Word to the Wise
Tuesday, April 10, 2018 - 2nd Week of Easter - Tues
[Acts 4:32-37 and John 3:7b-15]TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018. TUESDAY IN THE SECOND WEEK OF EASTER [Acts 4:32-37 and John 3:7b-15] “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.” [John] The gospel scriptures during this week will come from the Gospel According to John. These require careful reading not only because they can be somewhat abstract in flavor but also because the lectionary breaks these passages up into pieces and makes continuous reflection difficult at times. The careful attention, however, is rewarding. Today’s passage is taken from the third chapter of the gospel, which means well before the Easter events. The setting is the conversation with Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council, who comes to Jesus at night! Light and darkness are common themes in this gospel. Nicodemus comes from the darkness into the light of Christ. The theme of above and below is present, and the image of Moses lifting up the serpent is used to describe what would happen to Jesus later on. In the Book of Numbers, the Israelites complain against God and Moses, so God sent serpents to bite them. Moses mounts a serpent on a pole and any Israelite who looked at it was healed. Jesus crucified [“lifted up”] would become a saving event as well. All these contrasts and images are part of the Gospel According to John and invite our meditation as a kind of follow up (or “mystagogia”) that matches the follow up for those received into the church at the Easter Vigil. We can join them personally or in spirit in the days to come. AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
79 ms
4
