Word to the Wise
Tuesday, April 5, 2022 - 5th Week of Lent - Tues
[Num 21:4-9 and John 8:21-30]Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. [Numbers] "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me. The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him." Because he spoke this way, many came to believe in him. [John]
The story of Moses, the Isrealites and the bronze serpent mounted on a pole in the Book of Numbers would find its way into Christian reflection on the image and significance of Jesus' crucifixion. The significant term is "lifted up." Earlier in the Gospel According to John, in the scene with NIcodemus, Jesus says, "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so much the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." [John 3:14] And later in this gospel, Jesus says, "And when I am lifted up from the earth up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself. [John 12:32]
The serpent mounted on a pole in the desert became a "type" image of Jesus' crucifixion for the early Christian community. The bronze serpent was a symbol for healing from snakebite which in turn was a punishment for the complaints of the Isrealites against God and Moses. So, the image became an image of deliverance. (It would become an image of health care as well!)
The crucifix (as contrasted with a simple cross without Jesus' body on it) became a sacred image of deliverance. In any location where Catholic faith is practiced, there will be a crucifix. When we look upon the crucifix, what do we see and feel? Is it only the suffering of Jesus? Is it our suffering, too? Is it a sign of deliverance from our sins? Does it mean eternal life? Jesus has been "lifted up" so that we who believe in him can have eternal life. The crucifix is the image of God's power to save. AMEN