JESUS LIFTED UP

It’s Palm Sunday tomorrow where we enter into that last week of remembering the journey Jesus Christ took to the cross - where he was nailed hands and feet to two pieces of lumber and then lifted up in shame for all to see as He paid our debt of sin  and made it possible for us to have a living and blessed relationship with God.

And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.  John 3:14-15

There’s an ancient story recorded earlier in the Bible of God’s people travelling through the desert after God has brought them out of slavery in Egypt.  When they had no water or food God provided it. But, as we often do, they got impatient with things being what they were and they began to speak against God and Moses.

They were punished for their complaining against God and a poisonous snake bit some of them and killed them.  Suddenly they needed God again and asked Moses to pray for them.  When he did, God told Moses to make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole.  If someone was bitten by the snakes and looked to that snake lifted up on a pole, they would be healed. 

This story then was a picture that Jesus used when He was explaining to the people what God’s plan was when He would be put on a cross.

And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.  John 3:14-15

Loving God, we see so little and we forget so quickly all the good things that You do on our behalf.  History is full of many times You intervened in wonderful ways and brought people through difficult times.  We have no reason to expect anything different in our time and yet we do find ourselves complaining, feeling lost and wondering how to get through.

Today, Lord, we simply remind ourselves that You are with us. Help us to remember to look up to Jesus who hung on the cross for us, believing that He did it for us and trusting His forgiveness.

Give us grace to wait in trust. We have Your promise that You are with us and will work in all things to bring Your good plans to completion.  You are more loving and good than any of us could ever think of being and all that love for us and blessing for us is being poured out even today. 

As we enter into these very special days approaching Easter, we want our hearts to be filled with gratitude and wonder, once again, at all Jesus was willing to give up and endure on our behalf.  God, help us to understand even more than we have before all You’ve done for us.  Amen