Lifted Up
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:14-16 (NIV)
Jesus is talking with Nicodemus, a respected Jewish teacher. He points him to a story Nicodemus knew from Scripture. In Numbers 21, snakes were biting people in the wilderness, and many died. God told Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Anyone who was bitten and looked at it stayed alive. Jesus says the Son of Man must be lifted up in the same way. Later, in chapter 12, he speaks of being lifted up again, and John adds that he was showing what kind of death he would die. Looking to the one lifted up means believing, trusting him. Then comes the reason: God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Whoever trusts in him will not perish but have eternal life. Many churches read this passage today, on Holy Cross Day.
When something frightens you, your eyes keep going back to it. Maybe your test results are in the app and the appointment is a week away. You read them a fifth time and look up every number again. Maybe there is a layoff rumor at work, and you check the team chat every hour. Nothing changes, and your hand still reaches for the phone. That is the moment to look up to Jesus on the cross and say, "This is how much God loved me."
Check Once, Then Look to the Cross
- 1Pick one thing you keep checking even though you can do nothing more about it today: test results, your bank balance or news about layoffs. Check it once today, at a time you choose now.
- 2When your hand reaches for the phone again, put it face down and look at a cross, or picture one if there is none nearby. Say quietly: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son."
Father, you loved the world so much that you gave your only Son. Jesus was lifted up on the cross so that I could have life. There is something I keep checking today because I am afraid of what it will say. Help me check it once and then leave it with you. When my hand reaches for it again, help me look to Jesus and trust him, whatever the answer turns out to be. Amen.
I will check it once today, and when I reach for it again, I will look to the cross.
What is the snake in the wilderness?
In Numbers 21 people dying of snakebite were told to look at a bronze snake on a pole and live. The cure was an image of what was killing them.
Why does John say lifted up?
The same verb covers being raised on a pole and being raised in honour. He uses it for the cross on purpose.
Where does the name Exaltation of the Cross come from?
From a Jerusalem rite in which the bishop raised the relic of the cross before the people. The feast falls on 14 September.