Moses

Both of today’s readings feature Moses, yet they feature him in very different roles that, each in their own way, are difficult to understand.

In the first reading (Ex. 32:7-14), Moses is depicted as a rescuer, who apparently saves the Israelites from the wrath of God.

In the Gospel (Jn. 5:31-47), our Lord depicts Moses as an accuser, who will denounce Mosaic disciples who reject Christ.

One apparent difficulty with the readings is that Gospel seems politically incorrect: disrespecting the Jewish people.

As Christians, we believe that Christ is the perfect fulfillment of the Mosaic Law and indeed of all of what was revealed through the divinely inspired prophets and writers of the Jewish tradition.

That is why we venerate that tradition and respect those who have followed it, even as we proclaim our faith in Christ and cherish God’s promise that he will bring together all his faithful people – old and new – in his own time and in his own way.

Any who will disdain that great assembly of the Lord will then have cut themselves off - not only from God, but also from Moses (who will be, of course, right in the middle of that glorious gathering).

A second difficulty is the notion of an “accuser.”

In human experience, this term sometimes has negative connotations, particularly when the accusations are false. To make matters worse, the person Scripture often casts in the role of the accuser is Satan.

But the role of accuser to be played by Moses arises neither from falsehood nor from malice. What Moses will say will be simply the truth: the infinite truth, the perfect truth that flows from God’s eternal love. The only negativity will be what individuals (no matter who they are) bring with them: their own sin and failure to seek the merciful grace of God. (Miserere mei, Domine.)

Like Moses, we as Christians must also be faithful to that truth and love in what we do and in what we say.

Sadly, when we speak and act according to that love and truth we ourselves may sometimes be falsely accused of such terrible things as anti-Semitism, homophobia, lack of patriotism, or hate speech.

We need to be as diligent as we can in helping others understand and (we hope) accept the truth and the love in what we say and do in Christ. We should try to avoid misunderstandings and inappropriate conflict, yet we cannot let name-calling or fear cause us to be false to the truth or to God’s way of love.

Two more difficulties (closely related to each other) arise from today’s first reading.

The first of these is the notion of a wrathful God intent on punishment. This classic Old Testament image seems to conflict with the classic New Testament idea that “God is love.”

The second of these difficulties is the idea that Moses changes God’s mind. This seems to conflict with the classic theological concept of the immutability of God.

As Christians, we believe that God is perfectly just while also being infinitely merciful. In fact, both Testaments testify eloquently to the justice and the mercy of God. The stereotypes of God as “hairy thunderer or cosmic muffin” are incomplete at best.

Our finite minds, of course, cannot fully grasp exactly how perfect justice and infinite mercy will be manifested in eternity. Sometimes we even have trouble understanding the mercy and love of God as it is manifested in our lives on earth.

What seems to be Moses changing the mind of an angry God is really an important teaching moment in the history of mankind’s understanding of the justice and mercy of God, for Moses is simply manifesting God’s own mercy.

What seems to be God changing his mind in response to prayer is merely God using prayer as an occasion and instrument of his grace and mercy.

It is unlikely that any of us will be miraculously parting large bodies of water or causing manna to fall out of the sky, yet we all need to follow the example of Moses:
to be faithful witnesses of God’s truth,
effective servants of his love,
and genuine instruments of his mercy
in the midst of a troubled world.