耶稣超越摩西

因此,同蒙天召的圣洁的弟兄姊妹,你们应当仔细思想那位我们公认为特使和大祭司的耶稣。 祂向委任祂的上帝尽忠,就好像摩西向上帝的全家尽忠一样。 然而祂却比摩西配得更大的荣耀,因为建造房子的人当然比房子更尊贵。 所有的房子都有建造者,但建造万物的是上帝。 摩西以仆人的身份向上帝的全家尽忠,为将来要宣告的事做见证。 但基督是以儿子的身份忠心治理上帝的家。我们若坚强勇敢,持定引以为荣的盼望,我们就是祂的家了。

不可存刚硬的心

因此,正如圣灵说:

“你们今天若听见祂的声音,
不可心里顽固,
像从前在旷野试探祂、悖逆祂一样。
当时,你们的祖先试我、探我,
观看我的作为达四十年之久。
10 所以,我向那世代的人发怒,
说,‘他们总是执迷不悟,
不认识我的道路。’
11 我就在愤怒中起誓说,
‘他们绝不可进入我的安息。’”

12 弟兄姊妹,要谨慎,免得你们当中有人心存恶念,不肯相信,背弃了永活的上帝。 13 趁着还有今日,要天天互相劝勉,免得有人被罪迷惑,心里变得刚硬。 14 如果我们将起初的信念坚持到底,便在基督里有份了。

15 圣经上说:

“你们今日若听见祂的声音,
不可像从前那样硬着心悖逆祂。”

16 听见祂的声音却又悖逆祂的是谁呢?不就是摩西从埃及领出来的那些人吗? 17 四十年之久惹上帝发怒的是谁呢?不就是那些犯罪作恶并倒毙在旷野的人吗? 18 上帝起誓不准谁进入祂的安息呢?不就是那些不肯信从的人吗? 19 可见,他们不能进入上帝的安息是因为不信的缘故。

III. Jesus, Faithful and Compassionate High Priest

Chapter 3

Jesus, Superior to Moses.[a] Therefore, holy “brothers,” sharing in a heavenly calling, reflect on Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, who was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was “faithful in [all] his house.”(A) But he is worthy of more “glory” than Moses, as the founder of a house has more “honor” than the house itself.(B) Every house is founded by someone, but the founder of all is God. Moses was “faithful in all his house” as a “servant” to testify to what would be spoken, [b](C)but Christ was faithful as a son placed over his house. We are his house, if [only] we hold fast to our confidence and pride in our hope.

Israel’s Infidelity a Warning. [c]Therefore, as the holy Spirit says:

“Oh, that today you would hear his voice,(D)
    ‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion
        in the day of testing in the desert,
    where your ancestors tested and tried me
        and saw my works(E) 10 for forty years.
    Because of this I was provoked with that generation
        and I said, “They have always been of erring heart,
        and they do not know my ways.”
11     As I swore in my wrath,
        “They shall not enter into my rest.”’”

12 Take care, brothers, that none of you may have an evil and unfaithful heart, so as to forsake the living God. 13 Encourage yourselves daily while it is still “today,” so that none of you may grow hardened by the deceit of sin. 14 We have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end,(F) 15 for it is said:

“Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
‘Harden not your hearts as at the rebellion.’”(G)

16 (H)Who were those who rebelled when they heard? Was it not all those who came out of Egypt under Moses? 17 With whom was he “provoked for forty years”? Was it not those who had sinned, whose corpses fell in the desert?(I) 18 And to whom did he “swear that they should not enter into his rest,” if not to those who were disobedient?(J) 19 And we see that they could not enter for lack of faith.

