The Myth of a Pagan Easter

  Right around this time, as we head into Easter Sunday, I tend to see and have been told in the past that Easter is a pagan holiday. It is said that, eggs and bunnies are a part of fertility rituals. That the word Easter comes from pagan goddesses. Or that the date corresponds to pagan celebrations. Therefore we should disregard the holiday. If these things were true, then we should not participate in Easter Sunday. We shouldn’t be incorporating actually pagan rituals, or goddesses, or celebrations into our worship of the risen Jesus. 

But history is not on the side of those that espouse that Easter is pagan, and today, we’re going to go through it.

First, let’s talk about the Jewishness of Easter. Originally the event that kicked off this whole thing is found in Exodus 11:1-12:32. The core of this event happens in verse 4, where we read, “4 So Moses said, ‘Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.’” The event is the final plague of death that forces the Pharaoh of Egypt to let the Israelite people go out of their slavery.

To avoid the coming death we read this starting in chapter 12:3-14, “Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.

14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”

This Passover event becomes the first of many Jewish holidays and commemorates how God’s judgment passed over the people of Israel to set them free from bondage. This would be known in Hebrew as Pesach.

In Luke 22:1 we read, “Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover.” It is during Passover on a Thursday evening that Jesus eats his final meal, called a Sedar meal. Afterwards he goes to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. It is there that he is arrested, and brought before three courts over the course of the evening and morning. Jesus is then delivered up to crucifixion, dies, and is buried by sundown on Friday. At the dawn of Sunday’s light, Jesus resurrects, overcoming death. 

From that time on, the Church has celebrated Jesus’ resurrection. Which in Greek became known as Pascha, which is the Greek translation of the Jewish word Pesach. This is the roots of what we call Easter or Resurrection Sunday. However, in our society from both within in the Church and from outside, people have taken issues with some of the things that surround Easter. Going as far as to say the whole thing is steeped in paganism. Let’s look at the three big issues that people have with Easter.

The first issue is the timing of it all. This is actually one of the oldest controversies of the Church. When do you celebrate Pascha? Today, some say because it is celebrated in the spring it must be pagan, because there are tons of fertility gods and goddesses that are celebrated in the spring. However, the controversy in the Church wasn’t that it happened during spring and so had something to do with fertility deities, but rather, how do we celebrated Pascha in light of its very Jewish roots in the Passover?

Do you celebrate it like the Jews did, following their lunar calendar? That means that if you are a Gentile following the Roman Julian calendar, Pascha moves with Passover. Sometimes it would be on a Sunday, other times it would be on a Friday, or a Wednesday. 

This controversy became so big that at the council of Nicaea in 325, it was argued and decided on. The 325 bishops of the council decided to keep the whole of the Church celebrating Pascha on the same Sunday. It was decided that, since Passover coincide with the first full moon after the spring equinox, (or the day the Sun “moves” to a position where the northern hemisphere of earth enters spring) then the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox would be the day the whole Church would celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. This shows that it is not the date that is holy, but the event itself.

However, as the centuries went on, the Western Church adopted the Gregorian calendar, which most of the world uses today, while the Eastern Church continued with the Julian Calendar. This is why you have an Western Easter date, and an Orthodox Easter date. Sometimes they overlap, like this year, and sometimes they’re different, like next year. 

So the date on which we celebrate Easter is keeping with the Passover of Judaism and not any spring deity festivals. 

Now that we understand the date, let’s talk about the second issue, the name. I have been using the term Pascha, because up until roughly the 700s A.D., that was the name used by the Church, and it continues to be used in much of the world. There was a variation of the name, which was Paschal, but the name Easter began to rise as the Church moved into the Germanic area of northern Europe, which was north of the Rhine River. Here we get a Christian sudo-historian by the name of the Venerable Bede (beed) who makes a comment on how Paschal month is translated into a Germanic language. 

Bede writes, “Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated ‘Paschal month,’ and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month. Now they designate that Paschal season by her name, calling the joys of the new rite by the time-honored name of the old observance. (De Temporum Ratione, Chapter 15)”

What Bede is saying, is that the Germanic people had a month called Eosturmonath , which coincides with the Paschal month. Therefore the Germanic people use that language instead of Paschal. Bede then states that this name comes from a goddess that they worshiped called Eostre whom they celebrated in that month. 

However, there is no archeological, oral, or written history about Eostre, except from Bede; who is already looked upon by historians as a hit or miss kind of historian. However, let’s grant that Bede is correct, that the month was named after a Germanic goddess, that would be the same as the months of our calendar which were named after the gods of the Romas. What we would then have is simply the word of Passover from the Jewish Pesach, to the Greek Pascha, to the Germanic Easter. It comes down to a translation issue, not a religious one.

