Harmony of Grace

John 3:14-15 In a discussion with the religious leader Nicodemus, Jesus refers to the story that we read yesterday. He tells Nicodemus that "just as Moses lifted up the bronze snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up." Sometimes, I think that Christians try so hard to be the mediator between people and God. We seem to believe that if we  don't tell people what to believe, how to behave and what to say, then we are doing a disservice to God. With this mindset, we end up using fancy tactics to try and sell  God to people. Jesus reminds us that He  is the one who needs to be lifted up. He  is the only mediator between people and God. Instead of trying to shove our ideas of God down peoples throats, perhaps all we need to do is introduce them to Jesus and let Him do the rest.  People do not experience eternal life by coming to our church, singing our songs or becoming experts on our bibles. All of these things might assist them if used correctly,...

  Numbers 21:4-9 Today we are faced with a strange story. The Israelites were stuck in the wilderness and they were growing impatient. They spoke against God and encountered venomous snakes in their camp, causing many of their numbers to die. The people repented, Moses prayed to God and God provided them with a way out. He tells Moses to make a bronze snake, put it on a pole and if anyone gets bitten, they must look at the bronze snake and they will be saved. What a strange story indeed! There is a lot going on here, but the first question that pops into my head is "why are the Israelites saved by erecting a bronze snake here, but a few chapters earlier in Exodus 32, they are punished for erecting a golden calf? What is the difference between the two?" The simplest answer is that in Exodus they made the golden calf to become a replacement for God after they felt abandoned by Moses. In our story today, the bronze snake was meant to remind the people that it was God that saves ...