Happy New Year everybody.
I will continue looking at Jesus "I Am" today by looking at his statement "I am the light of the world." He makes this statement twice, in John 8:12 and again in John 9:5. In fact, the Gospel of John has "Jesus as Light" as a constant theme throughout. In John 1 it says a number of things about Jesus being the light, including making connections between the Light and life (John 1:40).
John takes some time in John 1 to compare the light of Jesus with the darkness of the world and explain how the darkness has rejected the light. In John 3, in talking to Nicodemus, Jesus says that people love the darkness rather than the light because they are afraid that their evil deeds will be exposed. (John 3:19-20)
In John 12:35-36, Jesus again compares light and dark, saying that those who walk in darkness do not know where they are going. I personally have found this to be true. Getting up at night and trying to navigate my way around in the darkness has sometimes proven painful. I have injured myself bumping into things in the dark, sometimes I have walked into things I knew were there. I just didn't see them clearly. The great thing about light is that it enables us to clearly see our path. I seldom walk into things when the light is on. It is the same in our spiritual walk. Walking by the light of Jesus, we can see more clearly the path that has been marked out for us. This is a good thing.
But here is what I want to focus on today. Twice Jesus says, "I am the light of the world." Once he says, "You are the light of the world." (Matt. 5:14) We can share in this one. This makes this "I Am" statement unique. I cannot be the Bread of Life. Nor can I be the Gate, the Good Shepherd, the Way, the Truth, the Resurrection or the True Vine. And I certainly can't be The Life. However, Jesus tells me that I can be the Light. So I want to be the Light. The question becomes then, How?
II Cor. 3:18 says: "And we, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." The light doesn't actually come from within us. We become the light by reflecting the the true light of Jesus. As we get closer to Jesus we reflect his light and therefore light the way for others to see how to live. I like the way Steve Kinnard put it in his book King Jesus, (p. 126): "We are to be "the light of the world."As Christians, we are to be the spiritual light that allows the world to see spiritual truths. The light of our example will expose lies and darkness and show people what they need to change." Well said.
Jesus is the light. We can share in that or we can walk in darkness. Not much of a choice really.
Tom
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Monday, December 30, 2013
Jesus: The Bread of Life
Hello everyone.
Today I am going to look at the first of Jesus' "I Am" statements. It is found in John 6:35: "I am the the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Here is the context. Earlier in chapter 6, Jesus had fed the five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread. That night Jesus walks on water and the next day the crowd follows him around to the other side of the lake and we get this discourse on bread. So understand that the people that Jesus is speaking to are largely the same crowd that he had fed fish and bread to the day before. Jesus acknowledges this in 6:26.
Jesus gives the crowd advice, saying "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life." In this advice, he differentiates between two kinds of food, physical and spiritual, and it seems that while Jesus talks of spiritual food, his audience thinks of physical food.
The crowd asks Jesus for a sign that they should believe him, and talk about how God gave their ancestors manna in the wilderness. (v.30-31.) (It is interesting that a crowd of people that had just been miraculously fed from five loaves of bread and two fish would ask for a food sign that Jesus was worth believing in, never-the-less they asked.) So the crowd refers back to Exodus 16 where God sends the Israelites bread from heaven. It must have been amazing stuff. Asaph wrote in Psalm 78:24-25:
He rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
Human beings ate the bread of angels;
The people were impressed with this manna from heaven, and rightly so, because it was great. God fed his people for forty years with it, as they wandered in the wilderness because of their disobedience.
But within the context of this manna God gave the Israelites, Jesus says, "it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (v. 32-33) When Jesus says this bread "gives life to the world," we can see that he is talking about something different, since the manna was only given to the Israelites. In v. 41 we see what he is talking about. Jesus says, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
The bread God gave the Israelites was great, but the bread God gave the whole world is far greater. Jesus points out that those who ate manna died in the wilderness. They ate God's bread and still died. Jesus talks about eating this new bread and living forever. This confuses his listeners who missed the part about physical food and spiritual food. They think Jesus is telling them to literally eat his flesh. He is not. They are not spiritual thinkers and therefore do not think spiritually. Jesus had pointed out that those who ate the manna died in the wilderness, but I do not think he was talking their physical death. That generation of Israelites, save Joshua and Caleb, spiritually died because of their lack of faith and disobedience. They did not enter the Promised Land.
