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Prophets and Kings

Today for Christ the King/Reign of Christ Sunday, I made a slide show of art of the life and ministry of Moses and the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The gospel writers used wrote in ways to make similarities between Jesus and Moses obvious, because a connection to the prophet of freedom lead people to understand what they might expect from Jesus.

Of course, he turned out to be so much more than they expected. Jesus is more than a prophet and even more than a king.

Here are some rough notes.

Moses
Jesus
Pharaoh orders destruction of all Hebrew baby boys. Moses’s mother saves him by floating him down the river in a basket. (Exodus 1-2)
Herod the Great hears tell of a new king, born in Bethlehem. He orders the slaughter of all the babies in the vicinity. (Matthew 2)
Moses is adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, “taken into Egypt”. (Exodus 2)
Joseph has a dream in which an angel warns him of the slaughter of the innocents. He is instructed to take Mary and Jesus and flee to safety in Egypt. (Matthew 2)
Moses is called to do God’s work, to lead the Hebrew people to freedom from slavery. (Exodus 3)
Jesus appears at the side of the Jordan, an adult, to be baptized by John. A dove appears and the voice of God proclaims Jesus as God’s son. (Matthew 3)
Moses fasts for 40 days and 40 nights on Mt. Sinai. (Exodus 24:15-18)
Jesus fasts for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. (Matthew 4:1-11)
Moses receives the law on Mt. Sinai and then proclaims it to the people.  (Exodus 34:28-29)
Jesus speaks from a mountain and proclaims how to live the law of love. (Matthew 5)
Moses intercedes for the people. God provides food in the desert. (Exodus 16:13-21)
Jesus provides food for the crowds gathered to hear him speak. (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15)
Moses trains 70 elders to help him with his work at the Lord’s instruction. Eldad and Medad are added to that group. (Numbers 11:16-30)

Jesus sends out the 72 to teach and heal in his name, sharing in the work of proclaiming the kingdom. (Luke 10:1-23)
The Lord tells Moses and Aaron how to get water from a rock for the people. They fail to give the glory to God. (Numbers 20:6-11)
Jesus gets angry about the misuse of the temple. Is actually God, so use of “my house” is appropriate. (Matthew 21:12-17)
Moses offers his life for the Israelites (Exodus 32:32-33)
Jesus is the life, offers his own life for the people. (John 15:13)
Moses asks to enter the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 3:23)
Jesus asks if it possible for the cup of suffering and death to pass from him. (Matthew 26:36-46)

Moses dies on Mt. Nebo/Pisgah, viewing the Promised Land. (Deuteronomy 34)
Jesus dies on Golgotha, the hill of skulls, promising paradise to one with him. (Matthew 27)


Jesus is raised from the dead. (Matthew 28)

Jesus gives the Great Commission. (Matt. 28)


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