There is one more name of a Summeria goddess Ishtar, but the only connection there is that the names of Ishtar and Easter sound similar, but the goddess was also called Inanna. In reality there is no historical overlap between the two names, and you have a better case for Eostre, than Ishtar. Plus, as we have seen the root of Easter is in the Jewish Passover, and not other Ancient Near Eastern traditions.

Finally, the last issue is about the bunnies and the eggs. The connection begins again with German, and is through a physician named Franckenau (frank-en-ah) in the late 1500s, who wrote an essay on the subject of how German children would searched for eggs left behind by the Osterhase or Easter bunny. He wrote, “In Alsace, and the neighboring regions, these eggs are called rabbit eggs because of the myth told to fool simple people and children that the Easter Bunny is going around laying eggs and hiding them in the herb gardens. So the children look for them, even more enthusiastically, to the delight of smiling adults.” In a sense, the Easter Bunny was a Santa Clause figure for the springtime. The children would make nests in baskets for the Easter Bunny to leave presents for good boys and girls. Then the children would look for eggs left behind as well.

Why eggs? Because after the season of Lent, eggs were a treat because they had been fasted from for 40 days. Why were they colored? Because of a story that came about that Mary Magdalene had carried a basket full of eggs to the tomb and when she arrived, their coloring changed to red.

This Easter Bunny tradition eventually made its way to America, which has morphed them in the traditions we continue to have today.

So the Easter Bunny was a family activity to celebrate the end of Lent, where families could give gifts to their children and eat a treat of eggs. It wasn’t based on a fertility goddess, with rabbits multiplying and eggs being laid as a representation of her benevolence. Their traditions are steeped in Christian generosity, and the familia love of parents to their children.

Because of the history of where the name come from, I have no problem calling Resurrection Sunday, Easter Sunday, because it’s a translation issue, not a doctrinal one, as long as we focus on the Risen Savior. If you want to be as close to the language as possible, you need to forgo both and call it either Pesach or Pascha.

I also have no problem on when we celebrate Easter, because it’s not about the date, it’s about what happened with the Resurrection of Jesus. Similar to Christmas, it’s not about when Jesus’ broth happened, it’s about celebrating God who descended to earth to take on human flesh and be Emmanuel, God with us.

And I don’t have a problem with Easter egg hunts because Jesus called us to not hinder children from coming to him, and a game of hunting for eggs can open a door for children and families to come hear the Gospel message.

So when someone says that Easter is pagan, understand, history isn’t on their side, and they don’t know what they are talking about. So let the ignorant continue in their ignorance, and let’s worship Christ in the freedom he won us through the resurrection.

My challenge for you this week, is to pass out one of our Easter flyers to at least one person. Invite that family to the egg hunt, invite that neighbor to the free breakfast. We’re celebrating Jesus’ resurrection, the event on which everything of our faith hangs, and in what the hope of humanity was realized. People need to hear about his resurrection work, because Jesus will return to restore all things. 

Let’s be about our Father’s work, and celebrate the Risen Son, who saves us from our sin, this Pesach, Pascha, Easter, Resurrection Sunday. Amen.

“3 Offices” Sermon Series - Wk 4 - Office of the Priest

 Every once and a while, we show this video series to the teens called, GOSPEL Adventure. It’s kind of like a reality TV show where different religions and Christian traditions spend a week in the mountains of Colorado discussing the Gospel and going on outdoor adventures, like rock climbing and rafting.

In every episode the leader gives an illustration on what they’ll be taking about that session. On the fourth episode they bring out a small lamb. The participants play with the lamb all the while asking why the lamb is out there. One of the group then makes the remark, “Are we going to kill the lamb?” The camera pans to all the faces and they’re in shock as they begin to see the purpose of the lamb. The camera then turns to focus on the leader who is coming down the hill with a knife. He proceeds to bring the lamb in front of him and begins to talk about the Passover story of how God called the Israelites to kill a lamb and put its blood on the door posts. The leader then told of how the priests would sacrifice thousands upon thousands of animals every year to cover the sins of the people. It’s then that he tells the group that this lamb is like the lambs that were killed for our sin. Holding the lamb in one hand and the knife in the other, with participants start to turn their heads away. Usually at this point, the tension can be felt even in the room as our youth watch the scene play out. The leader then tells them, “But we’re not going to do that, instead, we’re going to name him. The horror of the group fades away and they are relieved that they’re not going to kill the lamb.