Jesus is saying to this new generation that they are to eat his spiritual bread, that he will give them (v.27) and live eternally, or enter God's eternal Promised Land.
OK. What does this mean for us? God provides for our physical needs and this is terrific. We eat food to provide us with growth and to sustain life. Great. But more importantly God provides us with Jesus, the Bread of Life, the Bread that has Come Down from Heaven, to provide us with spiritual growth and eternal life. Greater.
Let us enjoy this Bread, together.
Tom
Today I am going to look at the first of Jesus' "I Am" statements. It is found in John 6:35: "I am the the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
Here is the context. Earlier in chapter 6, Jesus had fed the five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread. That night Jesus walks on water and the next day the crowd follows him around to the other side of the lake and we get this discourse on bread. So understand that the people that Jesus is speaking to are largely the same crowd that he had fed fish and bread to the day before. Jesus acknowledges this in 6:26.
Jesus gives the crowd advice, saying "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life." In this advice, he differentiates between two kinds of food, physical and spiritual, and it seems that while Jesus talks of spiritual food, his audience thinks of physical food.
The crowd asks Jesus for a sign that they should believe him, and talk about how God gave their ancestors manna in the wilderness. (v.30-31.) (It is interesting that a crowd of people that had just been miraculously fed from five loaves of bread and two fish would ask for a food sign that Jesus was worth believing in, never-the-less they asked.) So the crowd refers back to Exodus 16 where God sends the Israelites bread from heaven. It must have been amazing stuff. Asaph wrote in Psalm 78:24-25:
He rained down manna for the people to eat,
he gave them the grain of heaven.
Human beings ate the bread of angels;
The people were impressed with this manna from heaven, and rightly so, because it was great. God fed his people for forty years with it, as they wandered in the wilderness because of their disobedience.
But within the context of this manna God gave the Israelites, Jesus says, "it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." (v. 32-33) When Jesus says this bread "gives life to the world," we can see that he is talking about something different, since the manna was only given to the Israelites. In v. 41 we see what he is talking about. Jesus says, "I am the bread that came down from heaven."
The bread God gave the Israelites was great, but the bread God gave the whole world is far greater. Jesus points out that those who ate manna died in the wilderness. They ate God's bread and still died. Jesus talks about eating this new bread and living forever. This confuses his listeners who missed the part about physical food and spiritual food. They think Jesus is telling them to literally eat his flesh. He is not. They are not spiritual thinkers and therefore do not think spiritually. Jesus had pointed out that those who ate the manna died in the wilderness, but I do not think he was talking their physical death. That generation of Israelites, save Joshua and Caleb, spiritually died because of their lack of faith and disobedience. They did not enter the Promised Land.
Jesus is saying to this new generation that they are to eat his spiritual bread, that he will give them (v.27) and live eternally, or enter God's eternal Promised Land.
OK. What does this mean for us? God provides for our physical needs and this is terrific. We eat food to provide us with growth and to sustain life. Great. But more importantly God provides us with Jesus, the Bread of Life, the Bread that has Come Down from Heaven, to provide us with spiritual growth and eternal life. Greater.
Let us enjoy this Bread, together.
Tom
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Knowing Jesus
Merry Christmas everyone.
As I have continued my study of the book of John, I have reached the end of John 7. In John 7 there is a lot of discussion and debate among the people as to who Jesus actually is. In 7:40 some call Jesus "the Prophet." In 7:41 others call him, "the Messiah." At the same time, some argue that Jesus can't be the Messiah because the Scriptures say that the Messiah was to be of the line of David and come from Bethlehem, while this Jesus was from Galilee, not Bethlehem. It told me that these people, who argued against Jesus as The Messiah, knew the Scriptures, but did not know Jesus. Had they really known Jesus they would have known that he had been born in Bethlehem and was indeed of the line of David.
