by
Damien F. Mackey
“When they looked up, they saw no one except
Jesus”.
Immediately following this, his manifestation
in glory, Jesus, coming down from the Mountain of Transfiguration, will refer
to his Resurrection, and to John the Baptist having come in the spirit of
Elijah (vv. 9-13):
As they were coming down the mountain,
Jesus instructed them, ‘Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until
the Son of Man has been raised from the dead’.
The disciples asked him, ‘Why then do
the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?’
Jesus replied, ‘To be sure, Elijah
comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already
come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they
wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their
hands’. Then the disciples understood that he was talking to them about
John the Baptist.
Here I intend to consider John
the Baptist and also Moses, who, with said Elijah, was present at
the Transfiguration. The Baptist and Moses had to, in a sense, diminish, so
that Jesus Christ could wax the greater (John 3:30): ‘He must increase, and I
must decrease’.
What follows is not original, but
has been picked up from various talks and videos.
Saint John the Baptist
John the Baptist was, in
fact, the head of the Old Testament.
Apart from his being prefigured by the
prophet Elijah, as Jesus had recalled, John was marvellously foreshadowed by
another worthy person, Jonathan, the son of King Saul and the bosom friend of
David, the Lord’s anointed. Though Jonathan was the natural heir to Saul’s
throne, being the king’s eldest son, he was prepared to yield to his friend,
David, knowing that this was what the Lord had intended. For David, not he,
Jonathan, was the Lord’s anointed.
What a man! What humility!
Jonathan could easily have had David
removed out of the way by assisting his jealous father in the latter’s desire
to have David killed.
Instead, he will risk his own life for
the sake of his friend, David.
The remarkable sacrifice of the
dedicated Jonathan is well captured in the following article: “I Will
Be Second”: Insights From an Ancient Friendship - Hope 103.2
“I Will Be Second”:
Insights From an Ancient Friendship
What was the Biblical
Jonathan doing when he promised the throne to David and suggested he would be
his 2IC?
26 January, 2025
It’s an often-overlooked statement
that is strangely counter-cultural: “You will be king over Israel, and I will
be second to you.”
Key Points
- In a world that is built upon
the notion ‘me first’; humility and genuine servant-heartedness is
becoming more difficult to find.
- Johnathan in the Bible
exemplified what servant-heartedness looks like – as well as what a good
friend looks like.
- Seeking to serve others instead
of yourself is one of the true signs of a good leader.
You find it in 1 Samuel
23:17 and it is the words of Jonathan to his great friend David.
Now it wouldn’t be too startling a
sentiment if it wasn’t that everyone expected Jonathan to be king. After all,
he was the oldest son of King Saul, and that’s how these things work in royal
circles. The oldest son is heir to the throne – easy, straightforward, not
controversial at all. So what is Jonathan doing promising the throne to David
and suggesting he would be his 2IC (second-in-charge)? And why would anyone
willingly say, “I will be second”.
The desire to be first fuels so many
conflicts – and it certainly fueled a fair few in the Bible. Take Jacob’s
desperate desire to have the rights of the first born which were given to Esau
who had beaten him by a whisker as these twins exited their mother’s womb. The
deceit and conflict that follows is truly tragic, and all because Jacob could
never accept that he came out second. While Esau paid scant attention to his
rights as a firstborn he never thought that he should simply say to his brother
Jacob, “I will be second.” Or what about the conflict between Joseph and his
older brothers. Told in a dream that one day these brothers would bow down to
him, Joseph is foolish enough to share the vision. Rather than say “No worry,
we will be second” they plan to kill him – but then settle for selling him into
slavery. And oh the family heartache that follows.
Coming second seems
counterintuitive
There is something
deeply counterintuitive in being content to be second, yet Jesus pushes
the idea even further.
He suggests that the first will be
last and the last first – so why select second when you can select last?
Noble though Jonathan’s sentiment
towards David was, it didn’t turn out that way. David did indeed become king,
but Jonathan was killed in battle far, far too young. David is devastated. We
will never know if it would have worked with David as king and Jonathan his
second. But there is an example set, and it should not be forgotten.
Jonathan was probably right that
David would be a better king than him. Both were exceptionally capable –
but David a bit more so. It’s hard to be confident in your status as an
achiever yet to recognize that someone is a better fit than you are. It takes
remarkable humility. Few have it. Jonathan wasn’t interested in what
served his agenda, but what would serve the national interest best. When it
came to being king, Jonathan couldn’t think of anyone who was a better fit for
the role than David – even though Jonathan would have done a good job – and no
doubt been better at it than his very erratic father, Saul. ….
So perfect was the Baptist’s
awareness of his own vocation ‘to make straight the way of the Lord’ – he,
likewise, risking his life in the face of fierce opponents and a mad king,
Herod Antipas - that Jesus can say of him (Matthew 11:11): ‘Truly I say to you,
among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the
Baptist!’
John the Baptist was, in fact, the
head of the Old Testament.
His beheading, bitter as it was, was,
in a symbolic sense, necessary. For the head of the Old Testament needed to be
removed in order to make way for the divine Lord of the New Testament.
It is a far superior, spiritual order of being.
That is why Jesus could finish his statement
in praise of John the Baptist with the seemingly belittling words, ‘… yet
whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he’.