But it’s having this understanding that the priests of Israel would sacrifice thousands upon thousands of animals a year to cover the sins of the people, is what brings us to our final week in our 3 Offices Series where we are going to look at the final office of Christ, the Priest. However, before we jump into this office, let’s remind ourselves of where we are as we come to this series end. 

In week one we saw how each of the offices, or authorities of King, Prophet, and Priest, are found in who God is. These can been seen in the first three chapters of Genesis. We see that God is creator of all things and therefore is King overall. We saw how God prophesied to Adam about not eating a certain fruit and that his word came to pass. We saw how after Adam and Eve’s sin, God clothed them in what would become the terminology for the covering of sin. These offices are then delegated to the people of Israel as they participated in their covenant with God. Yet when God descends to earth and takes on flesh, Jesus consolidates these offices, these authorities, back to himself. Giving a clearer picture of what he means in Matthew 28:18, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

In the second week, we began to walk through these offices in the life of Jesus. We saw how Jesus saw himself as a king, not just of a particular nation, but of all creation. A king that would receive all glory and honor from every person. A king who, at his name, all knees would bow, willingly or unwillingly. A king who has extended the olive branch of peace to all those who are rebelling against his kingdom work. And a king who will one day return to fully establish his kingdom for eternity. The only proper response to this king, is to willing bow to him in all areas of our lives. 

Then in our third week, we walked through the office of Prophet. We saw that the Jewish people were expecting a Prophet like Moses to come as the Messiah. A prophet that was the ultimate revealer of God. We also saw how the disciples believed that Jesus was that Prophet. The reason they believed this, was because he communicated such. He showed himself to be the full revealer of God in the flesh; Jesus spoke as God from the mountain, and he revealed how the entire work of the Scriptures spoke about him. In this way, Jesus showed that he was the great and final revealer of God, the ultimate prophet we need.

It is here that we come to our final office, the office of Priest. But to understand this we must understand two things: First, there are two types of priesthoods in the Bible. The one that is most prominent is the Aaronic or Levitical priesthood. 

In comparing Jesus to this priesthood we have to notice two quantifications. One of these comes from Leviticus 21:6. When God spoke of the priests to Moses he said this, “They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God. For they offer the Lord's food offerings, the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy.” This didn’t always happen as we can see in the lives of Eli’s sons in 1 Samuel 2, who were some of the most unholy priests in the Bible. However, in order to help keep the priests holy, additional stipulations were to live by, which can be read about in throughout the book of Leviticus. 

In looking Jesus, we can see this holiness in him. Both his disciples and his opponents recognized it. In asking about taxes, a Pharisees’ disciple came and said, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God truthfully, and you do not care about anyone's opinion, for you are not swayed by appearances. (Mark 12:14). ” In the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark, the first demon Jesus encounters states, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God. (v.1:24)” Because of Jesus’ holy life, his disciples would say this in response to Jesus asking if they were going to leave him as others had, “68 Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, 69 and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’ (Jn. 6:68-69)”

Jesus meets the qualification of being holy to the Lord. However, Jesus doesn’t meet a glaring qualification: Jesus is not from the line of Levite. In both the Gospel of Matthew (v.1:1-17) and the Gospel of Luke (v.3:23-38), we see Jesus’ linage through his birth mother Mary, and through his adopted father Jospeh. In both cases, it is explicitly stated that Jesus is from the line of Judah. The writer the Letter to the Hebrews recognizes this issue, in chapter 7 verses 13-14, “13 For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. 14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.” So this would disqualify Jesus from being a part of the Levitical priesthood, and everything we just talked about is mute. Right?

Well, this is where the writer of Hebrews sees that one doesn’t have to be a part of the Levitical priesthood to be a priest of God. In his letter we get another priesthood of the Bible. Starting in chapter 6, verses 20, we read, “where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Hebrew writer looks at the Scripture and sees that God had priests before he established the Levite’s as the priests of Israel.

Looking at Melchizedek’s story from Genesis 14:18-20, we read, “18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!’ And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.” In this moment, for the first time we hear of the term High Priest, and it is the first time we see a true tithe given. The both the title and the gift are give to Melchizedek.

The Hebrew writer sees in Melchizedek an image of Christ. Some say this is a theophany of Jesus before taking on flesh, but it seems that the Hebrew writer merely sees Melchizedek as a portrait of Christ, and not the pre-incarnate Jesus.

Looking at Melchizedek, the Hebrew writer pens these words in Hebrews 7:1-3, “1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He (Melchizedek) is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. 3 He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.” 