It reminded me that a person can really know a lot about the Bible but not really know Jesus. I want to make sure that this statement does not describe me. This study of John has really helped me reacquaint myself with Jesus in new ways. I have been amazed by Jesus as I come to know him better. In conversations with others, it seems that many are reaching this same conclusion, that we need to dig deeply into the life of Jesus so that we can all know him better.
When I reached John 6 in my study of John, I ran across a list of "I AM" statements that Jesus makes scattered throughout the book of John (King Jesus, by Steve Kinnard, page 307.) They are as follows:
Tom
As I have continued my study of the book of John, I have reached the end of John 7. In John 7 there is a lot of discussion and debate among the people as to who Jesus actually is. In 7:40 some call Jesus "the Prophet." In 7:41 others call him, "the Messiah." At the same time, some argue that Jesus can't be the Messiah because the Scriptures say that the Messiah was to be of the line of David and come from Bethlehem, while this Jesus was from Galilee, not Bethlehem. It told me that these people, who argued against Jesus as The Messiah, knew the Scriptures, but did not know Jesus. Had they really known Jesus they would have known that he had been born in Bethlehem and was indeed of the line of David.
It reminded me that a person can really know a lot about the Bible but not really know Jesus. I want to make sure that this statement does not describe me. This study of John has really helped me reacquaint myself with Jesus in new ways. I have been amazed by Jesus as I come to know him better. In conversations with others, it seems that many are reaching this same conclusion, that we need to dig deeply into the life of Jesus so that we can all know him better.
When I reached John 6 in my study of John, I ran across a list of "I AM" statements that Jesus makes scattered throughout the book of John (King Jesus, by Steve Kinnard, page 307.) They are as follows:
- I am the Bread of Life - John 6:35
- I am the Light of the World - John 8:12, 9:5
- I am the Gate for the Sheep - John 10:7-9
- I am the Good Shepherd - John 10:11-14
- I am the Resurrection and the Life - John 11:25-26
- I am the Way, the Truth and the Life - John 14:6
- I am the True Vine - John 15:1, 5
Tom
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Son of Man
Hey Everybody,
As we move into John 5, Jesus heals the man at the pool. The man had been an invalid for 38 years. Shortly after Jesus heals him, Jesus appears to him again, and tells him to "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." My first thought about this is what could happen to the man that would be worse than being an invalid for 38 years, but the answer to that question is in Jesus' statement. If the man doesn't let go of his sin, he may spend an eternity in hell.
Any way, Jesus has this great healing. Awesome. Of course, Jesus does this great healing on the Sabbath, and so the this gets the Jewish leaders all stirred up against him. This leads to a very interesting conversation between the Jewish leaders and Jesus recorded in John 5:16 and following. Jesus makes some amazing claims in this passage including: He claims the power to give life (v. 21), he claims that God had given him the right to judge all people (v. 22). In all of this he is claiming to be the Son of God. These are some very bold claims if you think about it.
The one claim that I want to focus in on today though is from verse 27, where Jesus claims to be the Son of Man. I had never understood why Jesus referred to himself this way. Son of God made sense to me, Son of Man did not. So I did a little research. It turns out that that name, Son of Man, comes from Daniel 7:13-14:
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power: all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
Clearly the Ancient of Days is God the Father. And in claiming to be the Son of Man Jesus is claiming all authority, all glory, and sovereign power. He is claiming that all people will worship him (see Philippians 2:9). He is claiming that his kingdom will be eternal. In essence he is telling them that he is the son of God. (In Matt. 26:64 he refers to himself again as the Son of Man and throws in the part about coming on the clouds of heaven just like in Daniel 7.)
Back in the 1930s, a famous baseball player named Dizzy Dean was quoted as saying "It ain't braggin', if you can do it." Today, hearing someone talk like this, we would probably consider him delusional. But Jesus was not delusional, all of these things were absolutely true. It's not delusional, if you can do it.
Tom
As we move into John 5, Jesus heals the man at the pool. The man had been an invalid for 38 years. Shortly after Jesus heals him, Jesus appears to him again, and tells him to "Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you." My first thought about this is what could happen to the man that would be worse than being an invalid for 38 years, but the answer to that question is in Jesus' statement. If the man doesn't let go of his sin, he may spend an eternity in hell.
