Daily Readings - Sat Sep 14 2019
First Reading - Numbers 21.4-9 or Philippians 2.6-11
Numbers
4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.5And the people spoke against God and against Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food."6Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.7And the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people.8And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live."9So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
Philippians
6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
John
13No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.16"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the theme of salvation and the profound connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the first reading from Numbers, we hear the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, growing impatient and complaining against God and Moses. Their lack of faith leads to a punishment of fiery serpents, but God, in His mercy, provides a remedy: a bronze serpent lifted high on a pole. Those who gaze upon it are healed. This story is not just a historical account; it is a foreshadowing of the ultimate act of salvation through Jesus Christ.
In the Gospel, Jesus draws a direct parallel between the bronze serpent and Himself. Just as Moses lifted the serpent in the desert, Jesus must be lifted up on the cross. This act of being "lifted up" is both a physical reality—the crucifixion—and a spiritual truth. Jesus is the source of eternal life, and just as the Israelites looked upon the bronze serpent to be healed, we must look to Jesus in faith to receive the gift of salvation. The famous verse, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son," reminds us that God’s love is not merely sentimental but sacrificial. He gave His Son so that we might have eternal life, not condemnation.
These readings call us to reflect on our own faith journey. Like the Israelites, we often face challenges and uncertainties in life that can lead us to doubt or complain. Yet, in those moments, we are invited to look to the cross of Christ, the ultimate sign of God’s love and mercy. The cross is not just a symbol of suffering; it is a symbol of healing, forgiveness, and salvation. Let us ask ourselves: Do we trust in God’s plan, even when the journey is difficult? Do we turn to Christ in faith, knowing that He is our true healer and savior? May we, like the Israelites, gaze upon the cross and find the grace to persevere, trusting that God’s love will see us through even the darkest of times.