March 12, 2025 Daily Dose of Discernment

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.” (John 3:14-15)

Jesus introduced the simile of the lifting up of the bronze serpent in the wilderness and His crucifixion to point out that sin kills, like the venom of a snake. As the Israelites were healed when they looked at the snake Moses lifted up on a pole, so everyone who would look to Jesus will be delivered from the power of death.

Sin is a health problem, more than just a legal problem. We who are afflicted with it must be healed, not merely acquitted. The objective is not to escape punishment but to live the life God gave us. So we should not think that we can keep sinning since we are always pardoned anyway. Rather, we should understand that forgiveness of sin frees us to experience fullness of life, right here, right now.