Look up to the cross, and be made whole

 Scripture: Numbers 21:4-9  • Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22  • Ephesians 2:1-10  • John 3:14-21

This week we read about God telling Moses to put a brass or bronze snake on a pole to heal anyone bitten by a snake, and Jesus referring to that story in saying that the Son of Man must be lifted up that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. What is Jesus referring to? Why would he compare his crucifixion to a snake being lifted up, especially since reference to Moses' "snake on a stick" had been banned in Jewish liturgy since the time of Hezekiah? 

The gospel of John gives us a different perspective on the crucifixion, than the passion described in the synoptic gospels. What is that perspective? See The Rev. Rick Morley's "lifted high - a reflection on John 3:14-21."

For Morley, and Peter Woods, the cross is effectual - it is a lifting up, but does more than that, and requires something from us. What is that? In "Fear on a Stick,"  Peter Woods tells us Jesus has us confront our fears, change, and death. Both authors see John's account of the cross as a symbol of salvation.

Debie Thomas in "Looking Up," considers the terrible image of a poisonous snake on a pole, and the cruelty of death on a cross, and tells us God has us confront the truth of our sin, our falling short and failures, and in doing so, through God's grace, we are lifted up. The Rev. Marshall Jolly, in "Fears," tells us God is showing us the way out of our fears and messes by helping us confront our fears. Only by confronting our fears, can we be made whole. What does the cross mean to you?