Comparisons of Jesus to Moses in Matthew?

[saribee]

I am reading Catholicism for Dummies, and it says this:

He [Matthew] was addressing potential converts from Judaism. He himself was a Jew and wanted to assure his fellow Jews that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament. So he made subtle comparisons between Jesus and Moses.

Can you give me some examples of passages in Matthew that would be considered as Matthew comparing Jesus and Moses?

 

[Nelka]

I can only find the name Moses in the Gospel of Matthew four times and I cannot see it written as a comparison to Jesus.

Maybe you would be better off reading the Gospel than the book you have as I haven’t read your book.

Was it written by a Catholic?

 

[saribee]

Yes, it was written by Rev. John Trigilio and Rev. Kenneth Brighenti. The book has been suggested to me by several other Catholics and I am taking anything that seems fish with a grain of salt and questioning anything that doesn’t seem right or that I have never heard of before. I have taken Bible classes and grown up a Christian but had never heard of this, which is why I am bringing it up.

 

[Nelka]

Are you considering Catholicism or just reading about it?

 

[saribee]

I am considering it. I am doing research in other places and this book is certainly not my primary source of information. I know enough to pick out things that seem fishy or I’ve never heard of before, which is why I am asking. I’ve taken several Bible courses and such but they’ve never mentioned this.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Jesus escaping Herod’s killing of the Innocents parallels Moses escaping Pharaoh’s killing of the male babies.

And both came from Egypt to Israel.

 

[TimothyH]

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is not just compared to Moses, but he relives the history of the entire nation of Israel. it’s the story of the building of the kingdom, which Israel was never able to do completely.

Jesus starts his ministry by being baptized by John at the very place where Israel crossed over the Jordan into the promised land. This is in the wilderness northeast of Jericho, the same spot where Joshua crossed over the flooded Jordan river, when the priest stood in the middle of the river holding the Ark of the Covenant and God holding back the flood waters.

God calls the nation of Isreal “My chosen Son” when Moses speaks to Pharoah and calls Jesus “My beloved Son” when Jesus is baptized.

Israel went through the waters of the Red Sea and then into a 40 year period of testing in the desert. Jesus came through the baptism waters of the Jordan River and went into the desert for 40 days to be tested by the devil. The three tempations of Jesus, which is successfully overcomes, were the same three failures of Israel which cause them to wander in the desert. Jesus is successfull while Israel is not

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died at the LORD’s hand in the land of Egypt, as we sat by our kettles of meat and ate our fill of bread! But you have led us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of famine!” (Exodus 16:3)

*The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread. (Matthew 4:3)

Israel grumbles against God for provision, food, security. Jesus is tempted the same way. The devil attacks Jesus’ hunger, tempting him to question his relationship with God saying, 'If you are the son of God…"

But there was no water for the people to drink, and so they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to a test?” … The place was named Massah and Meribah,* because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?” (Exodus 17:1-2,7)

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’ (Matthew 4:5-7)

Again, Jesus successfully passes the test where Israel could not. Isreal tested God in the desert; Jesus however, unlike the nation of Israel, trusted God instead.

Then the LORD said to Moses: Go down at once because your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned aside from the way I commanded them, making for themselves a molten calf and bowing down to it, sacrificing to it and crying out, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” (Exodus 32:7-8)

Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me. (Matthew 4:8-9)*

Jesus’ third temptation to worship the devil, corresponds to Israel turning aside from God and worshipping the golden calf. Again, Jesus is successful where Israel was not.

There are many other parallels which show Jesus as living out the life of Israel, including many comparisons of Jesus and Moses. Moses goes up on a mountain to get the law from God and Jesus goes up on a mountain in Matthew 5 to give the new law of love in the sermon on the mount. Moses is transfigured on the mountain when he sees God, so much so that he has to veil his face or God’s reflection in the glow of his face will kill those who look at him. Jesus is transfigured before Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transifiguration, and he glows like the sun. Moses institutes the first passover and Jesus performs the final passover with himself as the lamb.

There are many parallels, not only to Moses, but to the entire nation of Israel, proably too many to list. It is fun to pick them out.

-Tim-