The Hebrew writer ends his chapter about Jesus being a High Priest like Melchizedek with this, “22 This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant. 23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. 26 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever. (v.7:22-28)”

And it’s this forever Priest who stands before God the Father that shows the biggest difference between the Levitical priesthood and the Melchizedekan priesthood of Jesus. In chapter 10 the Hebrew writers states, “1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. (v.1-3)” Dropping down to verse 10 we continue to read, “10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (v.10-13)”

The writer ends with this idea in verse 18, “18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. (v.18-23)”

Jesus’ High Priest status reveals a greater work than that of the Levitical priesthood. The Levites ministered to God on their own behalf as well as the people’s. Yet their sacrifices were only temporary. Jesus ministers only on the behalf of his people, with his sacrifice being a completed work for anyone who would accept it. 

Therefore for since the once and for all sacrifice of Jesus was made on the cross and confirmed in the resurrection, it’s not strange then that the temple, its sacrifices, and the Levitical priesthood ended as the Gospel began reaching throughout the known world. Within less than thirty years of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, all temple worship would literally come crashing down to an end. The reason for this was that there was no reason to have them anymore. The final sacrifice was made, the final and true High Priest of God was standing before the throne of God for all eternity. He is ministering on behalf of his people as the ultimate mediator and interceder. 

And he is a High Priest that knows us. This is why the Hebrew writer can proudly state, “14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (4:14-16)”

Jesus, our High Priest, knows us and all the temptations we go through. God in the flesh has experienced them, but he had made it through holy and untainted by the fall to sin. Because of this he calls us to his grace bought with his own precious sacrifice on the cross.

Therefore my challenge is the challenge of the Hebrew writer from chapter 10:24-25, “24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

Let us encourage each other to love and good works. My challenge is to encourage one believer every day this week to the love and good works that were bought by Jesus. Encourage them to stand steadfast in their faith if they are struggling. Encourage them to turn to Jesus if they are doubting. Encourage them to help their neighbor, or stay away from gossip, or rise above the petty issues of this world, for the day of the High Priest’s return is on its way. 

The day of King, Prophet, and Priest is closer now then it was before, so let us hold tight to Jesus and walk in the holy freedom that that he has bought. Amen.

“3 Offices” Sermon Series - Wk 3 - Office of the Prophet

 The ability to communicate in powerful ways have turned the tides of history. Words have great power. I want to share with you a couple of ways words have been used to get a point across. Someone posted a message by a handicapped sign that read, “If you are not handicapped when you park here, you will be when you leave.” Another sign in a high school homeroom read, “Laugh and the class laughs with you. But you go to the principal’s office alone.” Mark Twain was said to have mentioned about a particular person’s funeral, “I didn’t attend the funeral but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.” Ronald Reagan was famous for his quips, and responded to a question about his age in his debate with Mondale, “I will not make age an issue in this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.”

It’s the idea of the communication of words that brings us back to our series where we are looking at three offices of Christ: King, Prophet, and Priest. If you have your Bibles, we are going to start off in Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 15. As we open to Deuteronomy 18:15, let’s look back at the last two weeks of our series, to refresh our thoughts. 

In our first week, we looked at how God exercises authority in all three offices in the first three chapters of Genesis. First, God creates, showing that he is King and Sovereign over all creation. Then, God prophesies to Adam of death if he eats of the forbidden fruit, which comes true. Finally, God covers Adam and Eve, in the fashion of a priest who’s job it is to make covering sacrifices for the sins of the people. In these offices, God reigns supreme, yet he delegates these offices to the nation of Israel. Christ’s coming is the consolidation of these offices once again in God alone.

Following this, in our second week we began to look at how Jesus, in his incarnate ministry, exercises the authority of the first office of King. We saw how Jesus points to himself as the kingly figure of Daniel 7. We saw how he viewed his kingdom as a spiritual non-nation state; with his reign being over all peoples, places, and things. Then we saw how his work as King opened the door for peace between himself and rebellious humanity. It is then, by his authority as King, that those who accept his peace become ambassadors to the people of this world who are still in rebellion. 

With this recap in our minds, we can now turn to the second office of Prophet. We do this by first reading Deuteronomy 18, starting in verse 15.

We find the passage in the last of the five books of Moses, where Moses is preparing the people not only to follow God, but to live without him as their leader. Moses says,

“15 The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— 16 just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ 17 And the Lord said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. (Duet. 18:15-18 [ESV])”

We first must understand that Moses’ prophetic utterance of a Prophet like him, was something that nation of Israel was looking for in connection with the Messiah. 

The Sar Shalom Messianic Community says this about this Prophet like Moses, “Moses’ statement that a prophet like him would come from among the people of Israel, is one that the Israelite people were looking for at the time of Jesus. 

