The Greater Moses

In Matthew, the life and the deeds of Jesus echo key events in the history of Israel; not that he reenacts them, but rather that he brings the things that 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 the “Coming One,” especially as represented in his ‘Sermon on the Mount’.

The Kingdom Herald

Following his baptism, the Spirit “drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights.” Like Moses on Sinai, the Messiah of Israel was alone in the desert where he was tested by the Devil and molded by God. He was tempted like Israel, only he overcame every challenge and emerged victorious and “full of the Holy Spirit.” Only then did he proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom, starting in the villages of Galilee.