Any way, Jesus has this great healing. Awesome. Of course, Jesus does this great healing on the Sabbath, and so the this gets the Jewish leaders all stirred up against him. This leads to a very interesting conversation between the Jewish leaders and Jesus recorded in John 5:16 and following. Jesus makes some amazing claims in this passage including: He claims the power to give life (v. 21), he claims that God had given him the right to judge all people (v. 22). In all of this he is claiming to be the Son of God. These are some very bold claims if you think about it.
The one claim that I want to focus in on today though is from verse 27, where Jesus claims to be the Son of Man. I had never understood why Jesus referred to himself this way. Son of God made sense to me, Son of Man did not. So I did a little research. It turns out that that name, Son of Man, comes from Daniel 7:13-14:
"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power: all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed."
Clearly the Ancient of Days is God the Father. And in claiming to be the Son of Man Jesus is claiming all authority, all glory, and sovereign power. He is claiming that all people will worship him (see Philippians 2:9). He is claiming that his kingdom will be eternal. In essence he is telling them that he is the son of God. (In Matt. 26:64 he refers to himself again as the Son of Man and throws in the part about coming on the clouds of heaven just like in Daniel 7.)
Back in the 1930s, a famous baseball player named Dizzy Dean was quoted as saying "It ain't braggin', if you can do it." Today, hearing someone talk like this, we would probably consider him delusional. But Jesus was not delusional, all of these things were absolutely true. It's not delusional, if you can do it.
Tom
Saturday, November 23, 2013
Jesus is a Foodie
Hey everyone.
The boys and I are gearing up to go to New Jersey's first Dads and Lads Retreat. Awesome. Before we go I wanted to share a little thought.
I am a foodie. I will admit to being an unabashed flavor-holic. I can talk for hours about food. Jesus is a foodie, but not in the same way that I am. In my last post, I talked about Jesus and the woman at the well. I am going to continue that story now.
If you remember, Jesus had been talking to this woman about "living water," and that she would never be thirsty again. Then he began to talk to her about her life. This is where we ended. After the conversation, the woman runs back into town, leaving her water jar behind. (John 4:28) She had gotten so excited about Jesus that she had forgotten what she went to the well for in the first place. Later she brings back the town and many lives are changed.
In the meantime, the disciples who return just before the woman leaves, tried to get Jesus to eat something. He refuses their offer of food, stating "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." The disciples did not really understand what Jesus meant by this, and asked among themselves, "Could someone else have brought him food?" OK, so this is the "Jesus is a foodie" part. Jesus tells them his food is "to do the will of Him who sent me and finish his work." Jesus' food is doing God's will.
I eat food for two reasons. First, my body requires it for energy. Second, I eat because I really like food. When I taste something really flavorful, my eyes light up and I get excited. Either way, you can say that food energizes me. Jesus, however, was energized by spiritual food. Talking to this woman, changing her heart and her life, had Jesus so energized that he would not take regular food. He was already full from doing the will of the Father. Jesus then goes on to talk to his disciples about the "harvest," (a word that means the gathering of food) but he was not talking about food. He wanted to harvest a crop for eternal life. (John 4:36) So Jesus is a foodie, but his food is a different food.
We have to ask ourselves, "What energizes me?' "What is my spiritual food?" I would like to think that doing God's will excites me more than actual food. How awesome, how fulfilling is it when you know that you have been doing God's will? May we all be full like that.
Tom
The boys and I are gearing up to go to New Jersey's first Dads and Lads Retreat. Awesome. Before we go I wanted to share a little thought.
I am a foodie. I will admit to being an unabashed flavor-holic. I can talk for hours about food. Jesus is a foodie, but not in the same way that I am. In my last post, I talked about Jesus and the woman at the well. I am going to continue that story now.
If you remember, Jesus had been talking to this woman about "living water," and that she would never be thirsty again. Then he began to talk to her about her life. This is where we ended. After the conversation, the woman runs back into town, leaving her water jar behind. (John 4:28) She had gotten so excited about Jesus that she had forgotten what she went to the well for in the first place. Later she brings back the town and many lives are changed.
