Schreiner: Jesus is portrayed as a new and better Moses because all of God’s promises are fulfilled in him.

Jesus as the new Moses...

The Pharaoh of Moses’ day and Herod the Great in Jesus’ time attempted to kill children—Pharaoh every male Hebrew infant, and Herod all male children aged two and under (Exod. 1:15–16; Matt. 2:16–18). Moses fled Egypt because Pharaoh desired to kill him (Exod. 2:15), and Jesus escaped from Israel because Herod intended to put him to death (Matt. 2:13–14). God instructed Moses to return to Egypt when those attempting to kill him had died (Exod. 4:19), and Joseph receives similar instructions about bringing Jesus back to Israel (Matt. 2:19–20). Jesus’ birth, however, stands in contrast to Moses. Only Jesus is conceived by a virgin, and unlike Moses, he is “God with us” (Matt. 1:23).

Jesus is portrayed as a new and better Moses because all of God’s promises are fulfilled in him. The prophet predicted by Moses (Deut. 18:15) is none other than Jesus. The law and the prophets point to Jesus. God’s final and definitive word to his people is found not in the Mosaic law but in the words of Jesus Christ as the sovereign interpreter of the law.

Schreiner, T. R. (2008). New Testament theology: magnifying God in Christ (pp. 174–175). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

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