WEDNESDAY

SCRIPTURE: John 3:14-15; Numbers 21:7-9

Unless you happen to be a herpetologist, ophiologist, or snake enthusiast in general, most people, it seems, are not particularly fond of snakes. From mental images associated with the serpent in Genesis 3 to those heart-stopping moments when you come upon one unawares, snakes are generally not something we look forward to encountering. Even if that perception may be somewhat unfair or undeserved at times, snakes are among the most feared and disliked creatures, right up there with spiders. Most of the Scriptural references to them are not particularly positive either, including negative snake imagery in Jesus’ comments about religious leaders in Matthew 23:33. This is one of the reasons why it is a bit startling that Jesus would use the image of a snake on a stick to represent himself, and tie this to the experience of being born again into the Kingdom of God. You can’t help but wonder if Nicodemus was taken aback by it too. So what is Jesus doing here?

In one of our passages for today, we learn that the children of Israel had been afflicted with snakes, and that God told Moses to make an image of one, put it up on a pole so it could be seen, and that those who looked at the image would be healed of the effects of the snake bites they had received. Seems like a strange way to address the situation. But what seems even stranger is that Jesus would borrow this imagery and apply it to himself! And yet, there is something powerful and profound here. The snake on the pole in the wilderness was not being punished, but rather was a representation of what was afflicting the children of Israel. Jesus takes that imagery and suggests that we can find healing as we fix our eyes on something— or in this case, Someone—in a similar way. Jesus, as we are told in 2 Corinthians 5:21, was made to be “sin for us.” In other words, Jesus (God in human form) took the sin that has been afflicting us, absorbing all of it into himself and allowing the worst that sin and evil could do to fall on him, so that we could experience healing.

Ultimately, what we see in all the horror and ugliness of the cross is the amazingly profound act of love, in which God absorbs all of the worst that sin and evil can do so we can ultimately be healed. This is God’s amazing gift of love to us! When we see and embrace this, our lives change! We are born again. As you take a few moments to allow the significance of that image to sink in, here are a few questions for reflection:

• As you think about Jesus’ invitation to look at the cross, what do you sense that he most wants you to see?

• When you grasp the extent to which you are loved, what does that stir in you?

• Take a few moments to reflect on the profound irony of how a truly cruel symbol that was intended to strike fear in those who saw it was, by the death of Jesus, transformed into a symbol that speaks of hope and healing to people today.

• Have you ever had someone selflessly and generously invest a lot in you, perhaps to keep you safe or make sure you were OK? How did you feel about that? How might that relate to the investment Jesus has made in you?

• When you reflect upon the meaning of the cross, does it leave you feeling more unsettled and anxious, or grateful and at peace? Why do you think you feel as you do? What do you think God would most like you to experience?

As you take a few moments to think about Jesus’ invitation to look and be changed, share with God in prayer what is on your heart.