Similarities Between Jesus and Moses

The prophetic ministry of Jesus is not top of mind when we think about His earthly ministry. It is helpful to look into because in Due. 18:15 Moses declares that a prophet would come that would be like him:

[Deu 18:15 KJV] 15 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;

Below are 21 proofs that Jesus is “that prophet” spoken of by Moses:

1. The prophet Moses spoke of would be from “among the brothers” of Israel. The Prophet must be Jewish, and Jesus’ heritage was from the tribe of Judah.

2. Both were shepherds – Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd”, and Moses also tended sheep – figuratively and literally.

3. Both were sent to bring salvation after 400 years of apparent inactivity from God – the Israelites had been enslaved for 400 years in Egypt, and the 400 years before Jesus came had been notably silent years from God.

4. Both fasted for 40 days and nights – Moses while on Mount Sinai, and Jesus in the Judean desert, when being tempted by Satan

5. Both spent time in Egypt as children (as Jesus had to be hidden there for a while as a baby to escape Herod)

6. Both were born at a time when evil kings pronounced death to all Jewish baby boys in the area – Pharaoh had commanded all Hebrew baby boys to be drowned at birth, and Herod had issued a command to kill all baby boys under the age of two. Both were miraculously rescued from that threat

7. Both were called by God to lead and save

8. Both did miracles to testify to their God-given authority

9. Both instituted a covenant of blood that brought salvation for many – Moses with the Passover lamb’s blood on the doorposts, Jesus, Lamb of God, brought in the new covenant in his blood on the beams of the cross

10. Both were given God’s public stamp of approval with an audible voice from heaven, heard by the crowd – Moses at Sinai, and Jesus at his baptism

11. Both gave up great riches to lead a humble life of service and poverty – Moses from the palace of the King of Egypt, Jesus from the heights of heaven. Both were noted for their great humility (Numbers 12:3, Hebrews 11:26-27, Philippians 2)

12. Both were initially rejected by the Jews when the foretold salvation didn’t seem as if it was going to happen. When Moses first challenged Pharaoh, things got a lot worse for the Israelites, leading to despair and anger. Jesus’ crucifixion looked like a hopeless defeat. Both salvation situations initially looked like the promises were not going to come true. But they did.

13. Both were criticized by their own families – Mary and Jesus’ brothers in Mark 3:20-21, and Moses’ sister and brother in Numbers 12:1.

14. Both were willing to sacrifice their own lives
for the sake of those they were leading, and to pay for the sins of their people – Moses in Exodus 32, and Jesus’ own readiness to die on our behalf is evident in the Garden of Gethsemane

15. Both miraculously provided the people with bread to eat – manna was sent from heaven for the Israelites and Jesus famously fed the multitudes. Twice.

16. Both were accepted by Gentiles – Moses’ father in law, a Midianite, instantly believed (Exodus 18:10-11) The Egyptians too came to believe that the God of Israel was real and true. And the non-Jews readily accepted Jesus’ message of salvation.

17. Under Moses, all those who believed him, those who followed the instructions and put the sacrificial blood on their doors, were saved from death. This means that all those who left Egypt had taken a step of faith and been saved. They were no longer just Hebrews ethnically; they had become a faith community. Similarly, under Jesus, all those who appropriate his sacrificial blood, shed for us to save us from the power of death have entered into the faith community of those who follow Him.

18. Seven weeks (50 days) after the Exodus, the Israelites waited upon God to receive the Torah – now that they had been saved, how then should they live? God gave Moses His covenant and instructions on how to live as a faith community. Seven weeks (50 days) after the resurrection, the disciples waited as Jesus instructed them to receive the Holy Spirit, and the church was born – a new faith community, and a new way to live as believers.

19. Both of their faces shone with the glory of heaven, as was noted by people who saw them – Moses had to wear a veil over his face because it was beaming so much, and Jesus’ disciples saw His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration.

20. Moses chose 12 spies to explore Canaan, and Jesus chose 12 disciples. Moses appointed 70 rulers over Israel, and Jesus sent 70 disciples out to share the gospel.

21. Moses led the people out from slavery into… the wilderness. 40 years of wandering, hardship, and a lot of lessons learned the hard way – but all with God’s help and presence. The promised land would come only later. Jesus has redeemed us into… life with Him, still on this fallen earth. A limited time not without pain and struggle, and many lessons learned the hard way – but all with God’s help and presence. The life we were created for with no sickness, pain or death is yet to come.

(Thanks to One For Israel for this research. https://www.oneforisrael.org/bible-based-teaching-from-israel/21-ways-yeshua-is-a-prophet-like-moses/)