FIX YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESUS

FIX YOUR THOUGHTS ON JESUS
Heb 3:1-6
"…fix your thoughts on Jesus…." (v.1).

AFTER SHOWING THAT JESUS IS superior to angels, the author of Hebrews shows here that He is superior also to Moses. To understand the importance of this assertion, we must remember that the Jews held Moses in the highest regard. Moses, after all, was the only man who had spoken to God face to face (Num 12.6-8).

It could be that, just as there was a danger of Jesus being seen as one of the intermediary angelic beings, He might be seen as one on par with Moses. If the readers of Hebrews were not corrected, they would have missed the most important truth about Jesus - that He is the unique Son of God.

True, Moses proved faithful to his calling over the house of Israel (v.2). He shepherded the people of Israel and led them towards the promised land. Jesus was also faithful to His charge, completing the mission He was sent to accomplish. But there is one basic difference. Moses was faithful as a servant; Jesus was faithful as a son (vv.5-6). Surely, a son is greater than a servant.

Another helpful analogy is given: the difference between the house and the builder of the house. We admire magnificent architecture, but we give honour to the architect. It goes without saying that the OCBC Building in Singapore, however praise-worthy it may be, cannot receive greater honour than its world-renowned architect I.M. Pei.

Moses may be faithful as a servant in the house, but Jesus is the builder of the house. No wonder we are called to fix our thoughts on Jesus (v.1). Human beings are prone to hero-worship. Our hero may be a popular star, a masterly politician, a successful executive or a respected father-figure. Perhaps, we may have our spiritual heros too, in the way the Jews had Moses.

But looking to human models has its risks. Such exemplars have their faults and flaws. Even the greatest of them can fail us and disillusion us. They are after all human. But if we look to Jesus, the perfect Man, we will never be disappointed.

Human beings are also prone to syncretism, which is basically the tendency to take everything to avoid having to make a choice. So sometimes Jesus is placed on the same altar to be worshipped with the Virgin Mary, the Hindu Lord Krishna and the Chinese goddess Kuan Yin. Such worship is abhorrent to God. Jesus stands apart from and above all, and must be worshipped as God's unique Son. No one and nothing must distract our attention from Him.

Am I distracted from Jesus?