John
3:14-21, Numbers 21:4-9
Once again the story of the Israelites
and our story intersects. In our reading from the book of Numbers we drop into
the lives of God’s ancient people in the wilderness. It has been a long slog.
Close to forty years now. No one ever imagined that it would take this long.
They are worn down and fatigued with nothing to eat or drink but what they
consider now miserable manna. So the people speak out bitterly against God and
Moses.
And how does God respond? Well, the
narrator of the book of Numbers says that the Lord sends a plague of venomous
snakes that bite and kill many Israelites which raises the difficult question,
“What kind of God is this who inflicts death on people for their complaining?”
Well, I don’t want to get stuck here, only to say that to the narrator’s mind
the Israelites' complaints is a clear violation of the covenant relationship
they have with God and is, therefore, again to the narrator’s mind, worthy of
punishment. To my mind, though, the appearance of venomous snakes among the
Israelites was just something that happened, another hardship of wilderness
living. But regardless of why or how the snakes appeared God used it to
demonstrate, once again, that even in the midst of terrible circumstances there
can be healing and wholeness.
So as the snakes swarm the people plead
with Moses, Pray to the LORD to take away the serpents. Now how many times, I ask
you, have we prayed a similar prayer as we have been journeying through this
wilderness of pandemic? We may not have been talking to God about literal
serpents, but during this past year haven’t we all experienced the kind of
snakes that rise up and bite? The situations and struggles, both on a personal
and community level, that cause us harm, sap our strength, and threaten our
lives. Obviously, our world has been swarmed by the poisonous snake of
Covid-19. And in addition, we’ve encountered snakes of financial hardship,
political upheaval, stress, fear, isolation, and loss. How many times have we
prayed, “Just fix it, God. Make it stop. Take it away.”? It’s the same prayer
of the Israelites. Pray to the Lord to
take away the serpents.
But when God hears that ancient prayer,
what does God do? Well, God doesn’t take away the serpents. They remain. Which
has been my experience as well. It's a rare thing when God offers a magical fix
to a problem. Instead, God more often offers a means of healing and a way of
life in the midst of the trouble by sending another snake.
And for the Israelites that entailed
another snake. A bit bizarre even by Old Testament standards, God answers the
people’s prayer by basically giving Moses a craft project. Make a likeness of
one of the poisonous snakes out of bronze, put it on a pole, and set it in the
middle of the people. When someone is bitten by a snake have them look upon the
bronze snake and live. Now did this human-made snake have healing powers in and
of itself? No. But in turning one’s attention from the venomous snakes towards
the bronze snake - the snake that held God’s promise of life - the people
opened themselves up to a healing beyond human creation. Without denying the
reality of their hard situation they were choosing to lift up their eyes, in a
radical act of trust and faith, to see something else that was just as real -
the presence of God, the divine gaze of love which brings life to us all.
This is the context of our reading from
the gospel of John. Just as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in him may have eternal life. God loves this wild, full of
snakes of ours so much that God comes to us in Jesus the Christ, so what we
might lift up our eyes from whatever circumstances in which we find ourselves
and see something more - not only see more but experience more - the transforming
power of love. God may not remove the sources of our suffering, but God is
always present in the midst of them offering hope and healing if we are but
willing to look. The bronze snake gave the Israelites something concrete to
look at in their distress. We are given Jesus, lifted up who is the tangible
incarnation of love so that no matter the snakes we encounter in our wilderness
of pandemic we too can be healed. For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in
him may not perish but may have eternal life. Look and live.
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