Whose Authority

4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, "What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me." 5 The LORD said to Moses, "Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink." Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Exodus 7:4-6)

God had provided meat and bread from heaven when the people of Israel cried out, but when they arrived at a place with no drinkable water, the people lost faith again - lashing out against Moses' leadership. Though physically free, their scarcity mindset betrayed a lack of trust in the God who orchestrated that freedom. Once again, God gave Moses instructions to supply the need of the community, and to do it in front of the elders so that everyone (including Moses) would be encouraged that God was still with them, working through Moses.

After Jesus overturned the tables of those who were overcharging for the sacrificial animals in the temple, and Jesus did not stop the children from singing his praises, the temple leaders asked Jesus to tell them by whose authority he did these things. Expecting that Jesus would name a teacher - or someone of whom he was a disciple - the chief priests and elders knew that no human authority could surpass their own. Rather than answering them directly, Jesus asked them about the authority of John the baptizer - if his authority came from heaven or not - implying that this would also answer the question of Jesus' authority. Jesus then told the story of the two sons - one said he'd be faithful but wasn't, the other son initially declined to do what his father asked, but did it anyway.

Throughout the generations, God has never failed to claim us as children despite our spiritual immaturity and stubbornness. While questions and doubts are natural and wise when they come from a place of humble faithfulness, may we interrogate our hearts to ensure we are submitting to the authority of the One who seeks to lead us all out of the wilderness and into the kingdom.

28 "What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, 'Son, go and work in the vineyard today.' 29 He answered, 'I will not'; but later he changed his mind and went. 30 The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. (Matthew 21:28-31)