Where is Jesus Christ found in Exodus?

Exodus is a story of redemption. It begins with Israel enslaved under Pharaoh in Egypt before God calls Moses to confront him and free His people. Yet, over a thousand years later, Jesus Christ taught that the story was about Him: “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). Read in this way, Exodus—the second book of the Law of Moses—points to Jesus primarily through typology, though it also contains important Christophanies.

The first major foreshadowing of Jesus in Exodus is a Christophany—a divine appearance of Christ prior to his physical birth. Many Christophanies involve the Angel of the Lord, such as in the story of the burning bush. When Moses was on Mount Horeb, “the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush” (Exodus 3:2). When Moses approached, “God called to him from within the bush,” identifying Himself as the “I am” (Exodus 3:4, 14). Jesus later referred to Himself by this name, identifying Himself with the Angel (John 8:58).

The Angel—a term that means “messenger”—is distinguished from God (v. 2) but is then identified as God (v. 4). This suggests the Angel is not God the Father, but God the Son. The messenger’s charge to “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground” confirms He is divine (Exodus 3:5). Through the fire, the Angel makes God seen and known. This anticipates Jesus making the Father seen and known (John 1:18; 14:9). Later in Exodus, the Angel leads Israel to the Promised Land (Exodus 14:19; 23:20; Jude 1:5).

Another prominent way Exodus points to Jesus is through the Passover lamb, which is a type of Christ. A type is a person, place, or event that foreshadows a future part of God’s plan. On the night of Israel’s departure from Egypt, God instructed each household to sacrifice a lamb without defect and spread its blood on their doorframes. Later that night, when God judged the Egyptians, He would see the blood and “pass over” those homes (Exodus 12:13). Accordingly, the blood of an innocent lamb saved people from judgment.

The Passover lamb is a picture of Jesus’ redemption of sinners. In the New Testament, Jesus, who was sinless (i.e., without defect), is referred to as a sacrificial lamb, such as when John the Baptist says He is “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Moreover, at the crucifixion, soldiers didn’t break Jesus’ bones, fulfilling the Passover rule that none of the lamb’s bones be broken (John 19:36; Exodus 12:46). Peter also refers to Jesus as “a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19). Paul also makes the connection explicit when he writes: “Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).

In the wilderness, God provided Israel with food and water—both are types of Christ. When God provided manna, He told Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). Jesus implied the manna pointed to Him: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:32–35). Later, when the Israelites became thirsty, God provided water from a rock (Exodus 17:1–7). Paul presents the rock as a type: “They drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4).

Later, when God established His covenant with Israel, Moses sprinkled the people with blood (Exodus 24:8). Israel’s leaders then ate and drank in God’s presence (Exodus 24:9–11). Jesus likewise gave His disciples bread and wine—symbols of His flesh and blood—saying, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Jesus referred to his death as establishing the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31–34; 1 Corinthians 11:23–25). Moreover, Hebrews presents Jesus as the mediator of the new covenant, not established with animal blood but with His own (Hebrews 9:15–28).

The second half of Exodus describes the instruction and construction of the tabernacle—a portable sanctuary where God would dwell among His people (Exodus 25:8). This dwelling reached its fulfillment in Jesus: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14). The Greek word translated as “made his dwelling” literally means “to tabernacle.” Thus, John presents Jesus as God in the flesh, dwelling among His people.

More broadly, Moses foreshadows Jesus as a deliverer, mediator, and intercessor. In this way, Jesus is the “new Moses” (Matthew 2:13–23). In addition, the exodus generally foreshadows Jesus’ redemption through judgment (Romans 6:15–18), and the tabernacle’s furnishings, priesthood, and sacrificial system largely point to Jesus, who fulfills them as the true High Priest and final sacrifice (Hebrews 9).

Interestingly, Exodus contains virtually no direct prophecy about Jesus, though some see hints of Him as Redeemer and King in Moses and Miriam’s song of deliverance (Exodus 15:13, 18).

Jesus not only read Exodus but also participated in the events it describes over a thousand years before His birth. This is why He could say, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for He wrote about me” (John 5:46). The same God who freed the Israelites from bondage in Egypt frees people from the bondage of sin today through the gospel of Jesus Christ (John 8:34–36).