Snake Bites

                                        
                                       

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” Galatians 3:13

My all time favorite movie line comes from, of all things, a Veggie Tales movie – The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.  Sedgwick, one of the pirates, finding himself in a seemingly hopeless situation, lies down and begins to review his life as he prepares to die.  “It was a good life,” he says, “at least that one day…from about 2:00 to 2:30.” I laugh every time I think about it! 

I was reading John chapter 3 and came across verses 14 and 15:  “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”  The story about Moses and the snake is found in the book of Numbers, so I decided to see what the connection was between that incident and what Jesus was saying in John.

As I leafed through Numbers, I saw that, from the moment the Israelites left Mt. Sinai, a pattern emerged.  God watched over them and provided for them, but the Israelites felt his provisions were not up to their standards; they then bitterly complained about the miserable life they had; God severely reprimanded them for their lack of gratitude and respect; and then they repented.  That same story, with varying details, repeats throughout the entire book.

The life the Israelites were living may not have been one of riches and pleasure, but God made sure their basic needs were met.  He miraculously provided water in the desert when there was none.  He sent them their daily food in the form of manna when there was no other food to be found. Deuteronomy 8:4 and 29:5 says their clothes and sandals did not wear out and their feet did not swell during their forty years in the wilderness.  It was a no frills life, but as Deuteronomy 8 explains, it was the life God intended them to have, to mold them and teach them the lessons he wanted them to learn. But the Israelites were not satisfied with what God gave them; they felt entitled to frills!

In Numbers 21 they were traveling from one place to another and on the way they became impatient and once again began to complain about the life God had given them: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” (Verse 5)  They called the manna, which God hand delivered to them each morning, detestable!

This time God’s severe reprimand was delivered to them in the form of what I think of as a living parable; he sent them poisonous snakes which bit them, and many of them died.  The snakes were both the deserved curse for their disobedience and disrespect, and a tangible representation of the venom of sin that constantly poisoned the Israelites’ minds toward everything in their lives, including God. 

In this and the other similar stories, my tendency is always to shake my head at the hard-headed, dim-witted Israelites, until God reminds me that we are all alike.  We have often been dissatisfied with the lives we have been given. As a matter of fact, some of us, like Sedgwick, can only think of about half an hour on “that one day” when we were satisfied!

Instead of understanding and accepting that the life circumstances God has given us are part of his plan to mold and teach us, we have all wished for more – more money, better cars, bigger houses, better jobs, kinder spouses, grateful children, truer friends, better health, fewer problems, and have often allowed those desires to be the driving force in our lives, sometimes even to the point of anger at God when we don’t get what we want.  And, we have all feared what we might have to deal with in the future, despite the many evidences God has given us of his presence and blessings in our past.  Our minds, too, have been poisoned by the venom of sin.  That is why what happens next in the story is so important.

The Israelites ran to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you.  Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” 

But, instead of taking the snakes away, God tells Moses to do something very strange, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; and anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.”

If I were writing this story, I would have written it a little differently.  First of all, in answer to Moses’ prayer for the people, I would have had God take away the snakes, so that his words would be in the past tense “and anyone who was [had already been] bitten can look at it and live” Then, I would have had Moses make something more pleasant to put on the pole; something like a dove or maybe a rainbow, to turn their minds toward God’s promises when they looked at it. 

But that is not how the story went, and this is the link between this story and Jesus in John chapter 3.  God had Moses make a replica of the poisonous snake, the very thing God had sent them as a punishment or curse for their disobedience; the snake which also represented sin itself, the ultimate curse; and He told Moses to put it on a pole so that “anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” Why would God want them to look at the snake?

In John 3, Jesus compares himself to that snake on a pole because he knew that when he was lifted up on the cross he, in essence, would become the snake.  He became the curse; and, not only that, 2 Corinthians 5:21 says he actually became sin for us! 

On the cross he took the entire curse of sin, which we deserved, upon himself, so that anyone who is bitten- and we all have been and will continue to be on this earth – can look at him and, seeing what he did for us, believe in him and have eternal life! (John 3:15)  

Because of Jesus, the fatal effect of sin’s poison has been overcome forever!

Vicarious Victories part 3: No Longer Accused

 

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”  Revelation 12:10

 

I had a hard time with temptation number 3.  Since I had already written about 1 and 2, I felt I had to cover all of them, but I just didn’t have a handle on what to do with this last one.  When I read the passage initially, I thought it was going to be easy, which is funny, because that’s what it seemed to be about – easy. 

Satan took Jesus from the top of the temple to “a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”” (Matthew 4:8-9)

At first glance, it seemed obvious that this was a temptation about taking the easy way out.  “Skip the whole torture and death thing, Jesus; I’ll just give it to you if you worship me.”  Avoid pain whenever possible.  That pretty much sums up my philosophy of life.  I’m not just talking about physical pain, although I definitely try to avoid that; I’m talking about all pain.  If I had my way, I would never have to worry about money or relationship issues or illness or death.  I would live happily ever after.  I would have a life of, well, ease.

Jesus obviously didn’t take the easy way out, and his victory is applied to me, for all of the times I avoided pain to the point of being dishonest, lazy, selfish, etc.  The End.

Easy, right?  But, for some reason, with this temptation, I just couldn’t get past what Satan was offering.  He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he said he would give it all to Jesus.  This presupposes that it was his to give.  Note that Jesus didn’t laugh at him and say, “Who do you think you’re kidding?”  If what Satan was offering Jesus was just ridiculous, then the temptation was no temptation at all; but, obviously, it was a real temptation, so what was it all about?

