Slimey, Slithering, Salvation
Notes
Transcript
Fear of Snakes
Fear of Snakes
Ophidiophobia, or ophiophobia, is a particular type of specific phobia, the abnormal fear of snakes.The word comes from the Greek words "ophis" (ὄφις), snake, and "phobia" (φοβία) meaning fear. About 1/3 of the population are afflicted by this phobia, earning it the top spot on the list of irrational fears. The movie-character Indiana Jones is an example of someone with this phobia.
I might be a bit harsh by describing it as an irrational fear. A Swedish study suggested that mammals in general have an innate reaction to snakes. This allows them to quickly identify the slithering creatures and to move away to safety. This is vital to mammals surviving in the wild. In another research project, scientists have identified a network in the human brain that has a strong fear conditioning to snakes. Once again this was important for the survival of our early ancestors.1
“Ophidiophobia, ” Wikipedia, accessed March 7, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophidiophobia
Snakes were also important for the survival of the Israelites during their wanderings in the desert. Jesus reminds his listeners of the incident when Moses fashioned a snake out of bronze to heal people of a snake bite. The incident is worth reviewing for our purpose this morning.
The story takes place after the Israelites had wandered in the desert for many years because of their disobedience to God at a place called Kadesh. During their wanderings God provided manna and quail for many years. They did not have to plant, or harvest or hunt. They only had to gather their days supply of food each morning. God also provided water to drink and give to their animals. This was no small feat in the desert region. This is quite significant when we consider that God never let his people die of hunger or dehydration even though they displayed a complete lack of faith at Kadesh. But people are people and the one weakness we all are very good at is complaining.
During their desert wanderings God provided mana and quail for many years. They did not have to plant, or harvest or hunt. They only had to gather their days supply of food each morning. God also provided water to drink and give to their animals. This was no small feat in the desert region. This is quite significant when we consider that God never let his people die of hunger or dehydration even though they displayed a complete lack of faith at Kadesh. But people are people and the one weakness we all are very good at is complaining.
The people were tired of eating manan and having to gather it every morning. They spoke against God and against Moses.
5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”
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With this complaint, God’s infinite love came to an end and he sent poisonous snakes to afflict the people. Many Israelites died. n their affliction they confessed their sin to Moses and pleaded with him for help.
7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.
God told Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. If someone is bitten they were to look at the bronze snake and they would live. Moses fashioned the snake out of bronze and fitted it to a pole and lifted the pole above their heads. There by providing an avenue for the people to be saved from the venomous snake.
For me the symbolism of the serpent displays God’s humor. The serpent was Adam and Eve’s nemesis. It enticed Adam and Eve to disobey God in so doing sin enter into the heart of humanity. Now God uses the symbol of a bronze serpent as a sign of Israel’s salvation.
We do not know when Nicodemus finally connected the dots and understood Jesus’ message but the connection was obvious for Jesus. He realizes the parallel between Moses lifting the serpent and his own death. He will be lifted up and killed, by so doing, the offer of salvation is given to those who turn to him and believe. The verb in this passage is used in two other places. The first is when Jesus is lifted up onto the Cross.
He realizes the parallel to his own death. He will be lifted and killed, by so doing, offer salvation to those turn to him and believe. The verb in this passage is used in two other places. The first is when Jesus is lifted up onto the Cross.
Jesus understands the message that is present in this story. He realizes the parallel to his own death. He will be lifted and killed, by so doing, offer salvation to those turn to him and believe. The verb in this passage is used in two other places. The first is when Jesus is lifted up onto the Cross.
28 So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.
The second is of his ascension into glory.
33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.
Exalted = Lifted up
There was a double lifting up in the life of Jesus—first on the Cross and the second into glory. The two have an inseparable connection. The one could not happen without the other. The path to glory, required the Cross.
There was a double lifting up in the life of Jesus—first on the Cross and the second into glory. The two have an inseparable connection. The one could not happen without the other. The path to glory, required the Cross.
For Jesus the Cross was the way to glory; had he refused it, had he evaded it, had he taken steps to escape it, as he might easily have done, there would have been no glory for him.2
2 William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of John, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 135.
William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of John, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1975), 135.
The same holds true for us. The easy way is always one option. We can refuse to bear the Cross that God sets before us. but if we do, we will lose the glory. There is no crown offered to those who deny the cross. This is an unalterable law of life (Barclay)
I am struck by the qualifying clause that Jesus attaches. Moses did not put any condition when he erected his bronze serpent. If a person was bitten by a snake all he or she had to do was to look to the symbol of the snake on the pole. Jesus says that a person must believe in him. This believing has several meanings.
First it means that we are convince beyond a reasonable doubt that God exists as Jesus declared him to be. It means that God is a loving Father who is waiting for his prodigal, rebellious sons and daughters to turn from their obstinate ways and accept his love and grace. It means that there is not one religious activity that a person can do to earn that love or to enhance their standing with the Father. The Pharisee was not the only one who believed that God rewarded good behavior and punished bad. Read the book of Job. This was the argument that Job’s friends presented to him. Job must have done something bad to deserve his misfortunes. The typical Jew viewed God as a task-master waiting to pounce on his errant children.
Jesus offered a new vision of God. He wanted the religious Jew to see that salvation could not be earned by fasting, praying or giving to charity. Salvation could only be recieved by believing in the work of God’s Son on the Cross.
The second aspect of belief requires us to trust that Jesus is the Son of God. Paul would later say that he was the image of the invisible God.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
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All the attributes and qualities that reside in God the Father also reside in God the Son. This gives us the assurance that Jesus knew the mind of God and that everything Jesus said and did represented the will and mind of the Father.
This is so important because unless we believe it we cannot be certain that our salvation rests in Christ work on the Cross. It would be too easy to create a CrossPlus gospel. The death of Jesus begins the work of salvation but we must finish that initial work through our good deeds. There is nothing that we can add to that which Jesus Christ has already done.
The third part of believing is staking everything upon the promises of Jesus. Because of his God the Father’s great love for us and because of God the Son’s great sacrifice we must be willing to live out the teaching of Jesus Christ. Every action, every decision, every spoken word must reflect his message of love. We must be willing to obey with unquestioning obedience.
The season of Lent is the perfect time of the year to examine our lives and consider our beliefs and our actions to consider whether all that we say and do is done to the glory of God.
