Numbers 21:4-9
John 8:21-30
Look and Live
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ Jesus, the readings of the day present to us two important points for our reflection. 1) uncertainty of People of Israel & Pharisees 2) God's greater Love on the Cross.
First Reading:
The people of Israel were on the verge of reaching the promised land after a long desert journey. However in today’s reading we find they are expressing a kind of disappointment and depression that as if they are finding it hard in their lives and the days in Egypt in slavery are far better than the present days.
They became impatient and even went to the extremity of complaining against Moses and God. They are now complaining about the heavenly food (Manna). God has provided the food so that they may not starve to death yet they rejected and showed aversion towards it and were ungrateful to greater God.
God punishes them by sending poisonous serpents to kill them all. The people when they realise it’s punishment from God for their ingratitude, blasphemy and grumbling, they acknowledge before Moses and God “ we have sinned by speaking against God”. Moses intercedes and God saves them only if they manifest their faith, and gratitude to God by looking at the bronze image(serpent). A point to be noted here is that it is not the serpent but faith in God that saved them. They looked at it and God let them live.
This in fact, foreshadows clearly of Christ on the cross. Jesus said in the Gospel “ and as moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting”
In the gospel the Pharisees failed to understand him clearly, his identity, his words and his destination ( where he came from or where he is going) he was talking about his relationship with father but they failed to understand it. They are in a confused state.
Jesus then says, they will understand only when he is lifted up on the cross and to the glory after the cross. ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing of myself’. Only in light of Jesus' mission on the cross, and resurrection one is able to understand Him.
And it is in this regard one can be saved by looking at the cross. A person who looks at the cross with faith will live, this is what Easter is all about, God raising Jesus to new life, we believe that it’s also a reference to our lives that we will be raised to new life
And in the image of the cross, we are opening up to God’s unconditional, life giving, and sacrificial love poured unto us for all humanity.
The people of Israel failed to understand unconditional love and providential love of God - they were punished
Later when they acknowledged and accepted their sins - they were saved
The Pharisees failed to understand - they received their prize
We are today called to reflect to understand with faith the Unconditional love and providence of God shed on the Cross of Christ.
Let us Look at IT and Let us Live with IT
A note here : during the time of king Hezekiah, the statue of the bronze serpent was destroyed because it has become a form of idolatry over the years. Some came to believe that it was a serpent who healed but in fact faith in God gave the healing. So when the intention was distorted it had to be destroyed.
The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.(1 Corinthians 1:18)
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8)
I led you for forty years in the wilderness. Your clothes did not fall from you in tatters nor your sandals from your feet (Deuteronomy 2:5)
Fr. Jayaraju Manthena OCD
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