“The most explicit Messianic prophecy found in the Torah occurs in …  Deut. 18:15 [which] tells us that God will one day send a prophet like unto Moses.

“The prophecy concerning the prophet like Moses has heavily influenced Jewish expectation of Messiah. The Prophet like Moses is regarded to be Messiah. For this reason, we find that Jewish literature casts Messiah in the pattern of Moses.

“The life and ministry of Moses serve as a Messianic prototype which the ultimate Messiah is expected to reflect. The Midrash often refers to Moses and Messiah respectively as the First Redeemer and the Ultimate Redeemer. As a prophet like Moses, the life and work of Messiah must reflect the pattern set by Moses.”

Since the Prophet like Moses was expected to be the Messiah, it shouldn’t surprise us that when Jesus started his earthly ministry people began asking themselves if he was that Prophet. 

In fact, in response to Jesus’ miracle of feeding the five thousand, the people are recored in John 6:14, as questioning if Jesus might be the Prophet. The verses reads, “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’” A similar connection by the people would happen at the raising of the Nain widow’s son, where Luke 7:16 records, “Fear seized them all, and they glorified God, saying, 'A great prophet has arisen among us!’ and ‘God has visited his people!’” 

In Matthew 16:13-14, we get this interaction between Jesus and his disciples, “13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ 14 And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’”

As Jesus went about his ministry the people clamored with the question, is Jesus the Prophet like Moses. In fact, the entire Gospel of Matthew is partially dedicated to show the parallels between Moses and Jesus. From his birth, to his return from Egypt, to his desert wanderings, and much more.

The second thing she need to understand is that Jesus’ disciples believed Jesus was the fulfillment of this Deuteronomy 18 prophecy.

After Jesus’ ascension, when speaking to the people at Solomon's Portico, Peter connected Jesus to Moses as the prophet that was foretold, we he said, “22 Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. 23 And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ 24 And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. 25 You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ 26 God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. (Acts 3:22-26)”

The Hebrew writer would also make connections between Jesus and the Prophet like Moses, writing, “1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Heb. 1:1-2)”

So the Jewish people were looking for the the Prophet like Moses and Jesus’ disciples believed him to be that Prophet, but what about Jesus himself?

First we need to understand that, originally, the word prophet was used only of one who “… proclaimed the message given to him … (https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/eastons-bible-dictionary/Prophet)” Whereas a seer was one who “… beheld the visions of God …” to predict future events. Over time the two titles came together, as is referenced in First Samuel 9:9.

So in the broad sense of the word, a prophet is simply someone who delivers messages to reveal God’s plans and purposes. However, in Jesus we have a fuller revealer of God. 

Jesus spoke of his revelatory uniqueness in his interaction with Philip in John 14:8-9, “8 Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.’ 9 Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”

This revelation would lead the apostle John to realize that Jesus was the Word of God made flesh. (Jn 1:1). Due to this, Jesus revelatory authority exceeds that of every prophet before him. This is why Jesus can speak in his Sermon the Mount, with the language of, “21 You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment … (Matt. 5:21-22)” 

Jesus saw himself as the greater revealer of God, going as far as to tell the disciples that, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (Jn. 14:26)”

Finally, after Jesus’ resurrection, Luke would record Jesus’ continued revealing work, writing, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. (Lk. 24:27)”

Since Jesus fulfills Moses’ prediction of a prophet like him to come, and Jesus is a greater revealer of God, we can trust him in what he says. We can trust him in his proclamation that, “… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:20)” We can trust him when he states, “31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. (Matt. 6:31-32)” And we can trust Jesus when he states, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. (Rev. 22:12)” 

Jesus’ word stands for all time. It was through him that all things were made, and by them all things hold together.  Paul would write this in Colossians 1:15-20, “5 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.”

It is in Jesus that we may abide and produce the fruit that we were saved to show (Jn. 15). And it is from his authority that we go out into all the world to witness to his greatness. 

Jesus’ desire is that we follow and obey his word that we might show our love for him and love for each other. He is the Prophet who was foretold by Moses, to bring a greater revelation of God, that we may be saved through the grace he shares through his death and resurrection. Let us walk in his word, showing that we truly are saved by his mercy and grace. 

My challenge for you this week, is trust in Jesus’ word. I have given you many Scriptures verses today, However, I want to challenge you to memorize one of three. If you struggle with believing Jesus is with you, memorize the end of Matthew 28:20. If you struggle with anxiety, memorize Matthew 6:31-32. And if you struggle with the world and all the evil in it, memorize Revelation 22:12. 

Let us be a people who trust in Jesus, the Word made flesh, that we stand secure on his word, as wise people ready for any storm. Amen.