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

II.— JESUCRISTO, SACERDOTE FIEL Y MISERICORDIOSO (3,1—5,10)

Jesús es superior a Moisés

Por tanto, hermanos creyentes que compartís un mismo llamamiento celestial, no perdáis de vista a quien ha sido enviado como sumo sacerdote de la fe que profesamos. Me refiero a Jesús, modelo de fidelidad al que Dios constituyó en tal cargo, como lo fue también Moisés en todo lo referente a la casa de Dios. Pero Jesús se ha hecho acreedor a una gloria más excelsa que la de Moisés, por cuanto al constructor de una casa le corresponde un honor mayor que a la casa construida. Toda casa, en efecto, tiene su constructor; y el constructor del universo es Dios. En cuanto a Moisés, fue ciertamente fiel en todo lo tocante a la casa de Dios, aunque sólo como un siervo encargado de atestiguar lo que Dios iba a decir. Cristo, en cambio, como Hijo que es, está al frente de la casa de Dios. Una casa que somos nosotros mientras mantengamos la confianza y la ilusión que nace de la esperanza.

Exhortación a la fidelidad

Por eso, como dice el Espíritu Santo:

Cuando hoy escuchéis la voz del Señor,
no cerréis a cal y canto el corazón,
como hicieron los que se rebelaron
en el desierto el día de la prueba.
Allí fue donde vuestros antepasados
intentaron ponerme a prueba
a pesar de haber experimentado mis maravillas
10 durante cuarenta años.
Por eso me indigné
contra aquella gente y exclamé:
“Tienen siempre el corazón extraviado
y nunca han seguido mis caminos”.
11 No entrarán, pues, en mi descanso,
tal como lo juré lleno de enojo.

12 Procurad, hermanos, que ninguno de vosotros tenga un corazón incrédulo y perverso que lo aparte del Dios viviente. 13 Más bien exhortaos unos a otros día tras día mientras dura ese “hoy”, para que la seducción del pecado no endurezca vuestras conciencias. 14 Porque sólo si mantenemos firme hasta el fin la confianza del principio, compartiremos la suerte de Cristo. 15 Es lo que se nos dice:

Cuando hoy escuchéis la voz del Señor,
no cerréis a cal y canto el corazón,
como hicieron los que se rebelaron.

16 ¿Y quiénes fueron los que, habiendo escuchado la voz del Señor, se rebelaron? ¿No fueron acaso todos los que habían salido de Egipto guiados por Moisés? 17 Y ¿contra quiénes se indignó el Señor a lo largo de aquellos cuarenta años? Está claro que contra quienes pecaron, y por eso sus cadáveres quedaron tendidos en el desierto. 18 Y ¿a quiénes, sino a los rebeldes, aseguró con juramento que no entrarían en su descanso? 19 Vemos, efectivamente, que no pudieron entrar por falta de fe.

The Son Was Faithful

Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as (A)Moses also was faithful in all His house. For this One has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as (B)He who built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by someone, but (C)He who built all things is God. (D)And Moses indeed was faithful in all His house as (E)a servant, (F)for a testimony of those things which would be spoken afterward, but Christ as (G)a Son over His own house, (H)whose house we are (I)if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope [a]firm to the end.

Be Faithful(J)

Therefore, as (K)the Holy Spirit says:

(L)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
In the day of trial in the wilderness,
Where your fathers tested Me, tried Me,
And saw My works forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with that generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they have not known My ways.’
11 So I swore in My wrath,
‘They shall not enter My rest.’ ”

12 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but [b]exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said:

(M)“Today, if you will hear His voice,
Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Failure of the Wilderness Wanderers

16 (N)For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, (O)whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And (P)to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of (Q)unbelief.

Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:6 NU omits firm to the end
  2. Hebrews 3:13 encourage