We have an interesting set of readings today which are intimately linked but seemingly totally opposite in understanding. In the Gospel reading we have what would be the most well known and most quoted bible text – John 3:16. 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. A verse of pure grace of God’s love without anything required of us. Much like what St Paul says in the Ephesians reading today: For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God– not the result of works, so that no one may boast.
But, Jesus prefaces his statement of God’s grace in the Gospel reading by referring to our Old Testament reading: 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.
If you’re not that familiar with the Old Testament and not sure what Jesus is referring to – what a bizarre story to link with God’s grace. The people of Israel were grumbling about God and Moses that there was no water or food so the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. Wow, not very gracious. But then, the people acknowledged their sin and asked Moses to pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us. God commands Moses: Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
There doesn’t seem to be a lot of grace in this situation either as the snakes still bit the people – the bronze serpent just stopped the venom from killing them. Why didn’t God just take away the serpents? I guess it’s because it’s a prophecy of what will happen under Christ. Yes, Jesus will die for our sins and we will receive healing through eternal life as John 3:16 promises. But the effects of sin will remain and sting until Jesus returns and finally puts away sin, death and the devil into the lake of fire as described in the Book of Revelation.
We get a hint of that sting of sin that remains from St Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 – known as the resurrection chapter that while death has already been defeated the sting of sin remains. The sting of the serpent’s bite – the serpent that lured Adam and Eve away from God’s grace to the forbidden fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. At the end of that Chapter Paul writes: When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” Paul says, the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice Paul talks about the victory, but victory is over death through Christ that we have NOW, but not the removal sin’s sting. Listen again: Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. He doesn’t mention the removal of the sting of sin but acknowledges that the sting of death is sin that remains even though we have victory over death through Jesus’ death.
And so our readings today focus on trying to walk away from sin which even though as Christians we know that we are forgiven that sin can still cause its harm in our lives. It is very easy to trivialize sin as if it’s not really that harmful. And rather than avoiding sin we can often give in to sin feeling we can just come to God – confess our sins, receive Holy Communion, and that’s about it. But Paul particularly speaks about the very active force of sin that is constantly working to undermine our faith and to undermine our relationship with God. He says: You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient.
Paul certainly knows the difficulties in life regarding sin even though he knew he was forgiven and saved. Remember what he once said: I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. He also knows that Satan attacks where we are most vulnerable which Paul calls the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses. That’s where Satan strikes and stings. Where even the most faithful and strongest loyal Christians have been lured. And despite a lifetime of service to the Lord with that one indiscretion have seen their lives ruined – relationship ruined in a moment of passion or bad decision. And in these days of social media someone will snap a picture and share it – record it without your knowledge and post it somewhere. And despite the grace of God that comes through forgiveness – the sting of sin will remain.
So as we continue our Lenten journey let us remember why Jesus had to take this journey – because of our sin. Let us never underestimate the damage sin can do to us and others as the sting of death continues to bite at our heals as did the serpents in our Old Testament. But let us remember the very first prophecy of grace in Genesis chapter 3 where God says to the serpent: “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
Satan works hard as he continues to strike our heels but let us remember the victory that Jesus has won for us as he has crushed the head of Satan. Let us remember that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to defeat sin, death and the devil and that through Jesus: We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
