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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this issue to a Friend [http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101459756774&a=1102511174322&ea=sermons%40cat41.org] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John 3:13-18 No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." "For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Snake Thursday in Lent 3 19 March 2009 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I was child I was delighted by playing the board game "snakes and ladders." When your game piece landed on a ladder up you went on the game board speeding ahead of your opponents. But if you happened to land upon the snakes, well down you slid to the ignominious depths of the game board, much to the delight of your opponents. Landing on the snakes was just not good. The snake is indicative of negative outcomes. Yet this is the very sign which our Lord Jesus takes up as His holy escutcheon: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (Jn 3:14-15 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102511174322&e=001gW9S--RjfIhQaaVDf3fZUk6w4pGKMEpReCu1hQA6UDmd0FXDnuMjOkOiSMBbYIkZlGEDQHN-awq9YP90N-uZ40eOVpIkfP_uUm5z67qWXYnTS8LJisdAfphkp0CqBAjHuTGeUMoQ1PsIx39HcL-ICItYmsApq3O70TSnNMZ15leGUZx9A--jKr9FvIZioVzheTcpkdJpyr0=]). Jesus chose to be lifted up to death on the cross. That fact alone boggles the human mind. Which of us, if we had a choice, would choose an ignominious and painful death instead of a long and fruitful life? Not many, I think. Yet for our sakes, Jesus chose precisely to die, and rather than reigning in glory, He chose to redefine glory through His humiliating suffering and death. He likened His death by crucifixion to the bronze snake in the wilderness, which, when the wandering Israelites looked upon it they were healed of the bites of venomous serpents. This seems an ugly parallel to an ugly death. Snakes get us all riled up. Recently, I heard the story of a mother who suffered through the travail of raising an amateur ophiologist. She recalled her son's ribbon snake giving birth to several score of live young and watching with revulsion as her diligent son measured the wriggling hoards on the family ping pong table. Look upon such things and live? It hardly seems possible. Yet, the revulsion of the people of Israel at looking upon the brazen serpent in the wilderness prefigured the revulsion we feel when we look upon the man hung upon the cross. What could be worse than gazing upon the image of an execution as a religious good? What could be more revolting than to see this victim of violence, whose scalp had been pierced by a crown of thorns, whose back was flayed by judicial and injudicious beatings, whose hands were violated by spikes, whose blood trickled from wounds in congealing rivulets of oozing life? Who would look upon such a One and see in Him life and the way to God? Such a contention only inspires mockery and ridicule by our enemies. Have we Christians really become so mad as to commit ourselves to this worm of a man and no man (Ps 22:6 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102511174322&e=001gW9S--RjfIgeHtplShsBjMV7ckRcds3pQ4XYva0-kA_v9604tR8f2OEXiX-7g50BtEOtlWSVRjDK6VWfwwtjbn2enIq0HiRHrg0tjUr4n053trqNUU5V_0L20wA0LM_b7ZF3XOjBiSyYGAn9pcjf_2Voe1SWTvB0xvzuqR1Xtiy4CmlRw0iYR-_t62BWJ6sg])? Are we so brazen as to trust for life this brazen serpent done to death? Yes, a thousand times, yes! For our gracious heavenly Father has commended to us this One condemned to crucifixion for our salvation. We are to look upon the One whom we have pierced and to see in Him our salvation. We should not believe what we feel about this One who was too weak to defend Himself, for He was strong enough to bear away the sins of the world. We should believe what God has said about Him and His work. He walks to Calvary intentionally and willingly for our sakes. He sought to embrace His cross; he lovingly clasps his hands about the nails affixing Him to pole of the New Testament. He chooses this death; and in choosing it, He chooses us. We look upon the man who died and see in Him life. