From the pillar of fire the Lord bids Moses, the powerful figure, to rescue the people of Israel. Indeed, this is a powerful imagery of God liberating His people which is seen as a central theme in the Book of Exodus.

In the Gospel reading, the central message is Jesus' response to those who say that His mother and brothers are waiting outside: "Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother". Take a moment to imagine these scenes, each has a powerful figure: one is Moses and the other is Jesus. Each scene involves people who are gathered around the powerful figure.

In the case of Moses the people of Egypt imagined that they have a claim on the Israelites as their slaves. Similarly, for Jesus, the family of Jesus thought that they have a special claim on Him. In reality the only one who has any special claim is God Himself. He shows this by commanding Moses from the pillar of fire, and by sending the Son, Jesus, whose greatest desire is to bring us into God's family; to rescue us, to give us light and to invite us to gather together in thanksgiving, as the first reading ends.