In the famous prologue to St. John’s Gospel (chapter 1: 1-18), we read: “The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth have come through Jesus Christ” (Jn 1:17). The verse capsulizes the attitude of the early Christians to Moses and the Law as being eclipsed by Jesus Christ, who is “the only begotten God” (Jn 1:18). Not wishing to criticize the spiritual masterpiece that is John’s Gospel, yet it seems to me that this view over-simplifies the truth. Moses is not only the one through whom Yahweh-God gave the Law; he also is the one through whom God established His covenant with His people, and the covenant is indeed God’s grace and truth to the Chosen People, Israel. The Christian claim is too extreme, and in effect denies that the Covenant and Law were themselves means of gracing God’s people with truth, and letting them experience God’s love as His people. Furthermore, the early Christians did not do justice to Moses. Why not? Moses was a competitor to Jesus in the sympathies of Jewish-Christians, and the Church too quickly brushed Moses aside, or downgraded his role in the history of God’s dealing with humanity. In light of Moses in the Hebrew Scriptures, I suggest that the role of Moses as God’s favored instrument of salvation needs to be re-discovered by Christians.
Moses is the man whom God called to experience His Presence, and carry the divine reality to His people. According to the Hebrew Scriptures, this special role took a major leap forward on Mount Sinai, when God encountered Moses out of a burning bush. We hear the account today in our week-end liturgy. Be attentive, and take the words to heart. It would be going too far to say that “God revealed Himself to Moses,” if those words suggest that after the encounter, Moses “knew” God in any definitive way. God ever remains the unknown God beyond any experience, even when the divine lets itself be experienced.In biblical language, Moses was later permitted to see “the hind parts” of God, hence reserving the divine mystery as beyond human grasp or comprehension. Furthermore, after God presented Himself through His word to Moses, the man Moses became the human carrier of God to the Chosen People, Israel. Moses became the bearer of God, and not just the giver of the Law. Moses is more than a prophet, greater than Isaiah or Jeremiah; God is present in and through Moses. Because of this unique role, those Jews who experienced the living God in and through Jesus of Nazareth allowed Moses and his role to fall into relative obscurity, and over time, it became neglected by many Christians. It is time for Christianity to rediscover the unique “God-man Moses” (as he is called in the title to Psalm 90).
Our common Lenten reading assignment for the next week is the Book of Exodus, the heart of the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament), chapters 1-6. (At the end of the page, click on "next chapter" to advance). Please pay special attention to the great thorn bush revelation, Exodus 3-4. Become aware of Moses, and the God of Moses, and how Yahweh-God intervenes to rescue His people. And take the words to heart.
Please remember our common Lenten practices which I urge for all of us to do: (1) Sit in silence daily; (2) Prayerfully reading Scripture daily; (3) Attend an additional Mass weekly (and Stations of the Cross); 4) Visit our elderly or shut-ins.
