From today’s reading of John 2-4

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. – John 3:14-15

The quote above is from Jesus’ famous night conversation with Nicodemus, and comes right before the far more well-known statement of John 3:16.

A recurring theme from the opening refrains of the gospels is that Jesus was “appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel” (Luke 2:34). I believe that Jesus knew that he himself would have the largest fall, and also the highest rise. The fall, his deep dive of humility, came first in his voluntarily laying aside of his heavenly throne so that he could be Immanuel, God with us. His ultimate rising is in his exaltation as the risen Savior and in the time to come where every knee shall bow and ever tongue confess that he is Lord. But there is another rising that Jesus is referring to here: the lifting up of the Son of Man on the cross.

Regarding the bronze serpent, Jesus is referring to this strange episode from the wilderness wanderings of the Jewish people:

From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. – Numbers 21:4-9

Now this is a peculiar happening, isn’t it? God sends fiery serpents among the impatient, complaining people of Israel, and the only healing is to look at a bronze replica of the very thing that is killing them. Yet in the light of the gospel this event takes on glory.

What ails us is us. Jesus came in the likeness of sinful men, though he himself is without sin. His deep dive of humility placed him in the presence of our fiery-serpent sinfulness, to be lifted up on a cross so that anyone who looks to him for healing and salvation will be saved.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:21

To some of the Israelites’ darkened minds, it made no sense to look at a snake on a pole to be healed from snakebite. To our darkened minds if often makes no sense to look at a condemned man in the form of a criminal, nailed to a cross, to save us from the wrath of God’s justice. Yet that is the only cure. We can try all the man-made healing available to us, but there is no other name by which we can be saved from our snake bitten ways than the name of Jesus. There is no one else lifted up for our salvation. Only Jesus. When Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, he was preaching the gospel. To us.

And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. – John 12:32-33

From today’s reading of Matthew 4, Luke 4-5 and John 1:15-51

Today’s reading had a lot of action: the temptation in the wilderness (where satan attempted, among other things, to counterfeit the “God can bring _________ out of these stones” declaration of John as part of his temptation – see yesterday’s post), literal cliff hangers, beautiful prophetic fulfillments, first callings of his disciples, and the most insightful early declaration of who Jesus is, among many other things.

But I want to focus on one of those close-in, intimate moments that are sprinkled throughout the gospels.

While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him. – Luke 5:12-13

There is so much about the character of our Lord packed into each of the clauses of this passage.

Jesus was busy. He was on a ministry tour, stopping off in “one of the cities”. The man who came to him wasn’t just a leper, but he was “full of leprosy”. People with skin diseases were unclean and touching them was forbidden, as the person doing the touching immediately became ceremonially unclean himself. Here was a man full of leprosy falling at Jesus feet and begging for healing.

Jesus healed some people without touching them; he even healed from long distance. But he makes the point here of touching the man. He touched a man who had gone a long time without human contact. He gave time and attention to a man who was used to having people run away from him.

You can almost hear the smile of kindness on Jesus face as he replies to the man “I will; be clean”. Immediately the man was cleansed of his disease.

The scene is simple. If you’ve been in church any time at all you’ve heard a sermon on this. You already know about the restrictions on contact with skin-diseased people. You already know that Jesus is a healer. None of this is new to you or me.

But hopefully, in another respect, these episodes in Jesus’ life and ministry are new every day. Every day he answers the desperate prayer of a desperately unclean person: “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean”. And he touches them and makes them clean! That simply doesn’t get old. The problem many of us have is that we don’t see it very often: either we have surrounded ourselves with those who are already (or who already appear to be) clean, or we have isolated ourselves to just the company of . . . ourselves.

There is an entire world out there of people who are longing to be healed. They desperately need the touch of the One who won’t himself become unclean by touching them, but who transfers his cleanliness to them, healing them of their disease.

Even as believers in Jesus, healed of our sin-sickness and no longer slaves to it, we need that daily (hourly, minutely) touch of the great Healer. And we need to, ourselves, carry his healing touch into the world, among the people no one else wants to be around, and – Lord willing – be astonished and joyful witnesses over and over to the work of the Healer.

“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”

“I will; be clean.”

From today’s reading of Matthew 2 and Luke 2:39-52

Matthew 2 is not a peaceful chapter. It describes the paranoia of King Herod “the great”, the flight of Jesus’ family to Egypt, and the subsequent slaughter of the youngest children of Bethlehem.

This record of the early life of Jesus already begins to demonstrate the strife and murderous foolishness that attends those who are “kings” in this life when the King of kings has come to claim ownership. The great bringing low of the mighty and raising up of the humble has already begun. Strongholds will be cast down.

But not without a fight.

Matthew records the fulfillment of a prophecy from Micah 5, by quoting this portion of it:

“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’” – Matthew 2:6

I took a look at the fuller context of the quoted passage, which is below:

Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;
siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD,
in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth.
And he shall be their peace.
-Micah 5:1-5

Little Bethlehem, humble, somewhat of a backwater. From you has come this One we call Jesus, ancient of days, the great Shepherd, majestic to the ends of the earth, who has become our peace.

All the Herods of this world can rage and scheme and murder, but they will not prevail. Their evil, though devastating in their moment, is temporary. “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” They will wage war to no avail; the Prince of peace has come, humble and born in humility, born of humble parents in a humble town, King of kings, Shepherd of his flock to the ends of the earth, mighty to save.

From today’s reading of Matthew 1 and Luke 2:1-38

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”

And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
– Luke 2:25-35

A long time ago the gentle old pastor teaching my New Testament class said that he figured Simeon was just a kindly old man who said this to all of the glowing young mothers with babies who came into the temple. “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples”.

It doesn’t really read that way, does it? I think that it’s easy to forget the situation Mary, Joseph, Simeon and the rest of the people of Israel were in at this time. They were oppressed and living in a much harsher world than most of us know. They were groaning for redemption.

I love this prophetic word spoken to Mary and Joseph by Simeon: “my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel”. Simeon is speaking in the Spirit, and he continues the theme of these very early parts of the gospel: light has dawned! The sun of righteousness is rising! This is not just light for Israel, but a revelation to the Gentiles as well.

Jesus has been born, the One who is the Light and who casts down and exalts.

Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.

This, by the way, would demolish my gentle old NT professor’s idea that Simeon was just a sweet old guy who liked encouraging young mothers.

Jesus came to bring the fall and the rising of many. As you have probably noticed, those who are already high don’t like being brought low and therefore Jesus, who had already willingly brought himself lower than we can imagine, for our sakes, was going to be violently opposed; Mary was destined for great heartbreak. This isn’t a Hallmark message.

And yet hope and glory permeates Simeon’s message to Mary and Joseph. The Rescuer has come. The day is dawning. Jesus is here!

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

– Matthew 1:21