of snakes and crosses...

I don't know what possessed me when I promised to start posting my sermons. First of all, I usually speak from notes, and second, I never have the time to edit the aforementioned notes to make them intelligible for reading... anyway, last Sunday, after I preached at the early morning service, Scott (our music director) complimented me on my sermon...so I must have done something right. Here goes...but remember, you are missing all of the add-lib!

Lent IV B

Numbers 21:4-9

John 3:14-21

Sometimes the lectionary is really tricky.

Today the Gospel reading begins in the middle of a conversation, which makes it hard to follow. So, let’s catch up with the most recent events.

Nicodemus, leader of the Jews, visits Jesus at night.

He doesn’t want his peers to know that he – Nicodemus – wants to spend time with this strange man who has authority and power. He doesn’t want them to suspect that he finds this man intriguing.

What follows is an interesting exchange that shows how Nicodemus’ preconceived ideas about God and the Messiah are a stumbling block for his understanding of what Jesus is about.

Nicodemus is a bit of a literalist and he is very well versed in Jewish tradition and Scripture. Jesus speaks in parables and is bringing a radically new, radically different message.

They are not on the same wavelength and communication is stalled.

So Jesus brings into the equation a very well known example from Hebrew tradition. It’s a familiar story for both of them and it establishes common ground and a platform for better communication. The story comes from the time when the people of Israel, led by Moses, escaped slavery in Egypt and were in the desert on their way to the Land of promise.

Persecuted by poisonous snakes, they ask Moses to intercede with YHWH and Moses is told to make a symbol, a poisonous serpent, put it on a pole and place it in the middle of the Jewish camp. Every time an Israelite is bitten he/she will simply have to look up to the serpent and will be restored to health.

In the same way – Jesus says to Nicodemus – the Son of Man (Jesus himself) will be lifted up on a pole (the cross). Whenever a child of God is attacked by what is evil, he/she will simply need to look up to him and be healed.

That is the way in which God loves the world: by bringing healing to the sick, or if you want, salvation to the sinners – in the form of the Incarnation.

Two things then come into play on our journey to salvation:

First of all, the cross is not a freaky accident. It is not God letting the worst happen to some scapegoat. The cross is the clearest expression of God’s love for humanity. The choice of becoming one of us – fully human – yet retaining God’s divinity and selecting to suffer and die to bring healing to a bunch of beloved creatures too sick to even realize what was happening.

Second, we can respond to the cross choosing to trust. Trust even when what God is ordering may seem counter-intuitive. Trust even when what God is doing may seem completely insane. Trust even when others call us crazy because we follow a fool who ended up really badly.

Note that God did not smite the snakes. God did not remove evil from the world – as God would be perfectly capable of doing. Instead God, the supreme healer, gives us a way to deal with the snakes, to deal with suffering, to deal with what is evil.

A very special gift awaits those who trust in spite of everything; those who keep their relationship with God. Not a perfect life without evil, not the end of suffering, not immortality, BUT a way to respond to all this through the love of God.

Salvation through Faith is very simply that: look up to Christ, God Incarnate, even when it is hard because your circumstances are unbearable or because the mystery of the cross is too much to intellectually digest.

And God’s grace will give you the strength, the courage, the peace you need.

Amen