Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A song of thanks.

Moses Leaves Midian

¹⁸ Then Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law. Moses said to him, “Please let me go back to Egypt. I want to see if my people are still alive.”

Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”

¹⁹ Then, while Moses was still in Midian, the Lord said to him, “It is safe for you to go back to Egypt now. The men who wanted to kill you are now dead.”

²⁰ So Moses put his wife and children on the donkey and returned to Egypt. He carried his walking stick with him—the walking stick with the power of God.

²¹ While Moses was traveling back to Egypt, the Lord spoke to him, “When you talk to Pharaoh remember to show him all the miracles that I have given you the power to do. But I will cause Pharaoh to be very stubborn. He will not let the people go. ²² Then you should say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. ²³ And I am telling you to let my son go and worship me. If you refuse to let Israel go, then I will kill your firstborn son.’”

Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

3 So, my brothers and sisters, those chosen by God to be his holy people, think about Jesus. He is the one we believe God sent to save us and to be our high priest. ² God made him our high priest, and he was faithful to God just as Moses was. He did everything God wanted him to do in God’s house. ³ When someone builds a house, people will honor the builder more than the house. It is the same with Jesus. He should have more honor than Moses. ⁴ Every house is built by someone, but God built everything. ⁵ Moses was faithful as a servant in God’s whole house. He told people what God would say in the future. ⁶ But Christ is faithful in ruling God’s house as the Son. And we are God’s house, if we remain confident of the great hope we are glad to say we have.