4From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the way. 5The people spoke against God and against Moses,“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7The people came to Moses and said,“We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8And the Lord said to Moses,“Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” 9So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole; and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live.
John 3:14-21
14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
You can use the same questions that were suggested in the time to wonder section above.
Some Questions for reflection
Why do you think Jesus would have compared this incident in the Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the lifting up of the Son of Man?
“Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died.” Discuss
How is the Son of Man lifted up?
If“those who do not believe are condemned already”, what does this mean for those who never had the opportunity to come to belief?
Is the love of God limited only to those who believe in the Son?
How can we understand the contrast between darkness / evil deeds and light / good deeds in relation to evil things done in the name of God, or by those who claim to be people of God?
Opening Prayer
Readings
Numbers 21:4-9
John 3:14-21
Time to Wonder
Sermon
Sermon Reflection Questions