In our gospel reading for today, Jesus is talking to a leader of the Jews named Nicodemus, and Jesus gives him the reason why he has come. And to explain his role in terms that Nicodemus can understand, Jesus links back to a familiar story in scripture: our first reading, where God sends poisonous serpents among his people, and then saves them by way of a bronze serpent lifted on a pole. Jesus declares to Nicodemus that Jesus himself will be lifted up on a cross, so that we may be drawn to him, and live...
The Provost Food Bank is now about four months into its experiment in how it provides fresh food items to its clients. Where we used to go shopping for our clients and purchase for them a standard package of 6 fruits and vegetables, milk, cheese, bread, and eggs, now we give the client a gift card for the approximate value we used to spend. The upside for the client is that now they have complete choice in the fresh food they get, and they don't have to throw out a head of lettuce every month that they had no intention of eating. They can stretch the value of the gift card by waiting for things to go on sale, and pace out the purchases so that nothing goes bad before they get a chance to use it. And they can retain more involvement in the process of feeding themselves. But not all clients are happy with the change. A few have complained that the gift cards are not big enough – the cost of food has gone up. Yeah, and the cost of everything has gone up for the families and companies who DONATE to the food bank. Some days, I just want to respond, in my best attempt at Darth Vader, “I find your lack of gratitude...disturbing...”
If God had spoken back to his people in our first reading today, it would have been a “find your lack of gratitude disturbing” speech. “Listen, I have just freed you from harsh slavery by sending miraculous plagues on the Egyptians, and I have just drowned the entire Egyptian army for you by parting the Red Sea, and I have provided you ample food for hundreds of thousands of people in a wilderness where no food should ever be expected, AND THE FOOD'S NOT TASTY ENOUGH FOR YOU?” Those hard-done-by people of God needed an attitude adjustment...apparently an adjustment BEYOND what seeing amazing miracles in their favour could accomplish. And so, God...sent...death. Death in the form of scary, poisonous snakes. Was that too harsh? Did those people deserve to DIE for complaining? You tell me, but the main thing is - it worked, it caught their attention, and the people repented.
So what would God's rant against US sound like? “I have let your ancestors take control of this good fertile land, I have provided healthy cattle and grass for them to eat, I have put valuable oil under your feet, I have given you talents and abilities to succeed with, I have surrounded you with friends and family and children and grand-children, and THAT'S NOT ENOUGH?” No God, it isn't enough. We want what we think the OTHER people have – the freedom to fulfil our darkest desires for power and control and pleasure. Sure, we WANT everything you are giving us and more, God, but when it comes to what we DO with what you give us, that's when we want YOU to butt out. Provide for us, but don't put expectations on us.
And so, to give us the attitude adjustment WE need, and to catch OUR attention, God sends us death. The poisonous snakes crawling around US are the opportunities that present themselves for us to reject God – the temptations to turn away from God's guidance and to commit sin and to walk away. Is that too harsh? Do we deserve to DIE if we reject God? You tell me, but then tell me also what else would get your attention other than death? What else could bring US to say, “we have sinned...pray to the Lord to take away the serpents from us.”