was great man, and God worked powerfully through Him.
Biblically he is esteemed above any other Jew who ever lived. He had a place that was utterly and absolutely unique. He was the man to whom God spoke mouth to mouth.
The hand of God preserved Him as a baby, and the hand of God dug his grave at the finish. And between these two points of his life, there is nothing but miracle after miracle after miracle.
During the most memorable times of Israel’s history, it was Moses through whom God worked. It was Moses who led the children of Israel out of Egypt. It was Moses who led them through the wilderness. It was Moses who instructed them from the mouth of God. It was Moses, Moses, Moses.
The whole Law was presented through Moses. It was Moses who gave the plans for the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant and everything that went with it.
You really can’t find any real comparison between Moses and any other man or woman in the Bible. He was that great.
He was THE PROPHET of PROPHETS.
And we study about him, and learn about him, and we give him a place of honor in our worship.
He was a truly great man. He was. Don’t think I’m kidding.
But if you think Moses is great?
Our reading urges us to closely consider Jesus.
Whether you’re a Christian or not.
Consider Jesus, and all that He is.
The readers of the Book of Hebrews were wondering and wandering. Some were steadfast in the changes that had happened in their lives since accepting Christ, but other not so sure. Others hadn’t made up their minds.
Do I follow Moses, or Do I follow Jesus?
And what they need to know was yes, Moses was faithful, but he’s just a piece of the house. Jesus made the house. That’s the difference.
“All things were made by Him.” “And without Him was not anything made that was made.”
Moses was simply a faithful member of the spiritual household which Jesus Himself built.
You can’t be on the fence with this.
This whole argument falls apart, indeed every last one of us is to be pitied if we accept Jesus as just other loving guy with wise words. A guy who’s just dead.
A lot of the world sees him that way. To them, He is just slightly elevated above the rest of us. He’s a nice guy, and good teacher, and maybe a great prophet but nothing more.
It may not seem that way, but all the major religions admire Jesus, as a good guy.
But Scripture, and Christ himself, did not give us that “good guy” answer as a option.
Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the resurrected and living Son of God.
He’s not just a prophet.
And I urge you to NOT drift away from this truth.
Simply said, Jesus is everything. Or He is nothing.
There is no in between place.
Amen
©2011 Timothy Henry