The readings of today (Numbers 21,4-9; John 8:21-30) put forward the image of the cross and its symbolic role for the restoration of human brokenness. The first reading is an excerpt of the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. The Israelites, out of weariness from the long journey in the wilderness, loathed everything about the deliverance from slavery in Egypt and complained against Moses and against God. As punishment God sent among them seraph serpents (the deadliest of all serpents), which bit the people so that many of them died. As a result of this ugly situation, they prayed to Moses to plead with God. God heard their cries and instructed Moses to mold a bronze serpent and raise it up. This was so that anyone who is bitten by the fiery serpent and looks at the bronze serpent, would get their life back.
In the Gospel of John this scene is regarded as a foreshadow for the crucifixion of Jesus (Jn 3:14–15). The feast of the exaltation of the cross, which is celebrated every September 8th, and the Christian commemoration of the cross of Christ at Easter, all point to this symbol of sin and salvation. As we know, this liberation from slavery in Egypt and the 40 years journey through the wilderness is used to depict God’s work of salvation in history. The emphasis of the reading is the mercy of God to the repentant person and the process of salvation. That is why Jesus was hard after the Pharisees because of their unrepentant hearts and told them that they will die in their sin, and that they will recognize his message of salvation “when they lift up the son of Man”, referring to his crucifixion.
Punishment and Salvation
The narrative and the events of the exaltation of the molded golden serpent and the cross of Christ are prototypes of the Easter celebration. One author asked: Was it necessary that the Christ should suffer and die for human salvation? If God is loving and almighty, why couldn’t He grant salvation without the whole process of the Cross? Moreover, some question the justice of the Cross if it is as a result of punishment for sin. The question, why must God punish his Son or his people in order to save them? This brings us to the age-old debate of punishment and the issue of mercy and justice.
The entire scripture testifies to God’s mercy and justice. Psalm 116, 5 reads “Gracious is the Lord and righteous; our God is merciful.” Analyzing the whole structure of this Psalm, David Garland asserts that the pivotal point is the confession that God is a deliverer who is merciful and just. (Cf., Psalms, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary 5, rev. ed.) Furthermore, he presents an image of God’s care for the entire creation and His compassion toward ‘the sinful, the fallen, the bowed down, and all who cry to Him for help.” One might then ask: How are God’s attributes of mercy and justice compatible in the context of punishment? This question is equally prominent in today’s readings.
While punishment can be severe on our body, it could be helpful for rethinking wrong choices. For instance, the repentant child in the parable of the prodigal Son or the merciful Father was able to rethink after being subdued to eating leftover food meant for animals. When we face the consequences for our neglect, we often learn. Nevertheless, the Bible presents us with the image of God who doesn’t perpetrate punishment. God does not endure in anger, and his punishments are often meant to restore us to the right path because only the individual can do this for themselves. We may recall the adage “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
Was It Necessary That Christ Should Suffer?
Regarding the question: Should Christ suffer? We have to note that human existence is a narrative and God’s dealing with human beings and each individual’s encounter with God is like a pedagogy or a process. It is never a straight line, but rather, a process.
The journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land, through its thick and thin, is a pattern of our own journey to fullness. God’s mercy and justice accompanies us in this journey. The process of salvation and the cross make us realize how God loved us rather than focus on his almightiness. If He had redeemed us with His power without the human process, not only would our human experience of sin, vulnerability and grace not make any more sense, but also, we will rely on God’s almightiness rather on the process that leads us to the healing and wholeness through grace and love. Thereby we lose an important aspect of humanity – living in space and time.
Through the cross, we are being directed to love of God and to what it takes to save human beings from their choice for evil rather than good. The process that Christ took, and the journey of the Israelites, enables us not only to appreciate our salvation, but also to work towards it. This process is about our human existence, our choices, suffering, and the consequences of our choices, but above all, on the focus on the immense love of God. It focuses us on the ocean of God’s mercy and the awareness that we can be forgiven even for our greatest offences because of the immensity of God’s love, he loved us and gave himself for us. May we always be open to this mercy and love of God, Amen.
