#DailyDevotion We See That Which Kills Us On The Cross Of Christ

Lent Day 25

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

 

Jesus here, predicts the fulfillment of what the Lord did in Numbers, how he is going to die to save the world. That which is killing us must be crucified. What is killing us? Our sin. When Jesus is lifted up on the cross, he becomes the sin sacrifice so we might become the righteousness of God.

 

We sin, rebel against the Lord’s will for our lives and that old serpent, the devil, bites us and delivers us unto death. Like the Israelites who have to look up at the bronze serpent to be healed and not die, when we sin we need to look to Christ crucified to healed. This is why Paul would have nothing known among those whom he preached but Christ crucified. Only in Jesus being lifted up on the cross is there salvation.

 

Yet the Israelites looked to the cross because they believed Moses’ promise. In similar fashion, we look to the cross of Christ because we believe the promise given there. On the cross God has been reconciled to us. There he no longer counts our transgressions against us.  The cross shows us God is no longer angry with us anymore. God is not our enemy.

 

Like the Israelites who still had the snakes who bit them after Moses made the bronze snake, we still have this sinful flesh. Paul in Romans seven talks about how sin is still in him and causes him to sin. While we are not slaves to sin in Christ anymore, that is according to the new man, the new creation in Christ. This old flesh, wasting away day by day, is utterly sinful. So we cry out with St. Paul, who will save me from this body of death? Thanks be to God there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus.

 

So, as we find ourselves in the weakness of flesh, doing that we do not want to do or as the sinful flesh finds its expression in our lives, in faith we look to Jesus lifted up and believe our sins and our sinfulness has been taken care of. We have eternal life, even now, as a present possession. Sin cannot kill us anymore. Eternal death is not for us. Eternal life is ours on the cross. So we do not shy away from the cross or Jesus crucified. We glory in the cross because it is our salvation and our life before God and man.

 

Heavenly Father, grant us faith to look to Jesus crucified when our sins alarm us that we may have peace and eternal life with you. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.