In the meantime, the disciples who return just before the woman leaves, tried to get Jesus to eat something. He refuses their offer of food, stating "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." The disciples did not really understand what Jesus meant by this, and asked among themselves, "Could someone else have brought him food?" OK, so this is the "Jesus is a foodie" part. Jesus tells them his food is "to do the will of Him who sent me and finish his work." Jesus' food is doing God's will.
I eat food for two reasons. First, my body requires it for energy. Second, I eat because I really like food. When I taste something really flavorful, my eyes light up and I get excited. Either way, you can say that food energizes me. Jesus, however, was energized by spiritual food. Talking to this woman, changing her heart and her life, had Jesus so energized that he would not take regular food. He was already full from doing the will of the Father. Jesus then goes on to talk to his disciples about the "harvest," (a word that means the gathering of food) but he was not talking about food. He wanted to harvest a crop for eternal life. (John 4:36) So Jesus is a foodie, but his food is a different food.
We have to ask ourselves, "What energizes me?' "What is my spiritual food?" I would like to think that doing God's will excites me more than actual food. How awesome, how fulfilling is it when you know that you have been doing God's will? May we all be full like that.
Tom
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Jesus Gave Her Water. (And It Was Not From the Well.)
Hello everyone.
Continuing the story of Jesus in John, we reach John 4 which contains the story of the woman at the well. It's likely that you are familiar with the story, but just in case, I will sum it up for you. Jesus and his apostles had left Judea to return to Galilee, passing through Samaria on the way. They stopped near a town called Sychar in Samaria and Jesus rested by a well while his disciples went into town to buy food. As Jesus is resting, a Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water. Jesus has a conversation with her. This conversation changes her life. She goes back to her town and brings her town to meet Jesus, and he changes their lives as well.
I want to talk about that initial life-changing conversation. Jesus starts with a simple request. "Will you give me a drink?" The woman is surprised because a Jewish rabbi is talking to her, a Samaritan woman. Knowing that Jews did not associate with Samaritans she asks, how he can ask her for a drink. Of course, Jesus did not hold the same prejudices as the society that he lived in. (Also, being the creator of the Universe, he was free to talk to whoever he wanted.) He responded her that if she knew to whom she was speaking, she would ask for living water. He defines this "living water" by saying that if you drink it, you will never be thirsty again and that the water inside of you will become a spring that wells up to eternal life. That sounds like pretty awesome water.
Jesus is talking on a spiritual level that the woman obviously does not understand. She believes that he is talking about a literal "living water," and so she asks for some of Jesus' water. (Of course, if that was what Jesus meant, he would not have asked her for water.) She asks for the "living water," Why? So that she would not have to keep coming back to this well to draw water.
You see, she was looking for a way to make her life easier. That was not Jesus plan at all. Jesus was looking to make her life better, but not necessarily easier. Jesus then began to challenge her about her life. She listened. She went on to influence a number of other people as well. I believe that this conversation with Jesus made her life better. She still had to come draw water from the well, though. I think the same applies to us. We often look to Jesus hoping that He can make our path easier for us. That may not be what we need. Certainly the woman did not some kind of magical water that would mean that she wouldn't need to work as hard. She needed that living water that help her deal with the sin in her life. Let's make sure that we seek that kind kind of water so that no matter the difficulty, we have a spring of living water inside of us that wells up to eternal life.
Tom
Continuing the story of Jesus in John, we reach John 4 which contains the story of the woman at the well. It's likely that you are familiar with the story, but just in case, I will sum it up for you. Jesus and his apostles had left Judea to return to Galilee, passing through Samaria on the way. They stopped near a town called Sychar in Samaria and Jesus rested by a well while his disciples went into town to buy food. As Jesus is resting, a Samaritan woman approaches the well to draw water. Jesus has a conversation with her. This conversation changes her life. She goes back to her town and brings her town to meet Jesus, and he changes their lives as well.
