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Answer
In one of Moses’ final speeches, he gave this messianic prophecy: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him” «The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; », (Deuteronomy 18:15). The prophet whom Moses foretells possesses these qualities: He will be raised up by God, He will come from among the Israelites, He will be like Moses, and He will be worthy of being heard and obeyed. The prophet who fulfills these words is Jesus Christ, the prophet like Moses.
On the banks of the Jordan River, the Jews questioned John the Baptist about who he was and why he was baptizing. Their question “Are you the Prophet?” «And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No. », (John 1:21) indicates that they were seeking the fulfillment of Moses’ prophecy. John plainly informed them that he was not the Prophet but directed them to the One who was: “Among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie” (verses 26–27). John’s description of the Messiah as one “among you” recalls Moses’ prediction that God would raise up the Prophet “from among you” in Deuteronomy 18:15. The very next day, John specifically identifies Jesus as the One they were waiting for (John 1:29-31).
In his sermon at the temple, Peter affirms that Jesus is the prophet like Moses «For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. », (Acts 3:22-23).
ord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he tells you. », (Acts 3:22, quoting Deuteronomy 18:15). In Acts 7:37, Stephen, speaking to the Sanhedrin, also references Moses and applies the prophecy to Jesus Christ.
Jesus shares similarities with Moses in various aspects. Moses served as both a prophet and a lawgiver, roles that Jesus also fulfilled. Jesus was widely acknowledged as a prophet who proclaimed the Word of God «But when they tried to arrest him, they feared the multitudes, because they considered him a prophet.», (Matthew 21:46), and He issued commandments for His followers to follow (John 13:34;John 15:12,17;Galatians 6:2). Both Moses and Jesus acted as mediators of a covenant between God and humanity—Moses with the Old Covenant (Exodus 34:27;Acts 7:44), and Jesus with the New (Luke 22:20;Hebrews 9:15). Both Moses and Jesus were born during dangerous times, narrowly escaping a king who sought to kill infants (Exodus 1:22 and Matthew 2:16-18). Additionally, both Moses and Jesus had ties to Egypt (Exodus 2:1-4 and Matthew 2:13-14). Moses was the (adopted) son of a king «And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. », (Exodus 2:10), and Jesus is theThe Son of the Most High «He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: », (Luke 1:32). Moses spent forty years as a shepherd «Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. », (Exodus 3:1), and Jesus is the Good Shepherd «I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. », (John 10:11,14) «I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. », (John 10:11,14). Both Moses and Jesus were known for their meekness «(Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) », (Numbers 12:3 and Matthew 11:29).
Moses and Jesus were alike in that they both led God’s people out of captivity. With great power, Moses led the Israelites out of physical bondage and slavery in Egypt, and Jesus, with even greater power, led God’s elect out of spiritual bondage and slavery to sin. Moses stood before Pharaoh and said, “’Let my people go” «And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. », (Exodus 5:1). Jesus came “to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and . . . to set the oppressed free” « The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, Because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent me tTo heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised,” (Luke 4:18). “In Christ Jesus, the law of the Spirit of life has set you free from the law of sin and death” “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:2).
Moses was also like Jesus in that he performed miracles—not all prophets did. Several of the miracles of Moses bear a resemblance to Jesus’ miracles, most notably the provision of bread in the wilderness “And the children of Israel did eat manna forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.” (Exodus 16:35), which is comparable to Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:1-13). In fact, after Jesus multiplied the loaves and fishes, the people’s thoughts ran immediately to Moses’ prophecy: “After the people saw the sign Jesus performed, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world’” “Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, ‘This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.'” (John 6:14).
Another way that Moses was like Jesus is that he held intimate conversations with God: “The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend” “And the LORD spoke unto Moses face to face, as a man speaks unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man,
Departed not out of the tabernacle. », (Exodus 33:11). Jesus also had a special relationship with God: “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son” «All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. », (Matthew 11:27); “The Father knows me and I know the Father” «As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. », (John 10:15). When Moses stood in God’s presence, his face shone with heavenly glory and had to be covered with a veil (Exodus 34:29-35), and this reminds us of Jesus’ transfiguration, when “His face shone like the sun” «and was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. », (Matthew 17:2).
Another important way that Moses was like Jesus is that he constantly interceded for his people. When the Israelites sinned, Moses was always standing by, ready to petition God on their behalf and plead for their forgiveness. After the blatant idolatry at the foot of Mt. Sinai involving the golden calf, Moses interceded twice for the people (Exodus 32:11-13, 30-32), and his intercession was needed at other times as well (e.g., Numbers 11:2; Numbers 12:13; Numbers 21:7). Moses’ intercession was temporary, bBut our Lord’s love is everlasting. “If anybody sins, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”, (1 John 2:1). Jesus is currently “at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” “Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is the one who died, but even more, has been raised; he also is at the right hand of God and intercedes for us.”, (Romans 8:34). Jesus “always lives to intercede” for us “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”, (Hebrews 7:25).
Not only was Moses an intercessor for God’s people, but like Jesus, he was willing to die for them. In Exodus 32:32, Moses offers his life in exchange for sinners. “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends,” Jesus said “No one has greater love than this: that someone lay down his life for his friends.”, (John 15:13), and Jesus proved His love when He “laid down his life for us” (1 John 3:16;cf: John 10:15).
Finally, Moses and Jesus were alike in that both were sent to people who, by and large, rejected them and would not listen. Moses led a rebellious people (Psalm 78:17-55;Deuteronomy 9:6,13, 27;Acts 7:39). Numerous times, the people tested God and rebelled against MoSee (Numbers 14:1-4, 21-23;16:1-3). Similarly, Jesus was sent to a people who “did not receive him” «He came unto his own, and his own received him not. », (John 1:11), tarnished His reputation «But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. », (Matthew 12:24), and ultimately killed Him (Matthew 27:22-26).