Moses the Lawgiver
The Law alone is
insufficient to get us into the Kingdom of Heaven.
What was the sin of Moses?
At the waters of Massah and Meribah,
Moses, it appears, failed to uphold the holiness of God: What
defines the holiness of God?
“God’s holiness is His absolute
moral purity, transcendence, and set-apart nature, distinguishing Him from all
creation and sin.
Definition and Nature. God’s holiness fundamentally describes His unique,
set-apart quality that separates Him from all creation and from sin or
impurity (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16)”.
Was the Lord too harsh on Moses?
To accuse Moses of “pride” here does
not appear to sit very well with that statement about him in Numbers – somewhat
mindful of Jesus’s praise of John the Baptist: (Numbers 12:3): “Now Moses was a
very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth”.
It is a difficult narrative, with
which commentators can struggle.
The following article (2025) at
least makes a good attempt to explain it:
What sin
did Moses commit against God?
What sin did Moses
commit against God?
By striking the rock instead of
speaking to it, Moses failed to uphold God’s holiness before the people.
Scholars and theologians have debated the deeper meaning of this act. Some
suggest that Moses’ actions reflected anger, impatience, or pride.
Moses is one of the most revered
figures in the Bible, known for leading the Israelites out of Egypt and
receiving the Ten Commandments from God. His faithfulness, humility, and
leadership are celebrated throughout Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions.
Yet, even Moses was not without fault. One of the most frequently discussed
questions about his life is: What sin did Moses commit against God? This post
explores the key incident that the Bible describes as Moses’ transgression, its
context, and its consequences for his legacy.
Moses’ Leadership and
Relationship with God
From the burning bush to the parting
of the Red Sea, Moses’ life was marked by extraordinary encounters with God.
Chosen to deliver the Israelites from slavery, he became the mediator between
God and His people.
Moses regularly communicated with
God, receiving laws, instructions, and guidance for the nation of Israel during
their wilderness journey. Despite his closeness to God, Moses was still human
and subject to error.
The Waters of Meribah:
The Incident Explained
The most significant sin associated
with Moses is found in the Book of Numbers, chapter 20. The Israelites,
wandering in the wilderness, arrived at Kadesh and found themselves without
water. As they often did, the people complained bitterly to Moses and Aaron,
longing for the comforts of Egypt and fearing for their survival. Moses and
Aaron sought God’s guidance, and God gave Moses specific instructions: “Take
the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak
to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring
water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink”
(Numbers 20:8, NIV).
Instead of speaking to the rock as
God commanded, Moses, perhaps frustrated by the people’s attitudes, struck the
rock twice with his staff. Water did flow from the rock, quenching the people’s
thirst, but Moses had not followed God’s command exactly. God then said to
Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in
the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I
give them” (Numbers 20:12, NIV).
The Nature of Moses’ Sin
The sin of Moses, as described in
this story, was disobedience and a lack of trust in God’s instructions. By
striking the rock instead of speaking to it, Moses failed to uphold God’s
holiness before the people. Scholars and theologians have debated the deeper
meaning of this act. Some suggest that Moses’ actions reflected anger,
impatience, or pride. Others believe that his failure was in not making it
clear that the miracle was solely due to God’s power, not his own.
This incident is particularly
striking because of Moses’ long record of faithfulness. Unlike other leaders
who openly rebelled against God, Moses’ disobedience here was subtle but
significant. God expected the highest standard from Moses, especially given his
role as the leader and representative of God’s will to the people.
The Consequences for
Moses
The immediate consequence of Moses’
sin was that he was barred from entering the Promised Land. After leading the
Israelites through decades of hardship and hope, Moses was only allowed to see
the land from a distance before his death. This outcome, while seemingly harsh,
emphasized the seriousness of his disobedience and the weight of leadership in
God’s eyes.
Despite this penalty, Moses remained
a figure of immense respect. He continued to guide the Israelites, appointed
Joshua as his successor, and delivered his final blessings before dying on
Mount Nebo. The biblical narrative portrays Moses’ exclusion from the Promised
Land not as a total rejection, but as a sobering reminder that even the
greatest leaders are accountable to God. ….
The Law’s limitations
Whatever may be the precise
explanation of the incident, it seems as if, just as John’s head had to be
removed, so must Moses himself be disallowed from entering the Promised Land, because
Moses, as the embodiment of the old Law, was not the one to lead his people into
the Promised Land, symbolising heaven.
The Law alone is insufficient to get us into the
Kingdom of Heaven.
Only Jesus, belonging to that
superior, spiritual order of things, can lead us into Heaven.
Paul allegorically contrasted the
Old and the New in Galatians:
Topical
Bible: The Allegory of Hagar and Sarah
“Paul's allegory emphasizes the
superiority of the New Covenant over the Old. It underscores the futility of
relying on the Law for justification and the necessity of faith in Christ for
true freedom. The allegory serves as a powerful reminder to the Galatians—and
to all believers—of their identity as children of the promise, called to live
in the freedom of the Spirit rather than the bondage of the Law”.
And that is why, symbolically, Moses
had to yield to one with the name of Jesus, namely Joshua, who did lead the
Israelites into the Promised land.