Footnotes

  1. 3:1–6 The author now takes up the two qualities of Jesus mentioned in Hb 2:17, but in inverse order: faithfulness (Hb 3:1–4:13) and mercy (Hb 4:14–5:10). Christians are called holy “brothers” because of their common relation to him (Hb 2:11), the apostle, a designation for Jesus used only here in the New Testament (cf. Jn 13:16; 17:3), meaning one sent as God’s final word to us (Hb 1:2). He is compared with Moses probably because he is seen as mediator of the new covenant (Hb 9:15) just as Moses was of the old (Hb 9:19–22, including his sacrifice). But when the author of Hebrews speaks of Jesus’ sacrifice, he does not consider Moses as the Old Testament antitype, but rather the high priest on the Day of Atonement (Hb 9:6–15). Moses’ faithfulness “in [all] his house” refers back to Nm 12:7, on which this section is a midrashic commentary. In Hb 3:3–6, the author does not indicate that he thinks of either Moses or Christ as the founder of the household. His house (Hb 3:2, 5, 6) means God’s house, not that of Moses or Christ; in the case of Christ, compare Hb 3:6 with Hb 10:21. The house of Hb 3:6 is the Christian community; the author suggests its continuity with Israel by speaking not of two houses but of only one. Hb 3:6 brings out the reason why Jesus is superior to Moses: the latter was the faithful servant laboring in the house founded by God, but Jesus is God’s son, placed over the house.
  2. 3:6 The majority of manuscripts add “firm to the end,” but these words are not found in the three earliest and best witnesses and are probably an interpolation derived from Hb 3:14.
  3. 3:7–4:13 The author appeals for steadfastness of faith in Jesus, basing his warning on the experience of Israel during the Exodus. In the Old Testament the Exodus had been invoked as a symbol of the return of Israel from the Babylonian exile (Is 42:9; 43:16–21; 51:9–11). In the New Testament the redemption was similarly understood as a new exodus, both in the experience of Jesus himself (Lk 9:31) and in that of his followers (1 Cor 10:1–4). The author cites Ps 95:7–11, a salutary example of hardness of heart, as a warning against the danger of growing weary and giving up the journey. To call God living (Hb 3:12) means that he reveals himself in his works (cf. Jos 3:10; Jer 10:11). The rest (Hb 3:11) into which Israel was to enter was only a foreshadowing of that rest to which Christians are called. They are to remember the example of Israel’s revolt in the desert that cost a whole generation the loss of the promised land (Hb 3:15–19; cf. Nm 14:20–29). In Hb 4:1–11, the symbol of rest is seen in deeper dimension: because the promise to the ancient Hebrews foreshadowed that given to Christians, it is good news; and because the promised land was the place of rest that God provided for his people, it was a share in his own rest, which he enjoyed after he had finished his creative work (Hb 3:3–4; cf. Gn 2:2). The author attempts to read this meaning of God’s rest into Ps 95:7–11 (Hb 3:6–9). The Greek form of the name of Joshua, who led Israel into the promised land, is Jesus (Hb 3:8). The author plays upon the name but stresses the superiority of Jesus, who leads his followers into heavenly rest. Hb 3:12, 13 are meant as a continuation of the warning, for the word of God brings judgment as well as salvation. Some would capitalize the word of God and see it as a personal title of Jesus, comparable to that of Jn 1:1–18.

Ðấng Christ Cao Trọng Hơn Môi-se

Vì vậy thưa anh chị em[a] thánh, những người cùng dự phần ơn kêu gọi từ trời, xin hãy suy nghĩ kỹ đến Ðức Chúa Jesus, Vị Sứ Ðồ[b] và Vị Thượng Tế mà chúng ta xưng nhận. Ngài đã trung tín với Ðấng bổ nhiệm Ngài, như Môi-se đã trung tín với cả nhà Ðức Chúa Trời.[c] Ngài đã được xem là vinh hiển hơn Môi-se, giống như người xây nhà được tôn trọng hơn cái nhà – Nhà nào cũng do người nào đó xây dựng, còn Ðức Chúa Trời là Ðấng đã dựng nên muôn vật– Môi-se đã trung tín như một đầy tớ trong cả nhà Ðức Chúa Trời, để làm chứng về những điều sẽ được công bố, còn Ðấng Christ trung tín với tư cách là Con, quản trị cả nhà Ðức Chúa Trời, mà chúng ta là nhà Ngài, nếu chúng ta giữ vững đức tin và niềm hãnh diện về hy vọng của mình cho đến cuối cùng.

