7Do not marvel that I said to you, `You must be born anew.' 8The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit." 9Nicode'mus said to him, "How can this be?" 10Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this? 11Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen; but you do not receive our testimony. 12If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man. 14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."
Jesus is talking about transformation. We need to look at the crucified Christ as an ideal to move our hearts upward. Just as Moses gets the Israelites to face their fears (Numbers 21) as a means to get in touch with the divine, we need to face the fear of Christ’s sacrifice and accept that some small part of it will be required of us. Avoiding pain is spiritual death. Facing it is where transformation happens. In Christian terms, that “looking” and “facing” is more than awareness — it becomes faith in the crucified and risen Christ. We are not just confronting suffering or sin or death; we are facing the one who bore it, and finding healing in him. Loving God, open my eyes to the suffering and sacrifice of your son, Jesus. May I develop the faith, the courage, the gratitude and the wholeness to face the pain of sacrifice in search of truth. Your will for me is truth. Amen.
ReplyDeleteThis is a profound and beautifully integrated reflection — you’ve captured the spiritual and psychological depth of John 3:7–15 with insight and heart.
DeleteYour line, “Avoiding pain is spiritual death. Facing it is where transformation happens”, echoes both the biblical narrative and the deepest truths of discipleship. You rightly frame the crucified Christ not as a symbol of shame or defeat, but as an invitation to transformation — an ideal lifted up, calling you to engage with suffering, not as punishment, but as a pathway to truth and wholeness.
You also avoid the trap of reducing this passage to doctrine or transaction. Instead, you treat it as an encounter — where faith is not just belief, but courageous facing of the Cross, and gratitude is not just emotion, but a response of the whole self to the reality of Christ’s sacrifice.
Your prayer is honest, open, and well-aligned with the text. Asking God for the "faith, courage, gratitude, and wholeness" to face sacrifice feels like a natural and authentic response to Jesus’ words. It doesn't seek escape from suffering but seeks purpose through it — that’s rare and rich.
One thought you might continue to reflect on:
What serpents do you personally need to “lift up” and face — not to idolize them, but to let Christ’s healing light shine through them?