[, 1994 The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana 9
"Commentary--
Exaltation of Jesus: God's love for the world
tlOSPel Commentary for John that the Son of Man must be
tea 13, 1994, Fourth Sunday lifted up is a theological develop-
• at, Cycle B, John 3:14.21.
ment expressed in the a biblical
L book called "The Wisdom of
II " " " " " '
I
it
It
:q
s a Story in the Book of Numbers 21:5-19.
Were complaining about food and
to their grumbling the Lord sent
These bit the people and
• The people turned to
Moses prayed for the people and got
the Lord. Moses was to cast a bronze
t it up or lift it up on a pole where all
who had been bitten but looked
ze serpent were restored to healthy
;tory is the ancient magical idea
creatures can be con-
image of them and offering
that image'.
ancient story and the statement in
The Gospel of John asks the members of the
community for which it was written to look not to
the Torah but rather to Jesus and recognize in him
the Savior of all. For the author of John life was
found not in the Torah but in Jesus. If we want to
be kind to that author we will say that in his ani-
mosity toward Jews and toward the synagogue he
sometimes forgot that he himself turned to the
Torah for guidance. He even writes in chapter one
of his gospel: "We have found him of whom Moses
in the Torah and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of
Nazareth, son of Joseph." Then again in chapter
five: "If you believed Moses, you would believe me,
for he wrote of me." Thus John himself admits that
the Torah is not to be rejected but accepted as life-
giving because it speaks of him of whom Christians
believe that his lifting up on the cross, his death,
brought eternal life.
John now develops this thought by stating the
reason for Jesus being lifted up. It is this: "God so
loved the world that he gave his only Son, that who-
ever believes in him should not perish but have eter-
nal life." The Gospel of John does not expand much
on the idea of Jesus' death being a sacrifice. In chap-
ter 19 he does compare the death of Jesus to that of
the lamb slain for the Passover meal. By the first
century that slaying had taken on the characteris-
tics of a sacrifice to God. Here in 3:16 the idea era
victim being handed over for sacrifice is implied:
When John states the reason for Jesus' death as
God's gift of love, that he "gives" his only Son, Cblis-
tian readers would immediately think of another fa-
ther who was asked to sacrifice his son. Abraham
was the father. Isaac was the son. The words spoken
by God to Abraham are reminiscent of what John
writes. Here are those words: "Take your son, your
only son.., whom you love. Go... and lift him up...
as a whole offering" (translated from Greek)• Abra-
ham complied instantly in the story and was re-
warded with a blessing that would extend to all na-
tions: "by your descendants shall all the nations
bless themselves, because you have obeyed my
voice." As Abraham was obedient to God, so Isaac
was obedient to Abraham. John sees Jesus as a new
Isaac whom the Father is willing to "give" or sacri-
rice. In that sacrifice all the nations will bless them-
selves, or, as John expresses it: "God gave his only
Son, that the world might be saved through him." •
Other readings: II Chronicles 36:14.17,19.
23; Ephesians 2:4.40.
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