Spell L-O-V-E
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:14-18).
How do you spell love? Sometimes love is spelled out as you write home when you would rather be hitting the sack. Sometimes it is spelled out when you help a person who doesn’t deserve it. Sometimes it is spelled when you speak an encouraging word.
Jesus used action to spell love too. That is why he said: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” In order to understand the analogy, it is necessary to understand what he is talking about when he referred to Moses and the snake. Toward the end of Israel’s wandering in the wilderness, they began to grumble against the Lord once again. So the Lord sent venomous snakes among them. When the people saw the snakes and the fatalities they caused, they repented and asked Moses to intercede on their behalf. After Moses had prayed for the people, the Lord told him to make a snake out of bronze and place it upon a pole. When someone who had been bitten by a venomous snake would look at the snake, that person would live.
Now looking at a bronze snake is not a medically-recognized cure for snakebites, is it? So what happened? Well, lives were spared because God had promised to spare all who looked to the snake. Whoever looked while believing that promise was saved.
That is the point of comparison that Jesus used in the verses of our text. Jesus said that he, the Son of Man, had to “be lifted up.” And yes, whoever looks to him in faith will be saved.
Just to make sure you understand how this action spells love, Jesus goes on to say, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” There certainly was nothing that this world of sinners had done to deserve God’s love. There is no logical reason why God should love us. In fact, it’s just the opposite. People have always known that their evil behavior angers God. And they expect him to punish them as a result. Sinners are just waiting for the God’s hammer to fall and his punishment to come. The fear of God’s punishment is so great that we cannot even begin to imagine that God would love us.
That is what makes this gospel gem so great! God sent his only Son, his only-begotten Son, to save a world of people who had rejected him. When we say that God is love, this is the action that spells it out. God gave up his Son to death so that the very people who had hated him and couldn’t even fathom a loving God might be saved.
This includes you. When Jesus says that “God so loved the world …” he is talking about everyone—including you! His love is so great that it transcends our understanding. His love moved him to punish his Son instead of punishing you. It prompted him to give you eternal life instead! That’s how God spells L-O-V-E! Amen.
Prayer: Oh Lord, thank you for loving me enough to sacrifice your only Son in order to save me. Accept my praise and use me to tell others the Good News. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.