June 2025 Newsletter
Author: Pastor Horton
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14-15
The Snake, an Unexpected Animal
My first parsonage was located on the edge of town in the Minnesota River Valley. It was beautiful, but it was also filled with snakes. There were small and colorful garter snakes as well as large bull snakes which were harmless – even though they closely resembled rattlesnakes. The cool basement block of the parsonage attracted them during the hot summers. And more than once I opened the front door only to startle a snake and have it slither quickly away. Each time I ran into a snake it was unexpected.
Certainly the serpent found in Genesis 3 was unexpected. Perhaps its function and ability to speak was unexpected to Adam. Regardless, the content of its message was absolutely unexpected, catching Adam and Eve off guard. The devil operated through such an animal to question and then to challenge God. Such temptations led humans into the first sequences of sin and the grim reality of death.
In our passage for today, we find Jesus, referencing a different account involving snakes. The children of Israel grumbled against Moses and in so doing grumbled against God. Their punishment involved an outbreak of venomous snakes in the camp. More than a threat, people were bitten and died. But they also understood and applied the severity of this lesson. They repented, asking both Moses and the Lord for forgiveness. God’s solution? Help would come in the form of a bronze snake lifted up before the eyes of the people that all who looked upon it would live.
This was God’s gracious act to save. His gracious act to save us through Jesus was also unexpected. We have only earned death for our sins. And yet look at what God does for you and for me who are so often sinfully rebellious to him! He sent Jesus, who, in our verse for today, foreshadowed his wonderfully unexpected work of winning our salvation. For just as the bronze snake was lifted up before the eyes of the people – Jesus himself would be lifted up on a cross for all of humanity. All who looked upon him by faith were saved! Thankfully, God the Holy Spirit has helped us to hear and to see God’s wonderfully unexpected gospel actions which save us from our sins and to give us life with him both now and forever.
If you happen to bump into a snake this summer in your adventures you may be alarmed. It may be an unexpected meeting. Remember the first fall into sin. But remember also Jesus’ wonderfully unexpected promise and fulfillment to be lifted high on the cross and remove sin and death for us. Through him we have life. Let’s live this summer to his glory!
