A PROPHET LIKE MOSES & JESUS

Reflections for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 7:32-35, & Mark 1:21-28)

Several Old Testament prototypes, images, and shadows prefigure Jesus: the new Adam, a Priest like Melchizedek, the son of David, the lamb of the Passover, the suffering servant of Isaiah, etc., The opening line of today’s first reading evokes a lesser known prototype: “A prophet like me (Moses) will the LORD, your God, raise up for you”. In what way is Jesus a prophet like Moses? The list of similarities between them is a long one: both of them were saved from massacres of infants, both of them mediate covenants, deliver commandments, make way through/on perilous waters, fast for 40 days, perform miracles, liberate people from oppression, and provide miraculous food (manna and Eucharist). Over and above these obvious similarities, a unique parallel binds Moses and Jesus: the authority of their prophetic ministry.

“The people were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes”. Jesus’ prophetic ministry was marked by a certain authority that people found wanting in their scribes. This observation hides an interesting paradox. In the first-century biblical world, the scribes were the ‘authorized’ interpreters of the Word of God, a role sanctioned by religion and guaranteed by tradition. Technically, Jesus did not belong to the group of scribes and had therefore no legitimate authority to teach. However, Jesus radically transforms the meaning and source of prophetic authority. His teaching inspired authority because people witnessed a remarkable coherence between what he taught and what he did. His authority was vindicated by coherence between his teaching, his public ministry, and his private life.

Moses’ authority as the lawgiver reflected a similar pattern. He did not only mediate the law but lived in a way that epitomized the spirit of the law to his people. The principal critique of Jesus against the scribes was the absence of this ‘coherence’. He declared, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.. but they do not practice what they teach” (Matthew 23:2-3) and so denounced them as hypocrites seven times in the same chapter. Here lies an important lesson for our contemporary Church. The authority of our prophetic ministry cannot and should not exclusively depend on our ecclesiastical status, mandate, delegation of power, or diploma. Our proclamation does not become authoritative simply because we are priests, religious, bishops, etc., For any preaching to become truly authoritative, we need to preach what we practice and practice what we preach.

Jesus and Moses did not impose their authority but inspired witness in those who received God’s words through them. Those who listened to them were enlightened, questioned, challenged, and transformed and thus “wisdom is proved right by her deeds”. In this regard, the man with the unclean spirit teaches an important lesson. He challenges Jesus with what he knows about him: “I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”. He claims to “know” Jesus. His knowledge could well get him full marks in a catechism test but cannot turn him into a disciple. He is ‘possessed’ by the certainty of what he knows but his knowledge does not lead him to change. Thus, he is no different from the scribes, rich in their knowledge and the power it confers but poor in translating them into actions. So, when Jesus silences him, “Quiet! Come out of him!”, he rejects the authority that is claimed by ‘knowing him’. He then liberates him with the authority of his word so that he can relate to him in a personal and authentic way.

To speak with authority like Moses and Jesus, therefore, is to speak with words that touch and challenge lives with words that inspire change and action. Listening to God’s Word is not just about compiling knowledge about Jesus from dogmas, rituals, and laws. It involves questioning, silence, discoveries, and change of perspectives. The authority of God’s prophets touches us, moves us, and helps us liberate ourselves from our false authorities so we can truly become free. When he became cardinal, John Henry Newman chose the motto, Cor ad Cor Loquitur, a Latin phrase from Francis de Sales’ Treatise on the Love of God that means “Heart speaks to Heart”. Discipleship is about listening to God, who speaks from his heart to ours to enable us to in turn speak to him from our heart. God’s authoritative word in His son is spoken in this personal dialogue, a liberating Word that affirms life. We are all called to become prophets like Moses and Jesus. May our listening, preaching, and practising emulate their model of prophetic authority.