What Did Moses Say About Jesus?

The question of what Moses said about Jesus is an interesting one that many are curious about. Moses, as the great prophet and lawgiver of the Old Testament, lived many centuries before Jesus Christ. However, there are some key passages in the Old Testament that reveal Moses’ perspective on the coming Messiah.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: While Moses never mentions Jesus by name, he does prophecy about a coming redeemer and mediator between God and man, which Christians believe is fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

In this comprehensive article, we will examine several Old Testament prophecies and references from the books traditionally attributed to Moses that point to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah and Son of God.

We will look at the typology of Moses as a prophet and deliverer that foreshadows Christ, discuss the Messianic prophecies in Deuteronomy, explore the symbolism of the Passover lamb, and more. With an estimated word count of around 3000 words, this article will provide an in-depth look at this fascinating topic and cover the many connections between Moses and Jesus found in Scripture.

Moses as a Type of Christ

Moses as a Prophet and Deliverer Foreshadowing Jesus

Moses was a pivotal Old Testament prophet and leader who delivered the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, foreshadowing the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. There are striking parallels between Moses and Jesus:

• Both narrowly escaped death as infants when wicked rulers slaughtered innocent children (Exodus 1; Matthew 2).
• Moses offered to sacrifice himself for the salvation of his people, just as Christ did (Exodus 32:30-32).
• Moses interceded between God and the people as a mediator, just as Christ intercedes for believers before God (Exodus 32; 1 Timothy 2:5).
• Moses provided life-giving manna and water for the Israelites; Jesus offered the life-giving Bread of Life (John 6).

In many ways, Moses was a type—a historical forerunner and preview—of the coming Messiah. The parallels strongly indicate that Jesus is the prophet foretold to be like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15; John 1:45).

Details and Parallels Between Moses and Jesus

There are extensive details and parallels between the life and ministry of Moses and Jesus. Here are some prominent examples:

There are many other parallels, but the overall point remains: crucial details between Moses and Jesus uncannily correspond. This strongly supports that Jesus fulfills the “new prophet” prophecy to be like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15-18).

Moses was the paramount Old Testament deliverer; Jesus far surpasses Moses’ words and works, as the ultimate deliverer and redeemer.

Messianic Prophecies in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 18 – The Promise of a Future Prophet

In Deuteronomy 18:15, Moses told the Israelites that God would raise up a prophet like him from among their own brothers. This prophet would speak God’s words and the people must listen to him. Many scholars believe this passage points to Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the prophet that Moses spoke about.

Jesus matched several characteristics of the prophet described by Moses. Like Moses, Jesus mediated a covenant between man and God, helped deliver people from oppression by breaking the power of evil over them, interceded for transgressors, spoke the words of God, and performed miraculous signs.

The people during Jesus’ day compared his authoritative teaching to Moses as well (Matthew 7:28-29, John 6:14).

Peter and Stephen in the New Testament confirmed that Jesus fulfilled Deuteronomy 18:15-18 (Acts 3:22-23, 7:37). Jesus is the long-awaited Prophet who perfectly revealed God, delivered his people, and brought them into a new covenant relationship with God.

Deuteronomy 21 – The Accursed Man Pointing to Christ’s Atonement

Deuteronomy 21:22-23 presents guidelines for hanging a man’s dead body on a tree after being put to death for a sin worthy of capital punishment. It states that the man’s body must not remain on the tree overnight, but should be properly buried that same day.

The passage explains that “anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.”

The Apostle Paul referenced this curse when speaking about Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross (Galatians 3:13). Just as the man executed and hung faced God’s curse, Christ took God’s curse upon himself when he died to atone for mankind’s sin.

Christ bore the curse of sin and death that rightfully belonged to humanity (Romans 6:23).

So Deuteronomy 21 has Messianic implications in its principles about sin, atonement and being under God’s curse. These principles pointed forward to how Jesus would become accursed in taking on our punishment so that our sins could be forgiven.

The Passover Lamb as a Symbol of Jesus

The Sacrifice of the Passover Lamb

In the Old Testament, God instructs the Israelites to sacrifice a lamb and mark their doorposts with its blood as a sign of their faith and to protect them from the tenth plague on Egypt – the death of the firstborn son (Exodus 12:1-13).

This Passover lamb had to be an unblemished male, one year old, and its blood sprinkled on the doorposts signified the sacrifice made to save the firstborns of Israel.

This event is commemorated by the Passover feast. The lamb was slaughtered on the 14th day of the first Hebrew month of Nisan, and its blood smeared on the wooden doorposts and lintel of every household. This symbolic act demonstrated the people’s trust in God for deliverance.

The lamb’s perfect and complete sacrifice enabled the angel of death to “pass over” the Israelite homes safely.

Jesus fulfilled the symbolism behind the Passover sacrifice. Just as the Passover lamb had to be perfect and sinless, Jesus was the flawless “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). His crucifixion took place at the Passover feast (Luke 22:7).

