The Gospel . . . in the Exodus?

The Catholic view of salvation is fascinating, deep, and exceptionally biblical.

One way it can be understood is in story form, specifically the story of the Exodus from Egypt (former life of sin), the sojourn in the wilderness (pilgrimage on earth), and coming into the promised land (making it to heaven).

This way of understanding Scripture is called typology, in which an event in the Old Testament foreshadows and is fulfilled in the New Testament. This is how Christ and the Apostles often interpreted Scripture. St. Peter, St. Paul, and St. Jude, for example, used the story of the Exodus to teach various aspects of the Christian life, such as being saved by baptism, the danger of falling into sin/apostasy, rebelling against ecclesial leadership, etc.

The Exodus is a picture of:

• leaving the life of slavery to sin (Egypt) under the tyrant Satan (Pharaoh),
• the sacrifice of Christ being the cause of our freedom (sacrifice of the Passover lamb coinciding with the death of firstborn sons, which led to the liberation from Pharaoh),
• being born again through “water and spirit” in baptism (the pillar of fire and crossing the Red Sea),
• baptism cleansing us of all sin (destruction of Pharaoh’s army),
• entering the life of freedom as a child of God, empowered to worship him and obey his commandments (“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him: Thus says the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve me’” [Exodus 8:1].), and
• the Eucharist (manna).

But that is just the beginning.

Along the way, many of the children of Israel who had been saved by God fell into idolatry, apostasy, heresy, and schism:

• They failed to worship and obey God in the manner he commanded (golden calf, etc.).
• They rebelled against the leaders and priesthood God had appointed over them through heresy and schism, even though those leaders were very flawed themselves (Korah’s rebellion, offering of “strange fire” to God contrary to the rites he established, etc.).
• Many preferred the conveniences in Egypt, despite the fact that it included slavery (preferring earthly pleasures to heavenly comforts, sin to righteousness).
• Many were unwilling to do what must be done to enter the promised land (rightly worshipping God, and doing the “good works” he liberated them to do).
• They really did stop being slaves (Catholic view of grace/justification, where we are truly changed when we are justified/reborn/regenerated in baptism).
• God didn’t merely “declare” them free (Protestant view of grace/justification, where we are NOT truly changed when justified, but only receive a different legal status).
• Some presumed to leave Israel (the Church) and died in the wilderness (heretics and schismatics excluded from heaven).
• Others betrayed Israel to her enemies (wolves in sheep clothing, including wicked priests, Judas, etc.).
• Israel was constantly attacked by external enemies (temporal powers attacking and/or refusing to submit to the authority of the spiritual power, the Church).
• They were TRULY FREE, and yet many of them disobeyed God, and therefore didn’t make it into the promised land (heaven).

There are MANY more examples.

It is truly awe-inspiring how well the Exodus story prefigures the Catholic realities of the New Testament. The Exodus is a picture of the Christian pilgrimage through this world to heaven, and what following Jesus in his Church is all about. It breathtakingly illustrates in typological/story form the truths of the gospel that have been taught and fulfilled in Christ’s Catholic Church.

Furthermore, when we read the Bible typologically—as Christ and the Apostles did so often, and as the Church has done for two millennia—what we discover is deeper and more comprehensive than we can imagine. The riches of Scripture are truly endless.

I encourage everyone to dive into the Scriptures with the Church on these and many other Old Testament stories. You’ll learn more about the gospel from ALL of Scripture than you ever realized was possible.