for March 31
Tuesday in the Fifth Week of Lent

The context for today’s first reading is that the Israelites are journeying through the Sinai desert from Egypt to the promised land. But in their impatience, they are complaining against Moses and even against God. And then they say, “we are disgusted with this wretched food,” referring amazingly to the manna from heaven that God has been providing them day after day. As punishment there were snakes that bit the people, and many died.

Acknowledging their sin, the people then ask Moses to pray God for them; note that they do not do so themselves. In response Moses is told to mount a bronze serpent on a pole and when they are bit, as still happened, whoever looks at the serpent lived. Keep that in mind for later but let me add an historical note. When the people are in the promised land and the temple in Jerusalem has been built, the bronze serpent is stored there. But King Hezekiah in the 7^th century had the bronze serpent destroyed, fearing the people were worshipping it as an idol.

At first glance the connection with the gospel is not so obvious. Jesus is telling his hearers that he is going away where they cannot come. Oddly they wonder if he is going to kill himself, when of course the reality in faith is that he is freely going to his death for our salvation. Jesus then challenges them and us with a distinction. He is from above, symbolizing where he came from the Father, while the rest are still below as it were on earth. He then reiterates the traditional Johannine metaphor about the world where the world symbolizes all in the world as we use the term which is opposed to God.

More specifically as his hearers again struggle with who Jesus is, he reminds them their problem in recognizing him is that they cannot grasp his coming from the Father. Then comes the conclusion when Jesus alludes to his being lifted up, lifting up in John’s gospel always including death, resurrection and exaltation together. Here we have the reference to the first reading. An even clearer reference is found earlier in John’s gospel where we read: Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. The desert story brought about physical life; Jesus offers everlasting life. During these difficult days, we need to look at Jesus, to look at Jesus on the cross and all that promises.

In the gospel Jesus says that looking at him lifted up will help us realize that he is I AM, a term equivalent to the divine name in the Hebrew scripture, helping us also realize that all then and now is part of God’s plan. Jesus concludes by saying the Father is always with him, as Jesus always is with us. And the people in the gospel we are told came to believe in him. So all of us are also continually coming to believe in Jesus. In these challenging times we pray that all of us deepen our faith in Jesus our savior.
—Edward O’Donnell SJ

 Today’s readings can be found on the US Catholic Conference of Bishops website.