Moses and Jesus

One of the motivating forces behind the Gospel of St. Matthew was his effort to show that Jesus was the new Moses. His audience for this effort was the Jewish-Christian community of Jerusalem. In his efforts to portray Jesus in this fashion, his Gospel is filled with quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures. In addition, he often includes details that align his actions and his words with similar actions and words which appear in the books of the Torah. Just yesterday we heard his version of the story of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor. In recording this event, St. Matthew made special notice of the fact that Jesus' face shown like the sun just as Moses' face had to be veiled after he had been in God's presence on Mt. Sinai.

In the Office of Readings today, St. John Chrysostom offers thoughts that would please St. Matthew greatly. St. John goes into great detail showing the parallels between Moses and Jesus, between the children of Israel and the devoted disciples of Jesus.

In comparing us to the children of Israel, St. John writes: The Israelites witnessed marvels; you also will witness marvels, greater and more splendid than those which accompanied them on their departure from Egypt. You did not see Pharaoh drowned with his armies, but you have seen the devil with his weapons overcome by the waters of baptism. The Israelites passed through the sea; you have passed from death to life. They were delivered from the Egyptians; you have been delivered from the powers of darkness. The Israelites were freed from slavery to a pagan people; you have been freed from the much greater slavery to sin.

In writing about Jesus and Moses, St. John draws these comparisons: Moses, Scripture tells us, was more gentle than all who dwelt upon the earth. We can rightly say the same of the new Moses, for there was with him the very Spirit of gentleness, united to him in his inmost being. In those days Moses raised his hands to heaven and brought down manna, the bread of angels; the new Moses raises his hands to heaven and gives us the food of eternal life. Moses struck the rock and brought forth streams of water; Christ touches his table, strikes the spiritual rock of the new covenant and draws forth the living water of the Spirit.

Moses is an important figure in our Lenten journey. The Church prompts us to read the story of the Exodus throughout Lent. During the Easter Vigil, the story of the journey through the Red Sea is the one constant reading we hear year after year. With both Moses and Jesus as our guides through the Lenten desert, we can be sure to complete our journey by crossing over that figurative Jordan River as we approach the baptismal font on Holy Saturday night and as we renew our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator