On the Back Porch
The 4th Sunday of Lent, Year B
What We Celebrate
Our gospel selection is akin to walking into the middle of a conversation – and indeed it is. Although Nicodemus has faded from the scene, at least by mention and name, this gospel is part of that dialogue between Jesus and Nicodemus, one of the leaders of the Jews. And if it is not confusing enough, from the start there is a reference to Moses and the incident with the fiery serpents in the wilderness. How is this connected to Jesus? Why does John use this Old Testament reference?
There is a lot more to this gospel. Sit with it for a moment on the back porch.
Full Text of the Sunday Readings
Detailed Commentary on the Gospel
Moses and the Bronze Serpent by Francesco Campora, 18th Century | Museu Nacional de Belas Artes, Rio de Janeiro | PD-US
The Book of Numbers
Our gospel points to the Book of Numbers, the fourth book of the Pentateuch/Torah, the first books of the Old Testament. Take a moment and watch an overview video on the Book of Numbers.
Monsters, Dragons, Serpents, oh my!
In his book, Into the Woods, John Yorke makes the argument that every story is basically Jaws. Think about it. A dangerous monster threatens a community until one human takes it upon himself to slay the monster and restore peace to the community. Sound familiar? It is the plot of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters. It is also a primary plot of the Bible.
Have you ever wondered why so many of God’s enemies are described with snake-like language? Or what the deal is with the references to monsters (think of Job’s leviathan, or Revelation’s dragon, or Daniel’s beasts from the sea)?