The Greater Moses
In Matthew, the life, words, and deeds of Jesus echo key events in the history of Israel. He brings the things God began in the past to their intended fulfillment. He is the Greater Lawgiver foreshadowed in the story of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. By presenting parallels between Moses and Jesus, Matthew sets the stage for the teachings of Christ, especially as represented in his ‘Sermon on the Mount’.
Moses delivered the Law to Israel at Mount Sinai.
Likewise, on the “mount,” Jesus pronounced his definitive
interpretations of the “Law and the Prophets.”
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After the “wise men” told King Herod of their journey to find the one “born king of the Jews,” he asked them to keep him informed when they found the child so that he, also, could pay homage, but the “wise men” were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, for he intended to kill the child. Similarly, when Moses was born, the “King of Egypt” ordered the “Hebrew midwives” to kill all male infants when they were born, but they “feared God and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them” - (Exodus 1:17, Matthew 2:1-12).
In Matthew,
an angel warned Joseph to take the infant to Egypt, “for Herod will seek to destroy the child,” which is
exactly what the king did when he ordered the slaughter of all males under the
age of two in Bethlehem. Joseph remained in Egypt until Herod died. This was in
fulfillment of the prophecy in Hosea, a passage applied originally to
Israel’s deliverance from Egypt - “Out of Egypt, I called my son” - (Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:13-16).
Likewise,
Moses fled Egypt because Pharaoh sought to slay him, and he remained in Midian
until Pharaoh died. Only then did Yahweh “hear the groanings of the children
of Israel and remember his covenant with Abraham,” and He sent Moses back
to Egypt to deliver Israel - (Exodus 2:15-25, 3:14).
After his
baptism, the “Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested by the Devil.”
The temptation as recorded in Matthew echoes the tests that Israel faced
in the wilderness, only she failed each test whereas he overcame them all -
(Matthew 4:1-11).
THE WILDERNESS
The
Israelites complained in the wilderness. They missed the “fleshpots of Egypt.”
God responded by sending them “manna” to eat. Moses reminded the nation years
later that God “fed you with manna…that he might make you know that man does not live
by bread only, but by EVERYTHING THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF YAHWEH,” the very
passage Jesus quoted to Satan in the wilderness - (Exodus 16:3, Deuteronomy
8:3).
At Massah,
the Israelites grumbled about the lack of water. In so doing, they “tempted
Yahweh.” Before entering Canaan, Moses reminded them of the incident when
he warned Israel, “Do not tempt Yahweh your God as you tempted him in
Massah.” Jesus
cited the same passage when Satan challenged him to throw himself down from the
“pinnacle of the Temple” - (Exodus 17:1-7, Deuteronomy 6:16).
When the Devil offered
Jesus political power, he responded by again citing the words of Moses to
Israel - “Beware lest you forget Yahweh who brought you forth out of the land
of Egypt. You shall fear Yahweh your God, and you shall serve him” -
(Deuteronomy 6:12-13).
After his
temptation, Jesus returned to Galilee where he began to proclaim the Gospel.
Consequently, “great multitudes from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea” started to follow
him - (Matthew 4:18-25).
The
geographic names indicate the crowds included Gentiles and Jews. Galilee is called
“Galilee of the nations.” Matthew’s description of the “multitudes”
parallels the “mixed multitude” that “came up with the children of
Israel” when God brought them out of Egypt “with signs and wonders.”
So, also,
many members of the “multitude” in Galilee followed Jesus because of his
miraculous healings and exorcisms rather than his teachings and call for repentance
and discipleship – (Exodus 12:38, Deuteronomy 26:8).
The background from Exodus and Deuteronomy prepares the reader for the first major block of Christ’s teachings. After “seeing the multitudes,” he led his disciples “up onto the mountain” where he sat down and began to teach.
The Greek
text uses the definite article or “the” with “mountain.” It was “THE
mountain.” The text does not provide any information about its identity.
Instead, it includes a verbal allusion to the story of Moses when he “ascended
onto the mount” at Sinai.
Matthew wants us
to hear these many parallels. While Israel was encamped on the plain, Moses “went
up to Yahweh” and received the “ten words” inscribed on the stone
tablets. In the Greek Septuagint version of Exodus, Moses “ascended
onto the mount” (anebé eis to oros). The same clause is found in the
Greek text of Matthew describing Jesus as he “ascended to the mount”
(anebé eis to oros). This is not coincidental.
[Photo by Alberto Restifo on Unsplash] |
When Moses ascended the mountain and received the commandments of God, only Aaron accompanied him. Not even the sanctified priests were allowed on the mountain – “Let not the priests and the people break through to ascend up unto Yahweh, lest he break forth upon them.” - (Exodus 12:12-25).
So likewise, having ascended the “mount” as
Moses did, Jesus taught the words of God to his closest disciples. However, he
went beyond anything Moses did by giving the definitive interpretation of the
Law and the will of his Father in his ‘Sermon on the Mount’.
RELATED POSTS:
- Absolute Authority - (At the end of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus claimed absolute authority for his words. Disciples who ignore them risk his rejection – Matthew 7:21-28)
- Perfected Disciples - (Mercy and love are defining characteristics of his disciples and reflect the true nature of his Father – Matthew 5:43-48)
- Law and Prophets- (Jesus came to fulfill all the things that were promised and foreshadowed in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Law and the Prophets)
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