The Gospel according to Matthew marks the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament. Matthew’s account of Jesus emphasizes the Jewishness of the Messiah King and His right to inherit the throne of David. Over and again, we see the message of the Kingdom of God in the pages of this book as Matthew reminds us that Jesus is the fulfilment of all that was spoken by the prophets and revealed in the Law of Moses. Throughout the New Testament, the understanding of the Messiah was expanded from being just the “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” to include the office of priest according to the order of Melchizedek. This King of Salem is also prophet and priest. Thus, Jesus is the King of kings and High Priest over a “royal priesthood”. (1 Peter 2:9)
Moses is a central figure in Jewish history. It was Moses that freed Israel from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Moses received the Law and the many instructions as to Israel’s way of life and identity. Moses initiated the feasts and the revered sabbath. He brought Israel to the Promise Land and separated the tribe of Levi to be their priests. What Moses gave to Israel was considered God’s last Word of authority on any matter. One just couldn’t be Jewish without following the laws of Moses. When Jesus initiated the New Covenant, which brought eternal salvation to all who believe, He said that He had not come to abolish the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfil them. (Matthew 5:17)
In the book of Matthew, the symbology is rich in making the comparison between Moses and Jesus. Moses brought Israel out of Egypt and Jesus came out of Egypt as a child. Moses was fasting for 40 days in the wilderness on Mt. Sinai, after passing through the Red Sea, before getting the 10 Commandments. Jesus was fasting for 40 days in the wilderness, after His baptism in water, before starting His ministry. The miracles of providing food for the multitudes, healing the sick, the glow of God’s glory on their faces, etc., all are parallels between Moses and Jesus. The evidence is so convincing that Jesus was Israel’s longed for Messiah, yet so many could not see it.
Jesus, as the fulfilment of all that was spoken of in the Old Testament, declared that He was the Light of the world. (John 9:5) Without light, you walk in darkness. Without light, you trip of the smallest of things. The spiritual leaders, of Jesus’ days, could not see who Jesus really was. Jesus said they were like the blind leading the blind. Have you ever seen glasses with a light on them? Watch repairers, jewellers and surgeons use these kinds of glasses to do detailed work. The religious leaders were using the lens of Moses to see Jesus. These glasses had no light. There was a veil over Moses’ face to hide the fact that the glory light had faded.
Jesus said that He was the Light of the world. You must look at Jesus and through His glasses to see what Moses was seeing. Moses knew that he wasn’t the Savior of the world, just as John the Baptist knew that he wasn’t the Messiah. All were pointing to Jesus. Some want to go back to Moses to be more spiritual and authentic in their devotion to God, yet Moses spoke of another prophet that would come after him, and it was this prophet to whom they should listen to. (Deuteronomy 18:15) Jesus is this prophet. He is the Messiah that has come to reconcile all of mankind to God.
Scriptures to meditate on
Matthew 5:17, 43-44; 6:33; Hebrews 8:13; Deuteronomy 18:15; 1 Peter 2:9