Jesus the new Moses

Acts 3:22 Moses said, "The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you."  (Dt 18:15)

Deuteronomy 34:10-11 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do

• Born with tyrant rulers who killed new-born sons: Pharaoh (Ex 1:16,22); king Herod the Great (Mt 2:13-18)

• Leader of the exodus of saving the people from slavery: Moses led the Israelites from Pharaoh (Ex 3:7-10); Jesus leads the new exodus of the Church from sin (Mt 26:28)

• Left Egypt to go to the land of Israel: Moses and the Israelites (Ex 13:17-22); the holy family (Mt 2:19-21)

• Accompanied by many signs and wonders

  • 10 plagues of Egypt (Ex 7:14 - 11:10); 10 miracles of Jesus (Mt 8 - 9)

  • Transformation: Moses changed water into blood (Ex 7:20); Jesus changed water into wine (Jn 2:7-9) and the transubstantiation of wine into his Precious Blood (Mt 26:27-28)

  • Controlling the sea: Moses with the Israelites crossed the Red Sea (Ex 14:15 - 15:21); Jesus walked on water (Mk 6:48-50)

  • Feeding multitudes: manna from heaven (Ex 16) and quails (Ex:16:13) from the sea (Num 11:31) for the Israelites in the wilderness; in desolate places Jesus multiplied bread and fish for 5000 men (Mt 14:13-21) and 4000 (Mt 15:29-38)

• Intercessor with arms raised: Moses, with Aaron and Hur holding up each arm, won victory for Israel over the Amalekites (17:8-13); Jesus on the cross, with two criminals either side (Lk 23:32-33), won victory for us over sin (Col 2:13-15)

• Mediator of a covenant: for a holy nation of Israel through Moses (Ex 19:5-6); Jesus's new and eternal covenant (Heb 9:15) of the kingdom of God i.e. the Church for all nations (Mt 16:18; 28:19, 1 Pet 2:9-10 & Rev 1:6)

• Inner circle of three men who saw the Glory of God on a mountain: Moses with Aaron and his two sons Nadab and Abibu on Mount Sinai (Ex 24:9-10); Peter, James and John saw the Glory of Jesus at the Transfiguration (Mt 17:12)

• Sealed covenant with blood: blood thrown on the altar and on the people (Ex 24:6-9) at the base of Mount Sinai ; Jesus's blood of the new and eternal covenant (Mk 14:24) shed on the cross at Calvary (Mk 15:22)

• Mediator: Moses between God and Israel (Ex 20:18-20; 32:7-14; 33:1-17); Jesus the one mediator between God and man (Jn 14:6 & 1 Tim 2:5)

• Deeply intimate with God: God spoke to Moses face to face, as a friend (Ex 33:11); Jesus is one with God the Father (Jn 10:30)

• Fasted for 40 days and night before delivering God's laws to the people (Ex 34:28 & Mt 4:1-11)

• Laws given from a mountain: Moses came down from Mount Sinai to give God's laws and the ten commandments to Israel (Ex 34:29,32); Jesus went up a mountain with his disciples (Mt 5:1) to give his Sermon on the Mount (Mt  5-7)

• Shining face: Moses after talking with God (Ex 34:29); the Glory of Jesus at the Transfiguration (Mt 17:2)

• Appointed helpers for his mission: God anointed 70 elders with some of the Spirit of Moses so they could ease the burden of the people on Moses (Num 11:16-17); Jesus sent out 72 disciples as labourers for the harvest (Lk 10:1-2)

• Sent out twelve men: Moses sent one representative from each of the twelve tribes of Israel to spy out the land of Canaan, the promised land (Num 13:1-2); Jesus sent out his twelve apostles to bring all nations to the kingdom of heaven (Mt 28:18-20)