In Matthew's portrayal, Jesus is compared to which Torah figure to illustrate his authority over the Law?

• A. Aaron
• B. Solomon
• C. Moses
• D. David

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is seeing Jesus in Matthew as the one who speaks with authoritative interpretation of the Law, much like the one who gave the Law in Israel’s story. Matthew frames Jesus as a new Moses: both figures stand as lawgiver and teacher who bring a deeper, authoritative understanding of the Torah to the people.

You can see this in how Jesus teaches with unmistakable authority, often on a mountainside in scenes that echo Moses receiving the Law on Sinai. In Matthew, Jesus doesn’t simply repeat the commandments; he fulfills them and presses them toward inward righteousness, clarifying what the Law means in practice. His statements like “I have not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it” (and the surrounding teaching on true righteousness) show him as the authoritative interpreter and rightful heir to the Law’s authority.

The other figures correspond to different roles but not the authority over the Law itself in the way Moses does. Aaron is associated with priestly mediating ritual aspects of the Law, Solomon with wisdom and kingship, and David with the royal messianic line. The question targets who embodies the Law’s authority and its interpretation, which the Moses parallel most closely represents.

So, the figure that best illustrates Jesus’ authority over the Law in Matthew is Moses.