TUESDAY, FIFTH WEEK OF LENT
Nm 21: 4-9 Ps 102: 2-3, 16-21 Jn 8: 21-30
DON’T GRUMBLE; LOOK TO GOD
The Israelites are near the Promised Land, approaching it from the South. Edom has denied Israel the right of passage. Israel had to decide whether to fight or to bypass Edom. They chose the latter. The Israelites had been complaining about their journey in the wilderness. They complained because they had no water. They complained because of the “evil” they had been exposed to. There was no place to grow crops. And they complained about the lack of food. They were impatient; they were uncomfortable, and so they grumbled.
The attack of the snakes is the second time in the exodus journey that God inflicts physical punishment on the Israelites for their complaining. The first time was the sickness and death brought about by eating the quail. This is also not the first time that Moses intercedes with God on behalf of the people. The serpent on the pole that Moses fashioned proved good results when the people did as God commanded. The people were allowed to live.
Jesus established a parallel between the serpent on the pole and his own crucifixion on the cross. Just as the serpent on the pole spelt salvation for the Israelites who looked on it, so also Jesus’ death on the cross spells salvation for those who believe in him. Thus, the bronze serpent was a shadow of Jesus. The only way to be saved from the consequences of our sin is to look to Jesus, who was lifted up on the cross. If an Israelite refused to look at the serpent, the poison would run through their body and kill them. If we refuse to look to Jesus, the poison of sin will result in our spiritual death. But it isn’t the snake on the pole that saves people. It is the faith in the one behind it that saves. Faith in God can satisfy us when we focus on Him rather than the little things in life that irritate us. Faith in God can heal us. Faith in God deepens when one turns away from his/her problems and toward Him.
Response: O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.
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