First Reading (Numbers 21,4-9)
Reading of the Book of Numbers.
In those days, the children of Israel set out from Mount Hor, along the path that leads to the Red Sea, to go around the country of Edom. During the journey the people began to get impatient, and began to speak against God and against Moses, saying: “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread, there is a lack of water, and we are already disgusted with this miserable food”. Then the Lord sent poisonous serpents against the people, which bit them; and many people died in Israel. The people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord that he will take away the serpents from us.” Moses interceded for the people, and the Lord responded: “Make a fiery serpent and place it for a sign on a pole; whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and placed it as a sign on a pole. When someone was bitten by a serpent, and looked at the bronze serpent, he was healed.
– Word of the Lord.
– Thank God.
Gospel (John 8,21-30)
Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John.
— Glory to you, Lord.
At that time, Jesus said to the Pharisees: “I leave and you will seek me, but you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot go”. The Jews commented: “Is he going to kill himself? For he says, ‘Where I am going, you cannot go?’ ” Jesus continued: “You are from below, I am from above. You are from this world, I am not from this world. So they asked him, “Who are you then?” Jesus replied: “This is what I tell you from the beginning. I have many things to say about you, and to judge as well. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I heard from him is what I speak to the world.” They did not understand that he was speaking to them about the Father. Therefore, Jesus continued: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but only speak what the Father taught me. He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” As Jesus spoke thus, many believed in him.
— Word of Salvation.
— Glory to you, Lord.
Reflecting the Word of God
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
If you have ever traveled a long and difficult road, you know well that moment of frustration when the destination never seems to arrive. Impatience grows, irritation increases, and we begin to question: “Was it worth starting this journey?” It is in this scenario of despair and frustration that we find the people of Israel in our first reading.
“The people, already impatient with the journey, spoke against God and against Moses,” the Book of Numbers tells us. Freed from slavery in Egypt, guided by the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, witnesses of countless miracles – and yet, impatient. “Why did you make us leave Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread, no water, and we are already disgusted with this miserable food.”
How much ingratitude! How could they so quickly forget all the wonders that God worked for them? It’s easy to judge the people of Israel, isn’t it? But if we’re honest with ourselves, how many times have we acted in exactly the same way?
How many times, in times of difficulty, do we forget the blessings we have received? How many times, facing obstacles, do we question God’s goodness and providence? How many times have we preferred the “security” of slavery to the uncertainty of freedom, the comfort of the known to the challenge of the unknown?
God’s response to the people’s complaint is surprising and paradoxical. He sends poisonous serpents whose bites bring death. But this is not a story about a vengeful God. It’s a story about repentance, grace, and most importantly, about looking beyond our immediate circumstances.
The people cry out to Moses, recognizing their sin. And God, in His mercy, provides a remedy: “Make a bronze serpent and set it up for a sign. Whoever is bitten and looks at it will live.” There is no magic in this bronze serpent. The healing power is not in the object itself, but in the act of obedience and faith. Looking at the serpent was an acknowledgment of his need, a confession of his powerlessness, and an act of trust in the word of God.
This image of the serpent raised in the desert leads us directly to today’s Gospel. Jesus, in His conversation with the Pharisees, prophesies: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am.” The reference to the bronze serpent is unmistakable. Just as the Israelites were healed by looking at the elevated serpent, humanity would find salvation by looking at the Christ elevated on the cross.
The divine irony is astonishing. The cross, an instrument of torture and humiliation, becomes the throne of divine glory. The symbol of defeat becomes an emblem of victory. Death becomes a passage to life. And just as the bronze serpent was just a symbol, pointing to the true source of healing, the cross is not an end in itself, but directs us to God’s infinite love and mercy manifested in Christ.
Jesus says to the Pharisees, “You are from below, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world.” These words reveal the fundamental contrast between the divine and human perspectives. The Pharisees, like us often, were trapped in an earthly view, concerned with power, status, and immediate security. Jesus, on the other hand, offers a transcendent perspective, inviting us to look beyond appearances, beyond the momentary, beyond the material.
“Unless you believe that I Am, you will die in your sins,” warns Jesus. The use of the divine name “I Am” (which echoes God’s revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai) did not go unnoticed by the Pharisees. Jesus was affirming his divine identity, provoking a decision of faith. Believing in Jesus as the “I Am” is not simply accepting an intellectual fact; it is entering into a transformative relationship with the living God.
And here is the core of today’s message for us: where are we looking? What is our perspective?
Like the Israelites in the desert, we often fixate on what is missing in our lives, what is difficult, what is painful. We complain, we doubt, we question the goodness of God. And, like the Pharisees, we often judge based on purely human criteria, unable to discern the presence and action of God in our midst.
But today’s readings invite us to raise our gaze. To look beyond our immediate circumstances, beyond our wounds and frustrations, beyond our fears and failures. We are called to look to Christ lifted up on the cross – the ultimate symbol of God’s sacrificial love for us.
This “looking at Christ” is not spiritual escapism. It’s not about ignoring real problems or pretending that suffering doesn’t exist. On the contrary, it is finding meaning in the midst of suffering. It is discovering that even our deepest pains can become channels of divine grace when we surrender them to Christ.
Think of the snakes in the desert. God did not magically remove them. The bites remained painful and potentially deadly. But He provided a path of healing that required an act of faith. Likewise, God does not remove all challenges from our lives, but He offers us, in Christ, a perspective that transforms how we experience those challenges.
There is a moving story about a young man who suffered from a terminal illness. In his final days, a visitor asked how he endured the pain and fear. He pointed to a crucifix on the wall and said, “When the pain becomes unbearable, I look at Him and think, ‘He understands. He’s been through this. He’s with me now.’ And somehow, that gives me the strength to keep going.”
This is the transforming power of looking at the high Christ. It does not remove the pain, but it gives us a companion in the pain. It does not eliminate suffering, but infuses it with meaning. It doesn’t answer all our questions, but it assures us that we are loved unconditionally by a God who chose to suffer with us and for us.
So, my brothers and sisters, amid the “snakes” in our lives – be they illness, broken relationships, financial insecurities, or internal struggles – where are we looking? Are we fixated on serpents, paralyzed by fear and anxiety? Or are we lifting our gaze to Christ, the source of all healing and hope?
Jesus assures us: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” This is the central mystery of our faith: that in the apparent defeat of the cross we find the supreme victory; that in the death of Christ we find eternal life; that in the suffering servant we recognize the King of the universe.
May we, like the Israelites in the desert, have the courage to look beyond our immediate circumstances. May we, against all human logic, find healing and hope by looking at the crucified Christ. And that, in doing so, we can discover that “He who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.”
Amen.
