He Was Lifted Up For Us - Numbers 21:4-9; John 3:14-21

Good morning!  Though today is, basically, the fourth Sunday of Lent, traditionally it has some interesting designations.

In the Roman Catholic Church it is known as Laetare [pronounced, “lay-TAH-ray”] Sunday, from the Latin word meaning “rejoice”.  It may at first seem odd to speak of rejoicing in the middle of Lent, a season of penitence and sacrifice.  Yet, in ancient times, the service on this day began with the single word “rejoice”, reminding worshippers that the Church is more than halfway through its Lenten discipline and well on the way to Easter joy.  It is as if the Church seems to have been telling the faithful to lighten up a bit. For much the same reason, in the Episcopal Church this day has become known as Refreshment Sunday.

As if that were not enough, in the United Kingdom this day has been celebrated, at least since late medieval times as, of all things, Mothering Sunday, the equivalent of Mother’s Day in North America. No one quite knows why mothers have come to be honored in the middle of Lent, but some scholars speculate that the original Scripture lessons, or readings, on this day made reference to Mary, the Mother of God and the mother of the Church. In any event, if you have British friends, be sure to wish them a happy Mother’s Day today.

And - there you have it.  No matter how you name it, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, more or less the middle point of the season, is special. 

Having said all that, the readings for today are also special, in their own unique way.  Of all things, in today’s readings we have – snakes.

The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? 

The Children of Israel are discontent and rebellious, as they often were, and, being human, would be again, but in today’s reading, God has had enough.  So, in punishment, poisonous snakes have been set among the people, and those who have been bitten will die.  This proves to be a very persuasive action on the part of God, and the people rush to Moses to repent and beg forgiveness. So, [with instructions from God] Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.

The point of this serpent staff was that one looked on it with faith in God’s loving forgiveness, and thus, because of faith in God, God saved the lives of those bitten by the snakes and made them whole.  Unfortunately, as recorded in the second scroll of Kings, in the course of time, the people lost sight of the symbolical meaning and regarded the serpent itself as the seat of the healing power, and they made it an object of worship, idolatry, so that Hezekiah found it necessary to destroy it. 

People have a tendency to easily forget, to redefine things, and to lose track of God’s loving salvation.

Our Gospel reading today begins with Jesus saying, “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.”

We can see that our Gospel references our Old Testament Lesson, but how, and why?

Today’s Gospel reading is taken out of context.  The reading is actually the conclusion of a story with which we may be familiar, the story of Nicodemus, the well-educated, well read, righteous Pharisee who seeks Jesus out by night.  Nicodemus has come, both figuratively and literally, in the dark, to find out who this Jesus is.  To help clarify His identity for Nicodemus, Jesus has told him, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” 

Jesus, in essence, told Nicodemus that all his years progressing in Judaism, all the time he spent reciting prayers and participating in festivals, accounted for nothing.  Yes, they laid the groundwork, the foundation for the truths Jesus was presenting, but they didn’t have the strength to carry Nicodemus to salvation.  

And then, Jesus references the bronze snake.  We know, and Nicodemus knew, the story behind the snake. 

In Jesus day, things had not changed.  The Children of Israel were still rebelling, but this time God’s answer was different from in the days of Moses.  This time, Jesus was the one whom the Lord would lift up and through whom the Lord would grant mercy.  And this mercy, that comes through Jesus the Son, our Savior, is an everlasting mercy.  You can imagine that when Nicodemus heard of Jesus’ death on the cross, he remembered Jesus’ words.  It was an illustration that most likely stayed with Nicodemus for the rest of his life.

And Jesus follows this statement about the snake with that beautiful passage repeated through the centuries: 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.

“This,” Jesus told Nicodemus, and us, “is how much God loves you.  He sent you Me.”

No more does healing come from looking at a cold, bronze image.  Instead, our loving and kind of God, takes human form, flesh and blood, to live among us, to experience what we do, and then to suffer torture and execution for our sake.  And you really have to think a moment about that last, torture and execution, because truly recognizing what the man went through is enough to make your skin crawl.  But when you fully absorb what happened to Him, and that it was meant for us, but He took it in our place, then you can begin to really understand the depth of the love involved.

The Son of Man [will] be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

How easy is it to forget Jesus is a flesh and blood human being, a man, and begin to see Him as a symbol – the bronze snake of our faith.

That is one of the great temptations.  While we accept Jesus as God, we must never forget Jesus as Incarnate, someone like us, someone who understands, to whom we can talk, with whom we can share everything – without hesitation or fear.  And the good news is, He’s always right next to us, not judging (our final judgment comes later), just waiting to forgive, and to offer the supporting arm or even hug we need.  Jesus is not surprised by our sins, He is saddened by them, and saddened even more if we don’t simply turn to Him for forgiveness, help and guidance.

Mother Teresa used to say that she had no imagination, so she didn’t pray directly to God.  She spoke to Jesus, because He was the divine human being, someone she could approach, someone whose love for her was guaranteed.

What a joyful thing it is – that God came down, became human, and lived among us.  What a joyful thing it is to know that Someone who fully understands us also has the power to forgive us when we stray, to help us when we need help, to guide us when we lose our way, and who always loves us.

Laetare - Rejoice: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures for ever.

Let us pray:

O God, who through Your Incarnate Word, Jesus You Son, reconciled in a wonderful and loving way the human race to Yourself, grant we pray, that we may hasten with prompt devotion and eager faith through the remainder of Lent, toward the celebrations yet to come. Through our Jesus Christ, our loving Savior.  Amen.