The Israelites were cranky. They had witnessed all that God had done for them — the ten plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the gift of manna, the sending of quail. They still complained: “What have you done for me lately?” We all can get so obsessed about the particular problem in front of us that we miss the big picture of God’s presence and action in our lives. The image of the rock which Moses struck and which Peter was named to be by Jesus, provides a counter to such thinking. The rock, while solid, is not just there but can be a source of God’s gifts if we have faith. Are we to bring water for you out of this rock?”