Sự Nghỉ Ngơi của Con Dân Chúa

Vậy như Ðức Thánh Linh phán,

“Ngày nay nếu các ngươi nghe tiếng Ngài,
Thì chớ cứng lòng như trong khi nổi loạn,
Như trong ngày thử thách trong đồng hoang,
Nơi tổ phụ các ngươi đã thử và thách thức Ta,
Dù họ đã thấy những việc của Ta trong bốn mươi năm.
10 Vì thế Ta đã giận thế hệ ấy và đã nói,
‘Lòng chúng nó cứ lầm lạc luôn;
Chúng chẳng biết các đường lối Ta.’
11 Như Ta đã thề trong cơn giận của Ta,
‘Chúng sẽ không được vào nơi nghỉ ngơi của Ta.’”Thi 95:7-11 LXX

12 Thưa anh chị em, hãy cẩn thận, kẻo có ai trong anh chị em sinh lòng xấu và vô tín mà lìa bỏ Ðức Chúa Trời hằng sống chăng; 13 nhưng ngày qua ngày hãy khuyên bảo nhau trong khi còn cơ hội được gọi là “ngày nay,” để không ai trong anh chị em trở nên cứng lòng vì sự lừa dối của tội lỗi. 14 Thật vậy, chúng ta trở thành những người dự phần với Ðấng Christ, nếu chúng ta giữ vững đức tin đã có từ ban đầu cho đến cuối cùng, 15 như lời đã chép,

“Ngày nay, nếu các ngươi nghe tiếng Ngài,
Thì chớ cứng lòng như trong khi nổi loạn.”Thi 95:7-8 LXX

16 Ai là những người đã nghe tiếng Ngài mà vẫn còn nổi loạn? Chẳng phải là tất cả những người đã được Môi-se dẫn ra khỏi Ai-cập sao? 17 Ngài đã giận ai trong bốn mươi năm? Chẳng phải là những người đã phạm tội và thân thể họ đã ngã xuống trong đồng hoang sao? 18 Ai là những người Ngài đã thề sẽ không cho vào nơi nghỉ ngơi của Ngài? Chẳng phải là những người đã không vâng lời Ngài sao? 19 Thế thì chúng ta thấy rằng họ không vào được bởi vì họ chẳng tin.

Footnotes

  1. Hê-bơ-rơ 3:1 nt: anh em (tương tự cho cả sách)
  2. Hê-bơ-rơ 3:1 nt: Apostolos; ctd: Vị Sứ Giả, Vị Khâm Sai
  3. Hê-bơ-rơ 3:2 nt: nhà Ngài

Jesus Greater Than Moses

Therefore, holy brothers and sisters,(A) who share in the heavenly calling,(B) fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge(C) as our apostle and high priest.(D) He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.(E) Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses,(F) just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.(G) “Moses was faithful as a servant(H) in all God’s house,”[a](I) bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future. But Christ is faithful as the Son(J) over God’s house. And we are his house,(K) if indeed we hold firmly(L) to our confidence and the hope(M) in which we glory.

Warning Against Unbelief

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(N)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(O)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
    though for forty years they saw what I did.(P)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(Q)
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (R)[b](S)

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.(T) 13 But encourage one another daily,(U) as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.(V) 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold(W) our original conviction firmly to the very end.(X) 15 As has just been said:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts
    as you did in the rebellion.”[c](Y)

16 Who were they who heard and rebelled? Were they not all those Moses led out of Egypt?(Z) 17 And with whom was he angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies perished in the wilderness?(AA) 18 And to whom did God swear that they would never enter his rest(AB) if not to those who disobeyed?(AC) 19 So we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:5 Num. 12:7
  2. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11
  3. Hebrews 3:15 Psalm 95:7,8