What in the
world is going on? Why would these men,
these Levites, suddenly challenge Moses and Aaron after all the time they have
spent leading them, after all the signs given through them? They are angry that Moses has told them that
the Lord is not bringing them into the Land.
The people rebel against Moses’ leadership and His chosenness. It is relatively common in the church today
to see the same things happen and it is heartbreaking. Had Moses lorded his position over
anyone? We have already been told of his
great humility and we also know that in all things they were following the
pillars of cloud and fire, there should have been no doubt Moses was simply
following the Lord. The Levites decide
there is glory to be had in the priesthood when in fact it is nothing more than
a specific type of service rendered to the Lord on behalf of the
congregation. The rest of the tribes are
to be about their business while these others are set apart for the work of the
Lord, they are called to be those to whom He speaks to the assembly. If we fail to understand the leaders as
servants we will always have a problem with seeking it as a place of
honor. The disciples had the same idea
about leadership as these, who will be greatest, where will we sit in relation
to the kingly throne.
The
disciples rebuked the people for bringing the children to Jesus and yet Jesus
wanted them to come to Him. This
passage is part of the rationale for baptizing children in our tradition. The reality is that He says to such belongs
the kingdom, so we don’t hinder children from receiving baptism. Does that mean all who receive it are saved
and regenerate? Not at all, just as
Jesus says that some will come claiming to have done great things in His Name
and He will say, “I never knew you.” Children
can receive the kingdom and so we do not hinder any child of believing parents
who covenant to bring the child up in the Christian faith and life from
receiving baptism. The rich young man
wants to know what he can do to receive the kingdom, Jesus rightly says there
is none good but the Father, we don’t know good apart from Him. The good deed to which Jesus calls the man,
selling everything and following Him as a disciple, is too great a sacrifice,
it is too good, the things of earth look too good to give away in exchange for
this offer. He won’t give up the good
for the best.
Grace is the
gift, faith is the means of receiving it.
Grace, unmerited favor, sets apart Christianity from other religions,
makes no sense to the world. We want to
ask, what’s the catch, what do I need to do to deserve it. Faith, believing that Jesus was righteous,
His sacrifice was acceptable to the Father, that His death atones for our sin
and that His resurrection means we will live with Him eternally, is required to
receive the gift. Faith, however, is not
a work but is itself a gift. God does
all the work, we don’t, but we have to believe to receive. The gift may be free to us but it cost Jesus
everything and reception calls us to do what the rich young man could not, to
be truly cut free from anything and everything in this life to follow Jesus,
take up our cross and follow.
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