Spared: From Death for Life

A snake on a pole is a hideous sight! It was a reminder of the pain inflicted by the snake’s bite and even more a reminder of the cause of the snake’s bite—sin. Now we, too, look in Lent at something initially hideous. Christ on the cross is horrible to look at since his suffering is what we deserve to suffer and a reminder of the greatness of our sin and guilt. But only at the cross do we even begin to grasp the depth also of God’s love for the world. Jesus himself points our eyes to that tree and gives us the balm of healing that lasts into eternity. The Light has come into the world. Our sin and our world are horribly dark and hideous to behold, but Jesus is the light of our lives and the light of the world. Whoever believes in him possesses eternal life and loves the light! What we have earned is death. What Jesus gives is eternal life!