Numbers 21:4-9 / John 8:21-30
In the Church we see many religious symbols.
Most of these religious symbols have meanings that are obvious.
The Cross is the most profound sign of Christianity.
It symbolizes the sign of salvation, that Jesus died on the Cross to save us.
But in the 1st reading, God told Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and put it on a standard.
And anyone who was bitten by a fiery serpent would just have to look at it and will live.
It can be rather puzzling to make an image of a creature that caused death with its bite.
Even more puzzling is that the image is raised up on a standard and then it became a means of healing.
But that can only make some sense when seen with the image of the Cross.
The Cross was an instrument of torture and death.
But with Jesus raised on it, the Cross becomes a sign of salvation.
So in the 1st reading, God sent the fiery serpents to punish the people for their sinfulness.
The image of the fiery serpent on a standard is to remind the people of their sinfulness and also the healing forgiveness of God.
God sent His Son Jesus to save us.
When Jesus died on the Cross, it is also to remind us of the cross of our sins but Jesus died on it to save us.
Let us ponder, reflect and meditate on the Cross and give thanks to Jesus for saving us.