 I don’t claim to understand whether, as some have suggested, Satan had some official role in relation to the earth, and, if so, when it was given to him (Before the fall? After the fall?); but, in at least three Old Testament passages, Job 1 and 2 and Zechariah 3, Satan is mentioned as coming before God in what appears to be a representative manner regarding matters that concern this world.  In each instance, he was either looking for someone to accuse, or he was accusing.

 Regardless of whether or not Satan was the Representative of Earth in the Heavenly Council, we do know that since the time of Adam, every single person had sinned, and now stood condemned to suffer the wrath of God.   Romans 2:5 says, “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.”  Ephesians 2:3 says we were all, by nature, objects deserving God’s wrath.  Satan’s rule over the earth was based on his right to stand before God and accuse everyone on the planet of deserving God’s wrath, or punishment, which would be poured out on the Day of Judgment.

In the book of John, there are three passages where Jesus refers to Satan as “the prince of this world”, and these passages helped me to understand the third temptation.  The setting for each of these passages is the week before Jesus’ death, and each reference to Satan is specifically related to that death. 

In John 12, what we refer to as Palm Sunday had just occurred. In verse 27 Jesus spoke of all that he was facing, and his feelings about it.  He said, “Now my heart is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour.  Father, glorify your name!”

 He was troubled at the thought of what lay ahead, and his Father heard the cry of his Son and answered him, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”  (John 12:28) In that exchange between Jesus and his Father we see that, Jesus had come for the very purpose of suffering and dying, and that his suffering and death would bring glory to his Father.  God’s answer to him was that, in Jesus’ birth, life and ministry to this point, he had already been glorified, and that now, in Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection, he would be glorified again.

In that context, Jesus says, “Now is the time for judgment on this world, now the prince of this world will be driven out.”  (John 12:31)  Jesus was about to end the power of Satan’s rule once and for all.  He was going to drive him out!  But, how would he do that?  First, he would take, as his own, the sins of the entire world.  He assumed the responsibility for every sin of every human that had ever lived or would ever live.  Then, he faced God’s righteous judgment for all of those sins, and stood as one condemned before God, deserving of his wrath.  And, finally he satisfied God’s wrath by offering himself as a sacrifice, for us, on the cross.  The resurrection was the evidence that the mission was accomplished and the sacrifice was accepted.

Satan could no longer accuse anyone who accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on their behalf.  Judgment had already been satisfied.  “…there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1) Satan’s power was broken at the cross!

Jesus’ second reference to Satan as the prince of this world is in John chapter 14.  Jesus was with the disciples at the Last Supper.  He had told them that one of them would betray him, and in chapter 13, Satan had entered Judas, and Judas left to set his betrayal in motion.  Jesus continued preparing the disciples for what lay ahead, and he comforted them by telling them that he would be going to be with his Father soon, but that he would send them another Advocate or Comforter, the Holy Spirit, who would “remind you of everything I have said to you.”  He told them that he was leaving his peace with them and that they didn’t need to be worried or afraid.  He told them that they should be glad he was going to his Father and then he said, “I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming.  He has no hold on me, but the world must learn that I love the Father and that I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.” (verses 30-31)

With those words Jesus made clear that he was not Satan’s victim, or submitting to Satan’s power in going to his death; rather, he was going to his death for us, because he loved his Father, and this was not only his Father’s will, but his command, and Jesus fulfilled all of his Father’s commands.

The third reference is found in John 16.  They are still at the Last Supper and Jesus is once again speaking of the Holy Spirit who would be coming to them.  While all of what he said to them about the coming Counselor is important, right now I want to focus only on what Jesus says here about the work of the Holy Spirit in regard to Satan.  “When he [the Holy Spirit] comes he will convict the world…in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.”(Verses 8,11)  As he has throughout his discourse on his soon coming suffering and death, Jesus spoke of the outcome as a completed fact.  Here he confidently proclaims that the prince of this world stands condemned.  When the Holy Spirit arrived, he would prove the world wrong about their idea of judgment.  The sins of the world were judged, condemned and atoned for, at the cross.  Forgiveness is there for all who will accept it.  The only one who stands condemned, without hope, is the accuser himself.

Now, let’s go back to the mountaintop and consider what Satan was actually suggesting in his alternative plan.    “…the devil… showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.  “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”” (Matthew 4:8-9) 

“Forget the sins of the world,” he was saying, “look at all there is to enjoy.  See the splendors the world has to offer.  If you join forces with me, if you acknowledge me as your God, what a ride we could have!  Our pleasures would be unending; our power would be unstoppable.  Forget your Father who expects you to suffer and die!  How crazy is that?  Look at what he wants for you versus what I want for you! You have to look out for Number One.  You’re worth it; they aren’t!  They made their own bed; just let them lie in it.”

“Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan!  For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Yes, Jesus refused to take the easy way out, and that victory is applied to me for every time I have; but, he also chose to ignore the pleasures of the world; he refused to put himself and his enjoyment first;  he chose to ignore worldly power and fame.  Instead, “he made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant…he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:7,8)

For every time I have chosen to put myself first and have chosen the pleasures of the world over God and over my fellowman; for every time I have chosen power over humility; for every time I have acted on the thought that “they made their own bed; just let them lie in it”; Jesus’ victory on that mountaintop is applied to me.

And not just that, but, for every sin that you and I have ever committed, or ever will commit, because Jesus chose to be obedient to death, his victory was applied to us, at the cross; we need only to accept it, and we are no longer accused.