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The Rock: Jesus Christ
Over 3300 years ago, Almighty God gave his servant Moses the task of leading the people of Israel from captivity in Egypt to the freedom of the promised land. Moses accepted this commission and led the people humbly and powerfully. He recognized his complete dependence on God and, despite numerous difficulties with the people, maintained a close and devoted relationship with the Lord God.
Although Moses was known as a humble man, the Israelites' behavior often infuriated him. A part of the people quarreled and longed to return from the freedom given by God to the full meat pots and slavery of Egypt. They grumbled about the monotonous diet of manna and their unbearable thirst in the desert. They made an idol, worshiped it, danced around it, and lived in fornication. The grumbling people were about to stone Moses, rebelling against God who had delivered them.
The apostle Paul refers to this event in his letter to the Corinthians: “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them; but the rock was Christ" (1. Corinthians 10,3-4).
Jesus is the true bread from heaven. Jesus said, “It was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For this is the bread of God that comes from heaven and gives life to the world. Then they said to him, Lord, give us bread like this always. But Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will not go hungry; and whoever believes in me will never thirst” (John 6,32-35).
The rock represents Jesus Christ. From this rock flows the life-giving water, which quenches physical and spiritual thirst forever. Whoever believes in Jesus the Rock will never thirst again.
Among the descendants of the Israelites, namely the people, the scribes and Pharisees, many of their attitudes have not changed. They murmured at Jesus when he declared, "I am the bread that came down from heaven" (John 6,41).
What do we learn from this story? We find the answer in the following verses: «The cup of blessing over which we praise, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread we break is not participation in the body of Christ? Because it is one bread, we, the many, are one body. For we all share in the one bread" (1. Corinthians 10,16-17 ZB).
Jesus Christ, the Rock, gives all who believe in him life, vitality and a precious relationship with Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. All people who love Jesus and trust him with their lives are welcome in God's community, his church.
by Toni Püntener
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