John 3:14-17

"As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up,  so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.  For God did not send his own Son into the world to be its judge, but to be its savior." (Good News Translation)

Reflection by Ron Buford

First-century Christians knew the story of Moses lifting up the "serpent in the wilderness." The Israelites were plagued by poisonous snakes after God had miraculously delivered them out of Egypt because of their endless complaints and nagging unbelief in God's power each time they faced a new challenge. The suffering close at hand always felt more real than God's sometimes distant and ineffable Presence, despite God's amazing feats of deliverance in the past.

But then, I feel that way, sometimes...don't you?

When the people asked God to be merciful and to forgive them, God told Moses to make a bronze serpent, put it on a pole and lift it up before the bitten. Moses did so and the people were cured.

Just so, we can derive hope and salvation—even from that which has bitten us. Though in Jesus' day this was counter-intuitive, today we understand this to be the nature of antibiotics and vaccines: a bit of the venom that bit us, can also save us.

Likewise, the way to true power is not by fighting back but by taking a bit of the venom, and humbling ourselves even to the death of the cross.

Roman brutality would win the first round. But within 300 years, an un-armed Jesus and 12 buddies will have toppled their great empire by . . . breaking bread from house to house; reminding one another of Jesus' mystical re-appearances; reminding each other of his love and how he taught them to "Be not afraid."

Jesus' followers blessed and healed those who cursed, oppressed, imprisoned, and killed them, humbling themselves as did their Jesus, reaching beyond short-term failure and disappointment; embodying the One of precious salvation, healing, and forgiveness. They overcame the deep darkness and grasped Easter hope, in a Good Friday world.

Prayer

Gracious God, I'm bitten, but I know that venom is no match for your Divine Presence. May the sweetness of your Divine Presence oil the hinges of my heart so that the antibodies of your Love, Hope, and Power flow freely through me...and out into the world.  Amen.

About the Author Ron Buford is Interim Minister for Discipleship at Old South Church in Boston, Massachusetts. The former coordinator of the UCC's God is still speaking campaign, Ron consults with UCC conferences and churches across the nation and appears in the DVD-based progressive theology series, Living the Questions 2.0.

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