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ John Chrysostom "Why did Jesus not say plainly, 'I am about to be crucified,' instead of referring His hearers to the ancient type (Jn 3:14-15 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102511174322&e=001gW9S--RjfIhQaaVDf3fZUk6w4pGKMEpReCu1hQA6UDmd0FXDnuMjOkOiSMBbYIkZlGEDQHN-awq9YP90N-uZ40eOVpIkfP_uUm5z67qWXYnTS8LJisdAfphkp0CqBAjHuTGeUMoQ1PsIx39HcL-ICItYmsApq3O70TSnNMZ15leGUZx9A--jKr9FvIZioVzheTcpkdJpyr0=])? First, that you may learn that old things are akin to new, and that the one is not alien to the other. Second, that you may know that He came willingly to His passion. Third, that you may learn that no harm arises to Him from the fact of His passion and that that there springs from it salvation for many. For, that none may say, 'And how is it possible that those who believe on one crucified should be saved, when he himself is held by death?' Jesus leads us to the ancient story. Now if the Jews, by looking to the brazen image of a serpent, escaped death, much rather will they who believe on the Crucified, with good reason enjoy a far greater benefit. For the crucifixion takes place, not through the weakness of the Crucified, or because the Jews are stronger than He is, but because 'God loved the world.' Therefore His living temple is fastened to the cross. "See the cause of the crucifixion, and the salvation which is by it? See the relationship of the type to the reality? In the Old Testament, the Jews escaped temporal death, in the New Testament believers eternal death. There the hanging serpent healed the bites of serpents, here the crucified Jesus cured the wounds inflicted by the spiritual dragon. There he who looked with his bodily eyes was healed, here he who beholds with the eyes of his understanding was freed from all his sins. There that which hung was brass fashioned into the likeness of a serpent, here it was the Lord's body, built by the Spirit. There a serpent bit and a serpent healed, here death destroyed and a death saved. The snake which destroyed had venom, that which saved was free from venom; and so again was it here, for the death which slew us had sin with it, as the serpent had venom; but the Lord's death was free from all sin, as the brazen serpent from venom. Peter said, 'He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth' (1Pt 2:22 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102511174322&e=001gW9S--RjfIiyWTfURs39_7rURGFRdRpJ0JTdqnt1ntYg5MyxWhAz3rFumvhTDM9IRvrqDa-ZxQcHCUgCbluz926Tgbm4ocXZW6eIYDeQJ4JHUyhh_oJlrJRnGTJ9RrB8ugSDJ2jpYLLiTKAMXV1bBuMRw39BoieU5cqM4GTv_tNtwyqF7VivBLJAjyK1HzoO]). Paul also declared, 'He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him' (Col 2:15 [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1102511174322&e=001gW9S--RjfIicac9y462nFnuMOc-JUqW4OFYPdDLgeS0pzviX_bcLR4wsO3xkHzkMhjFMCyD8YwgPV7SDtFDi9YTK8d7j7hAOzYvbY50BxUkk6TsN5mQoZ8P4bXYWvhb8Q9AC00B7pS8q1Og2PstwNip-Q_1Dt2LBSotA49RbKbHdnYEqsKlHHmqSfnI2_WU0]). For as some noble champion by lifting on high and dashing down his antagonist, renders his victory more glorious, so Christ, in the sight of all the world, cast down the adverse powers, and having healed those who were smitten in the wilderness, delivered them from all venomous creatures that tormented them, by being hung upon the cross." John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of John, 27.2 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prayer Lord Jesus, You became the snake on the pole of the New Testament that we might not be overwhelmed by sin and death. Help us to look upon You by faith and be healed. Amen. For Ann Kunz in thanksgiving to God that she has been released from hospital and is recovering at home In thanks to God for delightful spring weather For all shut ins, especially Jack Colle, Selma Dawson, Juanita Duffala, Henry and Vivienne Kasper, and Irene Schroeder, that the Lord would give them a sense of purpose in a life prayer and contemplation For Emilie Bahr that the Lord Jesus would answer when she calls ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Memorial Moment Now Mobile You can sign up to get the Memorial Moment on your mobile device. You will receive it in a text only format. 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