As the lamb’s blood was smeared on the wooden posts, Jesus hung on a wooden cross, sacrificing Himself so that those who believe in Him would be saved.

Jesus as the Fulfillment of the Passover Sacrifice

There are striking parallels between the Passover lamb in Exodus and Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross as the Lamb of God:

• The male lamb had to be spotless and without defect, just as Jesus lived a sinless life (1 Peter 1:19).
• The lamb was killed at twilight on Passover, while Jesus died for our sins at 3pm on the eve of Passover (Matthew 27:46).
• The lamb’s blood applied to the doorposts saved the inhabitants from death. Jesus’ blood covers our sins and saves us from spiritual death (Romans 5:9).
• The lamb had to be roasted and eaten whole. Jesus’ body was physically sacrificed in its entirety (Luke 23:33).
• Not a single bone of the lamb could be broken, which was also true of Christ (John 19:36; Exodus 12:46).

So Jesus is the ultimate and final Passover Lamb sacrificed to free humanity from the bondage of sin and death. Those who believe in His redemptive work on the cross will be passed over in the final judgment and inherit eternal life.

The Wilderness Tabernacle and Temple Sacrifices

The Role of Blood Sacrifice in the Old Testament

Blood sacrifice has always been a core element of worship in the Old Testament. When God delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, He gave them detailed instructions on setting up a portable sanctuary – the Tabernacle – where the priests would offer animal sacrifices to atone for sins (Exodus 25-31).

Later, the magnificent Temple in Jerusalem was constructed to facilitate worship through sacrifice.

According to Hebrews 9:22, “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The sacrificed animal served as a substitute that bore the punishment for people’s disobedience. The blood represented the life of the animal (Leviticus 17:11) that was given to cover the sins briefly, allowing God to dwell among the Israelites without destroying them.

The endless rounds of daily sacrifices pointed ahead to a complete, final sacrifice that would effectively take away sin. As the prophets foretold, God would make a new covenant that would not require regular atonement anymore (Jeremiah 31:31–34).

Jesus as the Final Sacrifice

Jesus came to fulfill the Old Testament sacrificial system by becoming the ultimate sacrifice once and for all. As John the Baptist announced, Jesus was the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

By dying on the cross, Jesus shed His precious blood to pay the full penalty for human transgression (1 Peter 1:18–19). He is now mankind’s permanent high priest whose perfect sacrifice sanctifies forever those who put their faith in Him (Hebrews 10:10–14).

The thick curtain dividing the Most Holy Place in the Temple was torn open at Jesus’ death, signaling the end of sacrifices and entry of all believers into God’s presence (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 9:11–15).

So while the old system was only a shadow, Jesus is the new covenant’s reality that actually takes away sin and makes believers holy (Hebrews 10:1–4).

To learn more, visit websites like GotQuestions.org and BibleStudyTools.com.

The Bronze Serpent as a Foreshadowing of Christ

Moses and the Bronze Serpent

During the Israelites’ wandering in the wilderness after the Exodus from Egypt, they complained against God and Moses (Numbers 21:4-6). As judgment, God sent venomous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died (Numbers 21:6). The people then repented and asked Moses to intercede for them.

God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole, so that anyone who looked at it after being bitten would live (Numbers 21:7-9).

This bronze serpent foreshadowed Christ, who would later be “lifted up” on the cross to provide healing from the fatal bite of sin, just as those bitten in the wilderness could look to the lifted-up bronze serpent and be healed.

Jesus Compared to the Lifted Up Serpent

When speaking with Nicodemus, Christ compared himself to the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the wilderness (John 3:14-15): “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

This was a reference to his future crucifixion, through which he would make salvation available.

There are clear parallels between the bronze serpent and Christ (John 3:14-15):

• The serpent was made of bronze, representing judgment for sin, just as Christ bore God’s judgment for sin.
• The serpent was lifted up on a pole for people to gaze upon and be healed, just as Christ was lifted up on the cross to provide spiritual healing and salvation for those who look to him in faith.
• The people could only be healed by looking at the bronze serpent, just as we can only be saved by looking in faith to Christ’s sacrifice.

So Moses’ bronze serpent pointed forward to the coming of Jesus Christ and the salvation that would be accomplished through his death on the cross. Christ used this vivid symbol to summarize the gospel to Nicodemus – that He would be “lifted up” in order to make eternal life available to all who believe in Him (GotQuestions.org).

Conclusion

In conclusion, while Moses does not explicitly mention Jesus Christ by name in the Old Testament, a careful examination of the Pentateuch books traditionally attributed to Moses reveals a number of important prophecies and types that point forward to the coming Messiah.

From Moses’ role as a prophet and deliverer to the rich symbolism seen in the Passover lamb and wilderness tabernacle, we find foreshadowings of Jesus’ ministry, atoning work on the cross, and role as the mediator between God and man.

This exploration of what Moses said about the promised Savior provides fascinating insights into how the Old Testament prepares the way for the arrival of Jesus Christ, the fulfillment of all Messianic prophecies.