Fourth Sunday in Lent
John 3:14-21 (NRSV)
The lifting up of the Son of Man
And 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.
"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.
"Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."
Reflection
The gospel in a nutshell is a title many have given to John 3:16, but this passage contains so much more to give thought to and to live in. God commanded Moses to raise a post with a bronze figure of a snake for the people to look at and live. The Israelites had complained about having to eat worthless food in manna and judgment came in the form of poisonous snakes. Many people died. Soon the Israelites realized the sin they had committed and confessed their sin.
I'm just as sinful as the Israelites. I too complain about my place in life, income, health and many other aspects of daily living. I sin in wanting more and more without giving thanks for what I have. No different than the Israelites. I too have confessed my sin both personally and corporately.
The Israelites saw how God had blessed them with life. They were taught that deliverance from death only comes from God. They were invited to look and live. Likewise today, all people have been invited to confess their sin and look and live. Today we can look at Jesus on that cross, see Jesus become our sin, take on our sin and die for our sin. We can look and live. As we look we believe and see the pain and sorrow our sin has caused God in Jesus to endure and we are given life. Given life not because we looked, we looked to believe, but we are given life because of what Jesus has done.
"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."
We look and believe in that life. As the Israelites looked at the serpent they believed in God's deliverance from death and lived.
In this promise of life we no longer need to worry about sin. We no longer need to hide in the darkness with our sin. Sin itself, in Jesus has been brought to the Light and has been exposed in all of it's ugliness and Jesus in our sin, put it to death. We have seen and our sin has been exposed before all. Even though we may still sin today, Jesus has defeated that sin. We may still live with sin, but we no longer need to fear that sin because of what Jesus has already done. We now can live in the Light of the day.
It's confusing, I know, even still to me, but it seems to say to me, now our focus is not so much on our sin but on the response to what Jesus has done for us on that cross. We don't focus on our sin, because Jesus died with our sin, so we focus on the eternal life we have been granted through Jesus. Now we live as children of the resurrection of new life and live for God in the Light of Jesus. We wait for the return of Jesus when he will gather all together with him in glory.
Until that time? Until then we live in the Light. We are disciples of Jesus, learning, working, loving and living for him with those he gives to us each day. We are called, gathered and enlightened to live eternal life beginning now, as we have looked, believed and received life. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Jesus, as I live in your gracious Light, may your light shine brightly in and through me that I may actively love those you have given to me this day that they too may look at you, believe in you and live... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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