Word to the Wise
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 - 5th Week of Lent - Tues
[Num 21:4-9 and John 8:21-30,326]"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I say nothing on my own, but I say only that the Father taught me."
One of the mysteries of the Lectionary is that a reading from the Old Testament is often juxtaposed with a reading from the Gospel without some kind of "bridge" that will help explain the relationship. Often, there IS no relationship (especially in "ordinary time). However, in major liturgical seasons a relationship is often present. Today's first and second scriptures are "related" but the relationship becomes clear if one goes back in the gospel to John 3:14 and to Exodus 3:14! Going back to John 3:14 we will find Jesus' statement: "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." This is the first of the "connections." The second, from Exodus 3:14, is equally important because it concerns the incident of Moses and the Burning Bush where God reveals God's name: "But," said Moses to God, "when I go to the Israelites and say to them, "The God of your fathers has sent me to you, " if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?" God replied, "I am who am." Then he added, "This is what you shall tell the Israelites, I AM sent me to you."
All of this is lurking in the background of the exchange between Jesus and his antagonists in today's gospel passage. The term "lift up" refers to the crucifixion. The I AM refers to Jesus' identity! The crucifixion is a saving event just as Moses' lifting up a serpent on a pole in the desert saved the Israelites. But even more, the one who is looked upon is none other than the one who said to Moses: I AM! This is WHY the crucifixion is a saving event. The consistently dramatic character of the Gospel of John adds one element of revelation after another to build the tension. The last line of today's gospel: "Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him" adds to the motivation of the antagonists to get rid of Jesus. If we are entering into this experience of the gospel, we can find ourselves personally reacting to what is going on. If so, we are in for an amazing experience! AMEN
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