Matthew, Disciple and Scribe by Patrick Schreiner

Author:Patrick Schreiner
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gospels/New Testament;Bible (Matthew—criticism | interpretation | etc);REL006100;REL006710
ISBN: 9781493418121
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2019-06-24T16:00:00+00:00

The Miracle Worker Who Redeems

As Jesus is the redeemer-king like Moses (Matt. 2) and the teacher-prophet like Moses (Matt. 5–7, 11), he is also a miracle worker like Moses. After the Sermon, one might suppose that the Moses imagery would begin to fade, but in chapters 8–9 Matthew continues to portray Jesus as the new and better Moses. We can view Moses’s life as a narrative of God working miracles through him. Moses mediates many of the wonders that Israel sees, and these are all centered on the exodus. A pillar of cloud and fire guards the multitude (Exod. 13:21–22), a strong wind makes a path for them through the sea (14:21–29), bitter waters are made sweet and drinkable (15:22–25), water comes from a rock (17:2–6), the wind brings quail (Num. 11:31), Miriam is cured of leprosy (12:5–15), Aaron’s staff buds (17:1–10), and the people are healed by looking at the snake on a bronze pole (21:4–9). Yahweh is the one who performs these miracles, but he performs some of them through the mediator Moses.

Early writers also recognized the connection between Moses the miracle worker and Jesus the miracle performer. In the Acts of Pilate, Nicodemus says the following to Pilate: “What do you intend to do with this man? . . . If the signs are from God, they will stand; if they are from men, they will come to nothing. For Moses also, when he was sent by God into Egypt, did many signs which God commanded him to do” (Acts of Pilate 5.1). Eusebius similarly said that Jesus’s miracles paralleled Moses’s: “Moses by wonderful work and miracles authenticated the religion he proclaimed; Christ likewise, using his recorded miracles to inspire faith in those who saw them, established the new discipline of the gospel teaching” (Dem. ev. 3.2). Philo also speaks of Moses as being greatly grieved and indignant that when the Egyptians oppressed his people, he could not assist them (Mos. 1.40). So he gave them assistance “like a good physician” although their taskmasters returned and oppressed them with greater severity (Mos. 1.42). In Matt. 21:15 the chief priests and scribes witness the “wonderful things” (θαυμάσια) that Jesus does. This term is widely used in the LXX of the marvelous deeds of God, and especially of the exodus wonders. Matthew likely wants readers to see the connection. Three specific examples will help readers see how Matthew develops his portrait of Jesus as the new Moses in terms of the miracle worker who brings his people on the new exodus.

Three Signs

Moses is given three signs so that people might believe him and listen to his voice (Exod. 4:1). The three signs Moses assumes correspond to Jesus’s life. Moses is able to (1) grasp the serpent, (2) bring waters of salvation and judgment, and (3) resurrect dead flesh. The ability to grasp the serpent (Exod. 4:2–5) recalls the promise in Gen. 3:15, where one will come who will conquer the serpent. The authors of the NT and Matthew specifically present Jesus as this promised offspring of the woman.

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