I want to talk about that initial life-changing conversation. Jesus starts with a simple request. "Will you give me a drink?" The woman is surprised because a Jewish rabbi is talking to her, a Samaritan woman. Knowing that Jews did not associate with Samaritans she asks, how he can ask her for a drink. Of course, Jesus did not hold the same prejudices as the society that he lived in. (Also, being the creator of the Universe, he was free to talk to whoever he wanted.) He responded her that if she knew to whom she was speaking, she would ask for living water. He defines this "living water" by saying that if you drink it, you will never be thirsty again and that the water inside of you will become a spring that wells up to eternal life. That sounds like pretty awesome water.
Jesus is talking on a spiritual level that the woman obviously does not understand. She believes that he is talking about a literal "living water," and so she asks for some of Jesus' water. (Of course, if that was what Jesus meant, he would not have asked her for water.) She asks for the "living water," Why? So that she would not have to keep coming back to this well to draw water.
You see, she was looking for a way to make her life easier. That was not Jesus plan at all. Jesus was looking to make her life better, but not necessarily easier. Jesus then began to challenge her about her life. She listened. She went on to influence a number of other people as well. I believe that this conversation with Jesus made her life better. She still had to come draw water from the well, though. I think the same applies to us. We often look to Jesus hoping that He can make our path easier for us. That may not be what we need. Certainly the woman did not some kind of magical water that would mean that she wouldn't need to work as hard. She needed that living water that help her deal with the sin in her life. Let's make sure that we seek that kind kind of water so that no matter the difficulty, we have a spring of living water inside of us that wells up to eternal life.
Tom
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
The Bronze Snake
Hey everybody.
In John 3:14, Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snakes in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, and makes reference to the story of the bronze snake in Numbers 21:4-9. This is story that Nicodemus would have undoubtedly been familiar with.
Here is what happens. In their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the people of Israel grew impatient and began to complain about the lack of water and the quality of the food. God gets angry and sends venomous snakes among the people and many Israelites died. So the people come to Moses and admit their sin against God and ask that God will take the snakes away. So Moses prays. God instructs Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. Moses makes a snake out of bronze, puts it on a pole and when someone gets bitten by a snake, they can look at the bronze snake and be healed. Interesting story.
Back in John 3, Jesus compares himself to the bronze snake. Just like the snake was lifted and those who look at it can be healed, Jesus had to be lifted up and those who look to him can be healed as well. In fact, when Jesus is lifted up, looking to him can lead to eternal life. Jesus uses the word "must" here. He must be lifted up. We, of course, now look at this statement and understand that the was referring to his being lifted up on the Cross. What I find interesting is that the very next verse is one of the most familiar in the Bible. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus offers this testimony about God's love within the context of the comparison between himself and the bronze snake of Numbers 21. To give you a Hughes paraphrase. Jesus is in essence is saying, "Like the snake was lifted up, so must I be lifted up (on the Cross), because God loves you that much. And those who look to me and believe in me can have salvation."
Tom
In John 3:14, Jesus says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snakes in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." Jesus is talking to Nicodemus, a Pharisee and member of the Jewish ruling council, and makes reference to the story of the bronze snake in Numbers 21:4-9. This is story that Nicodemus would have undoubtedly been familiar with.
Here is what happens. In their journey from Egypt to the Promised Land, the people of Israel grew impatient and began to complain about the lack of water and the quality of the food. God gets angry and sends venomous snakes among the people and many Israelites died. So the people come to Moses and admit their sin against God and ask that God will take the snakes away. So Moses prays. God instructs Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole. Moses makes a snake out of bronze, puts it on a pole and when someone gets bitten by a snake, they can look at the bronze snake and be healed. Interesting story.
Back in John 3, Jesus compares himself to the bronze snake. Just like the snake was lifted and those who look at it can be healed, Jesus had to be lifted up and those who look to him can be healed as well. In fact, when Jesus is lifted up, looking to him can lead to eternal life. Jesus uses the word "must" here. He must be lifted up. We, of course, now look at this statement and understand that the was referring to his being lifted up on the Cross. What I find interesting is that the very next verse is one of the most familiar in the Bible. John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." Jesus offers this testimony about God's love within the context of the comparison between himself and the bronze snake of Numbers 21. To give you a Hughes paraphrase. Jesus is in essence is saying, "Like the snake was lifted up, so must I be lifted up (on the Cross), because God loves you that much. And those who look to me and believe in me can have salvation."
Tom
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