4th Sunday of Lent

The cross of Jesus in John’s gospel symbolizes two parts of our life as Christians: suffering and victory.  We know that when we follow Jesus, we have to take up our own cross.  But we know too that faithfulness in carrying that cross bring us victory.  Too often, we forget about the need for suffering and instead focus only on the victory.  But they are closely connected and when we believe in Jesus, we will not have one without the other.  God uses the suffering to bring about the victory.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus, “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”  During the years in the desert after the exodus from Egypt, the people became impatient and complained against God and Moses.  As a result, God sent serpents that bit people, causing many to die.  That suffering made the people realize how seriously they had sinned and they repented and turned to God and to Moses for help.  God then told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole, and anyone who was bitten and looked at the serpent would live.

How strange and mysterious that is for God to have an image of the serpent, the source of death, be used for healing.   People were forced to face their fear and look at what could have killed them in order to live.  In speaking to Nicodemus, Jesus is saying that his being lifted up on the cross is the same as the serpent being lifted up on the pole.

Jesus took our sins upon himself when he was crucified and suffered death in order to save us.  When we look at Jesus on his cross then, we see suffering, which is something most of us fear.  Yet when we look at the cross, we come to see that it is the source of the victory over sin and death that Jesus won for us.

The greatest sign of love ever is the cross of Christ.  Jesus was the Lamb of God who allowed himself to be sacrificed to take away our sins.  God could have forgiven us simply by saying it.  But the Lord wanted to show us that real love is sacrificial.  He loved us with everything he had.  When we love, we ought to be willing to give up everything for the one we love.  As Jesus did it for us, we are to do it for others in the same way.

Suffering is painful, but God can use it to get our attention.  When we suffer and do not turn to God, we are in serious trouble.  But when the suffering causes us to cry out to God, the Lord will come to help us.

We need to believe in Jesus and live according to his words.  Without Jesus, we are dead. We need to choose light over darkness, good over evil.  We need to believe in the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  Then, and only then, will we have eternal life.