Jesus Is Superior To Moses

October 14th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Hebrews 3:2-4 [Jesus] was faithful to [God the Father] who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3 For 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. 4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.

In defending the command to “consider Jesus” in Hebrews 3:1, the author expounds on why one should regard Him as “the Apostle and High Priest of our confession.” The Jewish audience being addressed had grown weary of the persecution they were receiving for having abandoned Judaism in favor of Christianity. The writer thus attempted to convince them of the futility of turning back to Judaism as a possible safe haven. In light of the strong prospect that these Jewish Christians were being shunned by their families, forbidden to enter the synagogues, ridiculed for their faith, and under the potential threat of death, it makes sense for the author to take time to defend Jesus over and against Moses—the most revered man in all of Judaism.

Jesus, like Moses, was “faithful to Him who appointed Him.” Moses was appointed by God to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage (Exod. 3). Being faithful to the task, Moses became the greatest leader Israel ever knew, rivaled only by King David. Although Moses was resistant to God early on, he submitted and served faithfully. He delivered God’s Law to Israel—the Law as ordained by angels (Gal. 3:19), and he governed Israel for 40 years. Since all Jews knew this, the writer now compares Jesus’ faithfulness with that of Moses, Jesus surpassing Moses! This is pertinent because many of the Jewish Christians being addressed were considering renouncing the very Prophet that Moses told them to look for (Deut. 18:15)—Jesus. In so doing, they would be putting themselves back under the bondage to the Mosaic Law, a law they were unable to keep. Yes, Moses had been faithful in God’s “house” (i.e., with God’s people), but so had Jesus.

So how had Jesus surpassed the greatness of Moses? The answer is in v. 3. Jesus is superior to Moses because Moses was merely a faithful servant with God’s house—with God’s people, Israel. Jesus, however, is the actual builder of the house! Moses served what God made, but Jesus, being God, made the house itself. He created the people for Himself by dying for them and becoming a brother to them. This is also why Jesus is greater than angels. Angels serve God’s people (Heb. 1:14), but the Son of God is the Creator of God’s people. So the Jews who had one foot in the door of Christianity and one foot out, so to speak, were in danger of choosing the inferior over the superior—the servant over the Creator. For it is obvious that the builder of a house is to receive more honor as the builder than the servant is for simply serving in the house.

Verse 4 explains in no uncertain terms that all houses (i.e., all things in general) are built by someone in particular. But the builder of all things is God. This is a clear and flagrant point that Jesus is God, making Him, without question, far superior to Moses. Moses was a mere man, sent to deliver God’s people from physical bondage in Egypt. Yet Jesus is the Son of God, sent by God the Father to deliver His people from bondage under the devil (2:14-15). Their ultimate destiny is “rest” (4:3, 9), the salvation-rest of Christ’s redemption leading to eternal life.

Food For Thought
The majority of Jews today reject Jesus as the Messiah. They choose works over grace, rituals they believe please God in spite of the fact that their Scriptures neither provide them a priestly mediator nor a temple for mediation. But this false belief system is not confined to Jews. It is also found in the Church today and in cults—religions that attempt to please God with works apart from faith. Jesus, however, is superior to works-oriented religions. He saves by grace alone apart from works. To choose someone or something else is to choose a dollar over a million.