"Stricken For You"

If we embrace the season of Lent as a time for reflection and repentance, we begin to thirst for the forgiveness and salvation that our Lord, Jesus Christ earned for us. Being stricken by God’s Law creates that thirst. In our text this morning, we see God’s people in the wilderness. They are thirsty, and it is only after Moses strikes the rock, that they are refreshed and their thirst relieved.

Those who have studied the book of Exodus are familiar with the fact that God’s people were not shy about complaining to God or his appointed leaders when things didn’t go their way. Though complaining can indicate a lack of trust in God and his Word, God graciously comes to his people in his Word, in Baptism, and in the bread and wine of the Lord’s Supper to pour out the life and salvation earned by His Son, who was stricken for us.

After being led across the Red Sea and into the wilderness, God’s people grumbled against Moses because the water at the place called Marah was bitter. There, God made the bitter water sweet when Moses threw a log into it. Their grumbling against Moses and Aaron continued in the wilderness of a place called Sin, when they were hungry. It was there that their daily provision of manna began, and they were even given a supply of meat when quail covered the camp one evening.

From there they moved on to a place called Rephidim. Again, the people are tested. This time, there is no water at all. There they quarrel with Moses, and the quarreling is so bad that the place ends up being named "quarreling," or in the English equivalent, "Meribah"

In quarreling with Moses, the people were really putting the Lord to the test, and Moses tells them so. Because of this testing, this place will also be called "Massah," which means "testing." One thing you could say about the Israelites is that they have been consistent since they left Egypt. This is now the third time they have complained to Moses about their thirst or hunger.

God’s people react to their afflictions by quarreling, grumbling, testing the Lord, and now it seems, they even want to stone Moses, as if their problems were his fault. They accuse Moses and Aaron of bringing them out into the wilderness to kill them, their children, and their livestock with thirst. At least the manna 6 days a week had their mind off their hunger.

But things here are so bad that Moses cries to the Lord. He had cried to the Lord at Marah, but this time the situation seems critical. If Moses doesn’t do something, as far as the people are concerned, death seems imminent for the people and their cattle. If Moses doesn’t come up with a plan of action and quick, he senses that he could be stoned, and he says so to God.

Of course, the Lord provides Moses with instructions on how to remedy the situation. He would use the same staff that he had used to strike the Nile River and turn it to blood, which was the first plague on the Egyptians. That staff would now be used to strike a rock to produce water for God’s people.

The Lord tells Moses that he will stand before him as he strikes the rock at Horeb, otherwise known as the Mountain of God. It is also the place where Moses saw the burning bush. God had already shown Moses that he could do what appeared to be impossible, so Moses didn’t hesitate to do what the Lord said and so he went to strike the rock.

AS the Exodus story ends today with God’s provision of water for Israel, Moses, the ever faithful servant of God memorializes the place where this happened for future generations. This place, where Moses’ life was threatened as well as the lives of the people themselves, this place without water was to be remembered by Israel as a lesson to them about God’s deliverance and generous provision, in spite of their sin, their lack of gratitude and their rebellion. It was a lesson about placing their trust in God’s faithful leaders and above about trusting in God with their whole lives.

By now, if you’re still awake, or if you’re not daydreaming about something else, you may be wondering what all this stuff about the Israelites has to do

We may not be hungry or thirsty, but we are still stricken by the stuff life throws at us, and we thirst for God’s deliverance. Some of the stuff that afflicts us is stuff we didn’t bring on ourselves. We can’t control violent weather. We may not be the person causing problems at work. We don’t go around trying to get sick. We suffer almost as bad as loved ones when they are stricken by an illness.

Of course, sometimes we are stricken by our own sinful nature. We rebel against God. Sometimes our sin causes us even more problems. We quarrel, grumble, complain, and test the Lord.

And when our life seems to have gone to the dogs, we thirst for deliverance from our afflictions. And so we wait for the rock to be struck so that water will gush out and so that we can drink.

There is no question that the Israelites needed water to complete their journey to the Promised Land, and just as clearly the desert was no place to find water. Even if they came upon an occasional oasis, they would eventually have to move on. Our text, and all of our lessons today show us that God loves us enough to intervene for us and provide the water we need. Water that allowed the people of Israel to survive so that God could complete his plan of salvation, while we were still sinners Christ would die for us, and he also supplies the water that wells up to eternal life.

The Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Zechariah prophesied that Christ would be stricken. Isaiah wrote that we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him and afflicted. Jesus himself announced that he would be stricken. Luke tells us that Jesus said to his disciples; "We are going up to Jerusalem and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him."

We know that even though he was stricken, he did not complain. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth. He was like a lamb led to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Jesus did all this for you. He endured all of this for you. Jesus was stricken for you. He went to the cross and died there for your sins. When one of the soldiers pierced Jesus with a spear, just to make sure he was dead, there was a sudden flow of blood and water.

The water and the blood still flow. The water still flows in Holy Baptism. Paul wrote to the Romans; "Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into his death? If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." "Our Old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with."

His blood still flows in the Lord’s Supper. The words of Jesus, "This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" shows us that in this Sacrament we receive forgiveness of sin, life, and salvation. For where there is forgiveness of sins, there is life and salvation.

The blood and water from the side of the stricken Christ can quench your thirst for deliverance from your afflictions. Though you are stricken by sin and suffering, When Christ was stricken, it was for your deliverance.

Just as the Lord delivered His people from their afflictions in the wilderness, he also delivers you from your afflictions. He took your afflictions upon himself and then took them to the cross. From his stricken side flows the blood and water that can quench your thirst for deliverance.

This Lenten season, as we journey with Jesus from the wilderness to the cross, may we too learn the same lessons as ancient Israel. Christ, our living water never runs dry. May we drink of this living water and never be thirsty forever. Amen.