Matthew envisioned two patterns of biblical historical parallels
to the life of Christ:
- The history of Israel. This "type" begins
at the Abrahamic Covenant where Israel is declared (promised) as
a nation and an heir (to the covenant) is announced.
- The life of Moses. This "type" begins at
the two instances of infanticide in the lives of Moses and
Jesus.
These observed parallels make both Israel and Moses antitypes of
Christ - Israel as the heir of the covenant and Moses as the prophet
of the nation...both of which "types" are then fulfilled in Jesus.
While these parallels have different points of origin, in Matthew
they both end at the same moment, as Jesus ascends the hill to
present the Sermon on the Mount, as follows:
- For the first typology, this is the point at which the life
of Messiah and the history of Israel merge - into King and
Kingdom - and Israel begins to experience her King. From that
point forward their histories are common.
- For the second typology, this is the point where Israel is
brought to her second law-giving - where the Lord fulfills
Moses’ prophecy that another prophet like him (after the pattern
he had set as prophet and law giver) would rise up among the
people. As Moses commanded the people to "hear Him, so from that
point forward Jesus, the Christ, superseded Moses as "the
greatest prophet." The people indicated their realization that
Jesus was the prophet Moses had spoken when they noted that he
"spoke as one having authority" (Matt. 7:29).