Pastor's Column 3/23/2025

PASTOR’S COLUMN

12  “But if you don’t believe me when I tell you about earthly things, how can you possibly  believe me when I tell you about heavenly things?  13  No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of man must be lifted, 15 so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:12-15, NLT                                                                          

 Third Sunday in Lent – “Believe!”   

How difficult it is for people to believe the truth. Accepting popular propositions and untrue biases have always come easy. For some, it takes little effort to accept unsubstantiated ideas, but truth has many hurdles to climb before it reaches the understanding of the skeptical. Human thinking often shares an affinity with what a person chooses to believe, rather than what is true and valid. When Nicodemus, an influential jurist and intelligent man went to Jesus, he wanted to know how he could enter the Kingdom of God. He wanted to know how one could attain a “right relationship” with God. Jesus told Nicodemus he had to accept, or believe in, the validity of a “new birth.”  Nicodemus immediately offered his own assertion of skepticism, that a second birth was impossible.  Jesus, of course, was not referring to physical birth, but a spiritual birth. Nicodemus eventually  accepted the new birth, by believing in Jesus, as the source and guide to that birth. Jesus then reached back more than a thousand years to uncover the meaning on an incident which involved their ancestors in the wilderness, on their journey to the Promised Land. It was there, the people complained bitterly where they were, and the manna they had to eat. Their disobedience brought illness and death by “fiery serpents.” Moses interceded for the people. God has him make a bronze snake and place it on a wooden rod. If bitten by a snake, the people would pass in front of the serpent; looking at it, they were healed. Jesus said the serpent represented Him on the cross. All who look to Him who was raised on a wooden cross, will be saved!