If you have any pictures or images of angry parents or children, briefly think about them; and if you have any pictures of parents and children showing love, think of them a lot longer and keep them in your mind.  Love wins out – Christ came not to condemn.
    Perhaps you have seen pictures of eternal flames.  I believe that Christ’s love is the true eternal flame.
    There is something profound going on in these verses from John.  We are familiar with John 3:16, which along with Psalm 23 may be the most well-known Bible verses.  But when we read John 3:16, embedded in its surrounding context, it becomes part of the backdrop to the larger drama being described by Jesus.
    The passage begins with a reminder of what Moses did in the wilderness, as told in Numbers 21:4-9.  Creating a bronze snake and elevating it could heal those who looked upon it.  But there is the rub.  They could be healed, but only if they looked.  Those who did look were healed, we read.  So how did that happen?  They obeyed God!  When we obey God, miracles can happen.  However, I think, there is another level of spiritual reality going on here!  To actually obey God doesn’t necessarily mean that we wholeheartedly believe.  What it does mean is that we are willing to give it a shot, no matter how small a shot it is.  By obeying we are exhibiting hope – even if it is reluctant, non-believing, ridiculous hope!  No matter what kind of hope it was, or how small that hope may have been, the Israelites looked.  And because they looked they were healed.
    I think it is a little like the child’s game: “Made You Look.”  That game is based on a person not being able to look away because of something catching her or his attention.  It could be a noise, a sudden movement, or even just holding out a closed fist enticing someone with what may be in it.  Whatever it is, it is enticing enough to make some look.  They have to have a belief, no matter how that belief is arrived at, that the thing trying to catch their attention is worth looking at, even if it turns out not to be anything, because it could also turn out to be something.
    Those who looked upon the serpent had to have a belief, no matter how it was arrived at, that the thing catching their attention was worth looking at.  That is why Jesus says that with the faith of a mustard seed one can move a mountain.  That is how powerful faith is.  When we obey the word of God, even with the faintest hope and the most begrudging effort, we can still receive the blessing of God.  Obedience is the key.
    I remember, in my early years, not wanting to obey my parents at times.  When I did not obey them, it was not good for me, even if I did not receive physical punishment or lose some privilege.  It was the tension in the air that most often got to me.  I disliked that more than anything, that unspoken feeling that passes between disobedient child (no matter how old) and parent.  Now that I am a parent, I believe, that I see the other side.  I imagine God looking at all who disobey, and those with any sensitivity at all can feel when they are in disobedience.
    That is why people do things in the dark.  That is why this scripture moves from a lifted serpent to those who do not seek the light.  I believe that the serpent lifted up is a powerful symbol for looking at our sins.  When Moses lifted that serpent up, encouraging people to look at if for healing, he was foreshadowing Christ being lifted up on the cross.  Those who looked at the serpent had to look at their sin, even as the serpent represented evil or that which is against God. Looking at their sin was a necessary step toward healing.  But with that look there also had to be hope, no matter how small.  They had to be willing to give God a shot.  And God honored their obedience, with its accompanying willingness and hope, with healing.
    When Christ was lifted up, he became sin for us. Those who looked up at him looked at their own sin.  The crucifixion was ugly.  What made this one crucifixion unique is that Christ had not committed a crime.  Those who looked upon him looked at humanity’s sin – their own sin contained in Christ Jesus, a man who knew no sin, but became sin for our sake.
    To look upon Christ is to see the wrong in us, even as we are looking at the love Christ has for us – love that paid for our sin with his sacrifice.  Facing this incredible act of love and sacrifice, each of us is faced with how to respond.  Will we look to Christ with the hope of being healed?  When we look at Christ, we are obeying God, and because of our obedience, our own healing is possible.
    That is how much God loved the world.  That He would send Jesus.  And whoever believed in him, even if it was mustard-seed-size faith, would have everlasting life.  Everlasting life is the true healing. It means never being separated from God.  It then doesn’t matter whether we live or die.  What matters is that this everlasting life begins now – at the moment we accept Christ.
    To look upon Christ is to bring to light all that is hidden, evil, against God, for Jesus is the light of the world.  There is something in us that knows inherently what is not right.  That is why most crimes happen at night.  People do not want to be seen in their wrongdoing.  But those who live for God can live their lives in the open, unafraid of being seen by family, neighbors, co-workers, or reporters covering anything that looks juicy enough for the evening news.
     Since our life everlasting has begun, Paul could not be more forceful when he says that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Eph 2:10).  We are not saved by good works; rather, we are saved for good works.  Those are the two truths that we cling to in Christ, and we dare not let go of either.
      There’s a story about the running of the ancient Greek marathon.  One athlete seemed the certain winner of the games, and some of the other contestants offered bribes to him in hopes of persuading him to withdraw from the field.  In spite of the proffered gifts of considerable worth, the athlete stood his ground and made clear his intention of competing.  To no one’s surprise, at the starting signal the runner took an immediate lead and finished the race well ahead of the rest.  For his victory, he received the traditional crown of laurel leaves and was invited to join the king for the remainder of the games. 
      Afterward someone reproached the athlete for his decision. “You could be a man of wealth right now, but instead you have nothing more than a soon-to-be-withered crown of leaves for your efforts.  Was that a wise decision?”
      The runner smiled and said, “I didn’t run for the crown.  I ran the race with all my might so that I might have the privilege of standing beside my king.”
      If we are in love with our Savior, we can hope for no higher reward for our labors than to kneel at his throne and offer to him the best efforts of heart, soul, body, and mind.
      An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots that she carried to the stream each day.  The pots hung on the opposite ends of a pole that she balanced on her shoulders.  One pot was perfect and always carried a full measure of water.  The other pot had a hairline crack, and water dribbled out all the way back to the old woman’s house.  That pot always lost at least half its precious load on the trip back.  After several years of this, the cracked pot one day spoke to the woman and confessed its weakness and failure.
      The old woman said softly, “I have always known of your limits, and I have used your efforts better than you know.  Haven’t you noticed that flowers grow richly on one side of the path to my house?  I scattered seeds on that side, aware that you would water those seeds for me.  Thanks to you, I always have fresh flowers to bring into my home, flowers that wouldn’t be there if not for your leakiness.”
      In the same way, I believe God knows our flaws.  Our Lord doesn’t demand perfect service, only faithful service.  If we offer what we can, God will use our efforts in ways we cannot imagine.
      To look upon Christ is to be blessed.  And part of that blessing is that Christ is our source of healing, wholeness, and life everlasting.
     
PRAYER:
      Holy God, we come to you in humility and gratitude, thanking you for the example of your sacrificial love.  Bless those who have lost hope, that they may begin to look to you.  Enter into their lives in such a way that they may be open to your power to renew and restore.  For we know that just to look to you can bring forth healing, wholeness, and power for life.  We petition you, Lord, and ask for help in being more willing to help those who are suffering across our world.  We give thanks that all who look to you have life everlasting.  Amen.