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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Heb_3:1-6
1Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 2He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house. 4For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
Heb_3:1
NASB, NKJV "holy brethren"
NRSV "brothers and sisters"
TEV "my Christian friends"
NJB "holy brothers"
To whom was this book addressed? The term "brethren" is used repeatedly (cf. Heb_2:11; Heb_3:1; Heb_3:12; Heb_10:19; Heb_13:22) which (along with the subject matter) implies Jewish believers.
▣ "partakers of a heavenly calling" This concept is used in several ways in the Bible.
1. Israel was called by God to be a kingdom of priests to bring the world back to God (cf. Gen_12:3; Exo_19:5). In the OT this was a call to service, not individual salvation, and a corporate call (national Israel) to an assigned task (worldwide evangelization).
2. Individual believers are called (cf. Joh_6:44; Joh_6:65) to an eternal salvation.
3. Every individual Christian is called to serve the body of Christ through spiritual giftedness (cf. 1Co_12:7; 1Co_12:11).
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▣ "consider Jesus" This is an aorist active imperative. It means to consider thoughtfully (cf. Heb_10:24). In context this implies comparing His person and work with the leaders of the Mosaic covenant.
▣ "the Apostle and High Priest" These two titles deal with Jesus' superiority over Moses as official messenger and Aaron as the Levitical high priest. Chapters 3 and 4 deal with Jesus' superiority over Aaron. Since the Greek terms for "messenger" and "angel" are the same, "apostle," which was a Greek term "to send," may relate to both angels sent by God to serve those being saved (cf. Heb_1:14) and to Jesus sent by God to redeem those who are being saved (cf. Joh_3:17). This is the only place in the NT that Jesus is called "the Apostle," although John uses the verb over and over to refer to Him being "sent" from the Father (cf. Joh_3:17; Joh_3:34; Joh_5:36; Joh_5:38; Joh_6:29; Joh_6:57; Joh_7:29; Joh_8:42; Joh_10:36; Joh_11:42; Joh_17:3; Joh_17:18; Joh_17:21; Joh_17:23; Joh_17:25; Joh_20:21).
▣ "Apostle" This comes from the verb "to send" (see hyperlink) and was used by the rabbis in the sense of one sent as an official representative of another. Moses served in the house of God as a servant while Jesus was "a son," a family member. God called Moses to serve, but sent Jesus from heaven.
▣ "High Priest" Hebrews is the only book of the Bible to call Jesus high priest (cf. Heb_2:17; Heb_3:1; Heb_4:14-15; Heb_5:5; Heb_5:10; Heb_6:20; Heb_7:26; Heb_7:28; Heb_8:1; Heb_8:3; Heb_9:11; Heb_10:21). It takes an extensive rabbinical argumentation to convince first century Jews that Jesus, from the tribe of Judah, really was a priest. The Dead Sea Scrolls community expected two Messiahs, one royal (tribe of Judah) and one priestly (tribe of Levi, cf. Psalms 110; Zechariah 3-4).
▣ "our confession" This is the Greek term homologia, which is a compound of "to say" and "the same." The readers had made a confession of their faith in Jesus Christ. Now they must hold fast this confession/profession (cf. Heb_4:14; Heb_10:23). This is one of the main issues of the book.
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Heb_3:2 "He was faithful to Him who appointed Him" In context the emphasis is on (1) the Father's choosing and equipping Jesus for an assigned redemptive task (cf. Mar_3:14) and (2) Jesus exercising faith (present participle) in the Father as believers are to exercise faith. He is truly one with mankind. However, one possible etymology for "appointed" is "create." Arius used the verb "appointed" in his controversy with Athanasius to assert that Jesus was the highest creation (cf. Pro_8:22) of God, but not deity Himself (cf. Act_2:36; Rom_1:4; Col_1:15). This fourth century controversy produced the clear teaching of one divine essence, but three eternal personal manifestations, Father, Son, and Spirit (the Trinity). These three divine persons have eternally made up the one true God (cf. Joh_1:1-18). For a good brief discussion of Arianism, see Christian Theology (2nd ed.) by Millard J. Erickson, pp. 711-715.
▣ "all His house" This is a reference to Num_12:7-8. The people of God being the house of God is an oft repeated biblical metaphor (cf. Heb_3:6, "household," Gal_6:10; 1Ti_3:15; "spiritual house," 1Pe_2:5; "household of God," 1Pe_4:17). "House" is used six times in this paragraph, sometimes with the connotation of a building and sometimes of a family. The argument seems to run as follows
1. Moses was part of God's house/household, but Jesus was the builder of that house
2. Moses is a servant, while Jesus is a family member
3. Moses failed to bring in God's rest, while Jesus will not fail
Heb_3:3 "counted worthy of more glory than Moses" This is a perfect passive indicative. This would have been an absolutely shocking statement to Jews (cf. 2Co_3:7-11).
Heb_3:4 "For every house is built by someone" This has been used for the philosophical/theological argument of "ultimate cause" in an attempt to prove the existence of God (cf. Thomas Aquinas). However, this line of reasoning ("first cause") can never arrive at the revelation of God as Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor at God as friend of sinners.
▣ "but the builder of all things is God" The Father is creator of all (cf. Rom_11:36; 1Co_15:25-27). Jesus was the Father's agent in creation (cf. Joh_1:3; 1Co_8:6; Col_1:16; Heb_1:2).
Heb_3:5-6 "but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house" Jesus a son (there is no article, cf. Heb_1:2; Heb_3:6; Heb_5:8; Heb_7:28) is contrasted with Moses, the servant (cf. Heb_1:2; Heb_3:5; Heb_5:8; Heb_7:28; Exo_14:31; Num_12:7). Moses was a faithful servant (cf. Num_12:7), but Jesus was a family member!
Heb_3:5 Moses spoke of Christ in Deu_18:18-19 (cf. 1Pe_1:11). This repeats the truth of Heb_1:1.
Heb_3:6 "whose house we are" This is the family of faith described as a house (cf. Gal_6:10; 1Ti_3:15; 1Pe_2:5; 1Pe_4:17). This same type of collective building metaphor is employed when the church is called a temple (cf. 1Co_3:16). The focus is on (1) Jesus' ownership and (2) the people of God as a corporate entity.
It is unusual to speak of the church as Jesus' house. Because of this some ancient Greek manuscripts changed the pronoun so that it refers to the Father (cf. MSS P46 and D*).
▣ "if" This is a third class conditional which means potential action (ean plus a subjunctive). This gives the statement an element of contingency (cf. Heb_3:14; Heb_4:14; Rom_11:22; 1Co_15:2).
▣ "we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope" "Hold fast" is a continuing emphasis on perseverance (aorist active subjunctive, cf. Heb_3:14; Heb_4:14, see Special Topic at Heb_4:14). The rest of this chapter and chapter 4 is one continual warning (1) for the Jewish believers to move to maturity and (2) for those who have heard the gospel and seen it powerfully in the lives of their believing Jewish friends to fully accept it themselves.
▣ "boast of our hope" This emphasis on hope is characteristic of Hebrews (cf. Heb_3:6; Heb_6:11; Heb_7:19; Heb_10:23; Heb_11:1). Hope refers to the sure consummation of our faith!
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▣ "firm until the end" This phrase does not appear in the ancient Greek manuscripts P46 or B and, therefore, is possibly not original. However, it is included in other ancient uncial Greek manuscripts ( à , A, C, D, K, and P). It is included in Heb_3:14 and was probably transposed here by a scribe for the sake of balance. It surely fits the theology of the context. See Special Topic at Heb_7:11.