In the desert of Zin, at Meribah, the people of Israel were thirsty again—grumbling, accusing, despairing. Moses struck a rock, and water gushed forth. Life from stone. But this time, God told him that because of what he had done, he would not lead the people into the Promised Land.
Why? In Exodus 17, God had once commanded Moses to strike the rock. But in today’s passage from Numbers 20, the instruction was different: “Speak to the rock.” Yet Moses, perhaps exhausted, frustrated, or embarrassed to be seen speaking to a rock, struck it twice instead. This, God said, was not an act of faith. Moses leaned on past methods instead of trusting God’s fresh word. And more deeply, he obscured a sacred sign: the rock was a figure of Christ.
Saint Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:4 that “the rock was Christ.” That desert rock, cracked open to give water, foreshadowed the Crucified One, smitten on the Cross to pour out the water of eternal life. The first striking pointed to His Passion, when blood and water flowed from His pierced Heart. But the second time, God said: “Speak to the rock.” Why? Because Christ’s sacrifice, once made, is utterly sufficient. To strike again is to suggest the first blow was not enough, symbolically downplaying the infinite grandeur of the Cross.
This is more than a lesson about obedience. It’s a warning against treating the Lord’s saving work as if it’s incomplete. How often do we “strike the rock again” in our lives? We ask for forgiveness but still cling to guilt, as if the Cross can’t cleanse us. We go to the Eucharist but feel unworthy, as if grace cannot heal us. We look at the world’s darkness and wonder if Christ has failed—then try to take matters into our own hands.
But the lesson of Meribah is clear: the Rock was struck oce, and that is enough. Now, we need only speak to Him.
In today’s Gospel, we meet another Rock—Peter. Jesus renames him: “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Like Moses, Peter will misunderstand. He tries to stop Jesus from going to the Cross and is rebuked: “Get behind me, Satan!” Yet Peter will grow—denying, repenting, receiving forgiveness—and will go on to preach boldly the all-sufficient sacrifice of Christ.
In these two “rocks”—Moses’ rock, Peter the Rock—and in Christ the true Rock, the Church’s faith takes shape. Christ is the smitten Rock, sacrificed once for all. The Church is built upon that Rock, not to strike it again, but to proclaim it—especially in the Eucharist, where His once-for-all sacrifice is made present.
Psalm 95 gives us the refrain: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Moses failed to listen that day. The people hardened their hearts in complaint. Peter resisted the suffering of Christ. Today, the choice is ours: Will we soften our hearts? Will we trust in the Rock already struck?
Do not strike again. Do not demand another sign. Simply speak to the Rock—and living water will flow.
Amen.
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I was just thinking about the frustration behind the action, when Moses struck the rock twice. It made me think about my own frustration when many times I went back to pray the Lord for something that I needed but instead of humbling myself and completely trust the Lord, like Moses, I showed my frustration, my impatience. It’s so easy to fall into that trap. Thank you for this wonderful connection between the rock at Meriba and Jesus!