Dear church,

We will find it difficult to come to terms with at least one thing in our Christian walk – the absolute authority of Jesus Christ. Some will claim this is an easy thing to do, and we wish they were right. 

The fact of the matter is we want some authority, too. We don’t always agree with what Jesus would have us to do. And we balk, just as Aaron and Miriam did. “Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?”

God speaks through whomever he chooses. The right to speak for God is not something that is earned. God does what God will do. And in these days, after the age of great prophets who did not speak for God because of some natural ability or skill, God has chosen to speak in primarily one way. “But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:1-2). 

Jesus is the appointed one, and we are not. 

We are apt to object. From time to time, we may be unwilling to accept the ideas Jesus brings into our lives – ideas about holiness and grace. And we may be unwilling to undertake the mission Jesus has laid out for our lives – a mission marked by repentance, discipleship, and evangelism. 

Jesus receives our objections the only way a servant Messiah can. He will not force the issue with us. Moses was not the only meek one chosen by God. “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Jesus pleads with his followers rather than chains them.

It is true judgment ultimately will come. Miriam’s leprosy was unmistakable. Aaron’s helplessness was obvious. And both knew exactly who could intercede for them. 

But until the judgment, Jesus is quietly holding out his hand to us. He desires we put aside our own aspirations for authority and submit to him rather than anything else. “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). 

Chris