How does Deuteronomy 18:18 connect with John 1:45 about Jesus? Setting the Scene Deuteronomy 18:18: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” John 1:45: “Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’” The Promise of a Prophet Like Moses • God speaks directly to Moses, promising another unique prophet. • Key markers: – “From among their brothers” – an Israelite. – “Like you” – comparable to Moses in role and authority. – “I will put My words in his mouth” – divine authority, perfect obedience. – “He will tell them everything I command” – comprehensive revelation. Philip’s Declaration in John 1:45 • Philip links Jesus explicitly to “the One Moses wrote about,” grounding his conviction in Deuteronomy 18:18. • By the time of Jesus, Jewish expectation for “the Prophet” (John 1:21; 6:14) was vibrant; Philip sees Jesus as the fulfillment. Key Parallels between Moses and Jesus • Birth and Preservation – Moses: delivered from Pharaoh’s decree (Exodus 2). – Jesus: protected from Herod’s massacre (Matthew 2:13-15). • Mediator of Covenant – Moses: Old Covenant Law (Exodus 19-24). – Jesus: New Covenant in His blood (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:6). • Signs and Wonders – Moses: plagues, Red Sea, manna. – Jesus: healings, nature miracles, feeding the multitudes. • Face-to-Face Relationship with God – Moses spoke with the LORD “as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11). – Jesus: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30); “the Word was God” (John 1:1). • Prophetic Authority – Moses: “Thus says the LORD.” – Jesus: “Truly, truly, I say to you” (John 5:24), speaking on His own authority yet perfectly echoing the Father (John 12:49-50). Divine Words in the Mouth of the Prophet • Deuteronomy 18:18 emphasizes God’s own words. • Jesus echoes this repeatedly: – “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me” (John 7:16). – “Whatever I speak, I say just as the Father has told Me” (John 12:50). • The promise that disobedience would bring judgment (Deuteronomy 18:19) finds echo in John 3:36: “Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” New Testament Confirmation • Peter: “Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me…’” then applies it to Jesus (Acts 3:22-23). • Stephen: “This is the Moses who said… ‘God will raise up for you a prophet like me.’ This is he who was in the congregation in the wilderness… This is the One who came” (Acts 7:37-38). • Hebrews 3:1-6: Jesus is worthy of greater honor than Moses, yet the comparison assumes He is the promised Prophet. • John 5:46: “If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.” Connecting the Dots • Deuteronomy 18:18 sets the expectation. • John 1:45 records the first disciples recognizing Jesus as that very figure. • Subsequent apostolic preaching confirms and elaborates the fulfillment. Living Implications • Confidence: The coherence between prophecy and fulfillment strengthens trust in Scripture’s reliability. • Obedience: If He is the Prophet who speaks God’s own words, rejecting His teaching is rejecting God Himself. • Worship: Seeing Jesus as the greater-than-Moses invites wholehearted devotion and gratitude for the new covenant He mediates. |
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