Moses with horns? That’s the way he’s depicted in Michelangelo’s masterpiece sculpture completed in 1515. Two horns protrude from Moses’ hair just above his forehead.
Michelangelo wasn’t alone—many Renaissance and medieval artists depict Moses that way. Why? It has to do with the Latin translation of the Hebrew Bible available at the time, which described Moses’ radiant face after being in God’s presence (see Exodus 34:29). The original language uses a word related to “horns” to describe “beams” of light shining from Moses’ face, and the Latin Vulgate Bible translated it literally. Moses was “misread.”
Have you ever misread someone? After a man unable to walk from birth was healed by Peter in Jesus’ name (Acts 3:1-10), the apostle told his fellow Israelites that they had misread Jesus. “You killed the author of life,” he said pointedly, “but God raised him from the dead” (v. 15). He continued, “This is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer” (v. 18). Peter even said Moses had pointed to Christ (v. 22).
It was “by faith in the name of Jesus,” a “faith that comes through him,” that the man’s life was transformed (v. 16). No matter how we’ve misunderstood Him or what our past contains, Christ welcomes us when we turn to Him. The author of life stands ready to write new beginnings for us!
How have you misread Jesus? What will help you understand Him even better today?
Thank You, Jesus, for always understanding and loving me.
For further study, read The Point of It All—Why We Might Miss Jesus.
In Acts 3:12-25, Peter preached the gospel to a crowd after healing a lame beggar. Regarding the people’s part in Jesus’ death, he said: “This is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer” (v. 18). These prophets included David (Psalm 69:4, 21), Isaiah (Isaiah 50:6; 53:4-11), and Zechariah (Zechariah 12:10; 13:7). In Psalm 22, David expresses words that Christ cries aloud from the cross (v. 1; see Matthew 27:46), His mistreatment (Psalm 22:6-8; see Matthew 27:27-31, 41-44), and the dividing of His garments (Psalm 22:18; Matthew 27:35). Peter’s words in Acts 3:17-18 are reminiscent of Joseph’s words to his brothers: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives” (Genesis 50:20).
