September 17, 2020
Better Than the Great Bambino
Hebrews 3:1–11
Scott Gill
Central Truth
Jesus is the pinnacle of all of life and the greatest figure in all of history. In His faithfulness to God, Jesus surpasses even Moses and is thus worthy of more glory. No matter how tough life gets, we must resist the temptation to turn from Jesus to honor lesser things.
Key Verse | Hebrews 3:3
For 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.
Hebrews 3:1–11
Jesus Greater Than Moses
1 Therefore, holy brothers, 1 3:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verse 12 you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God's 2 3:2 Greek his; also verses 5, 6 house. 3 For 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.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God's house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but 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. 3 3:6 Some manuscripts insert firm to the end
A Rest for the People of God
7 Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today, if you hear his voice,
8
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
on the day of testing in the wilderness,
9
where your fathers put me to the test
and saw my works for forty years.
10
Therefore I was provoked with that generation,
and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart;
they have not known my ways.’
11
As I swore in my wrath,
‘They shall not enter my rest.’”
Dive Deeper | Hebrews 3:1–11
"The Colossus of Clout, the King of Crash . . . the Great Bambino!" Ham Porter and the rest of the team barked at Scotty Smalls in a beloved scene from the movie Sandlot. Scotty knew little of baseball, and Ham made clear to the newbie his devotion to Babe Ruth—no other baseball player could hold a candle to him.
For a first-century Jew, Moses was the Great Bambino. He led Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 1-14), received the Law (Exodus 19), and guided them to the borders of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 4). However, the folks addressed in the book of Hebrews had become followers of Jesus, the Redeemer, who Moses himself looked forward to (Hebrews 11:26-28). They were Christians, but now they considered leaving the faith (Hebrews 2:1-4).
Times were tough for followers of Christ. Under persecution these Jewish Christians struggled with doubt. Bad things were happening; was God sending a message? Was He unhappy with their decision? Should they go back to Judaism? People tend to do this—we read the tea leaves of circumstance and wonder if God is telling us something. When life is tough, God must be unhappy, right? These folks were doing the same, contemplating leaving the Savior that all their former traditions promised (Hebrews 8:5, 10:1).
The writer says no! Jesus is the One sent to bridge the gap to God. He’s even greater than the "Great Bambino" Moses. He illustrates the difference between Jesus and Moses with the image of builders and their buildings. When I first visited the U.S. Capitol, I was amazed at the architecture, but it didn’t build itself. It came to be only because of a brilliant designer. In the same way, the writer argues, the Son of God, as the builder of our house of faith—a house Moses also inhabits—is greater than all else.
Leaving Jesus to go back to Judaism would be tantamount to Israel doubting God on the border of the Promised Land. Like the believers in Hebrews, we must stay the course and not settle for less.
Discussion Questions
1. Have you ever read the “tea leaves of circumstance” to try to understand God's will? How do you know if you read them correctly? What if, in your understanding, you were actually moving away from God rather than following Him?
2. Often tough times are a trigger for temptation. What tempts you to leave Jesus, especially when times are tough?
3. If you've never considered following Jesus, what is holding you back? He died on the cross for your sins and rose from the dead to give you peace with God. Would you consider becoming a follower of Jesus right now? All you have to do is trust in Him.