Eternal life
April 29, 2025 - Tuesday, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church
John 3:7b-15
The story about the serpent that Moses placed on the pole is recorded in the book of Numbers (21:5-9). The Israelites grumbled against God and as punishment, he sent poisonous snakes among them. Then, they repented and ask Moses to pray that God would remove that plague from their midst. The Lord told Moses to make a snake of bronze, mount it on a pole and everyone who looked at it got healed.
The connection between that story and the cross becomes clear. Those who looked at the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole by Moses received a new life. Those who believe in Jesus, the crucified Lord of glory, receive new life as well. The story from the book of Numbers hides a mystery that the story of Jesus unlocks. We are all bitten by a deadly snake and about to die. This truth is narrated in the famous story of Adam and Eve being deceived by the serpent in the garden of Eden. But, we were not meant for death.
The healing that took place in the desert in the time of Moses hides the mystery of much greater healing narrated in the Gospel. Those who believe in Jesus do not only prolong their earthly life, they receive a different quality of life that death cannot destroy.
Eternal life does not refer to a life that begins at the moment of death. Eternal life begins here and now for those who believe in Christ. Through faith in him and baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity, we cross from death to life. We are born of water and the Spirit. Moreover, eternal life does not only refer to a life that has no end. It also refers to a different quality of life.
We have all seen plastic flowers. It is often difficult to distinguish them from the real ones. But, there is no life in them. This comparison can help us to grasp the difference between natural life and eternal life. Both come as God’s gift, but we have ruined the first by our disobedience to God’s command. The second comes in response to our trust in God’s Son and our obedience to the Gospel.
But in order that this eternal life could be given to us, the Son of Man had to be lifted up on the wood of the cross. The sacrifice of his life is the source of our eternal life.