Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?!

The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. (Numbers 21:5-6)

I remember the first time I watched “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” in the movie theater. When Indiana Jones threw the torch down into the Well of the Souls, he saw that the floor was moving. Why? Because the floor was covered with snakes! It was at that point he uttered that infamous line: “Snakes… why’d it have to be snakes?” I’m with Indiana Jones, there is one way to make me jump — seeing a snake, even a non-venomous one!

As I read the passages of Scripture for this Fourth Sunday in Lent, I thought to myself, “Why did it have to be snakes.” If it had been the fifth Sunday in Lent, I could have used St Patrick (his feast day is March 17th) to drive the snakes out of my mind much like he purportedly drove the snakes out of Ireland! But alas, I wasn’t going to be that lucky. So Padre, what is it about snakes and the readings from Numbers and the Gospel of John? I’m glad you asked!

In the lead up to this passage, God had already given the people land and water they needed in order to survive. Had they so quickly forgotten the bounty of the Lord which included manna that appeared with the morning dew? Had they forgotten the horrible conditions they endured as slaves in Egypt? Why on earth did they want to return to Egypt and slavery! Why weren’t they content with what the Lord had given them? The interesting thing is, people like to complain. Yes, I’m looking in the mirror as I make that statement.

When I was deployed with the Air Force I found it interesting that people complained about the food that the Dining Facility staff prepared for us. Did the menu repeat itself? Yes, it did. Was it decent chow? Absolutely! Our Services personnel took great pride in their work. However, I was reminded, and in turn reminded the other troops, that we could be eating MRE’s like our military members who were in areas where there was heavy combat. (Wikipedia describes MRE’s as a self-contained individual United States military ration used by the United States Armed Forces and Department of Defense. It is intended for use by American service members in combat or field conditions where other food is not available. )

As I continued to reflect on this story about snakes in the wilderness, I wondered what sort of snakes I might be dealing with today. I see the snakes symbolizing what distracts me from what God has called us to be and to do. In the story, the people realized that they were being distracted by complaining, forgetting God, and other issues. Once they realized what they were doing, the snakes were no longer the focus of their lives. God essentially said, forget the snakes and I’ll take care of them… return to the life of faith to which I called you when I brought you out of Egypt.

In today’s contentious world, I see more attacks against strangers and friends than I do dialogue. Whether it is in the national, state, or local governments, division and animosity seem to be in control. The snakes in my own life are usually tied up with despair, anger, and a lack of patience on my part to name a few. These snakes can poison my sense of hope and lead me to despair and anger. A sense of optimism and hope is essential for my own spiritual life. While I am not advocating becoming a “PollyAnna” and burying my head in the sand, I am advocating looking for the “silver lining” in the midst of the storm and not allow the storm to drown me.

In his book, No Man Is an Island, Thomas Merton shared some words of wisdom that I believe are relevant as we seek to live in a way that is different from what we often experience on Social Media and the “news” channels. The beginning of love is the will to let those we love be perfectly themselves, the resolution not to twist them to fit our own image. If in loving them we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them. 

For me, Love is at the center of who I believe I am called to be as a Christ-follower. After all, Jesus tells us through Scripture that we are to love God and love our neighbor… that also means loving our enemies and praying for those who persecute us. In the Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday in Lent, we begin reading in the midst of a discussion between Nicodemus the Pharisee and the Rabbi Jesus about what it means to have eternal life.

Far too often our focus on the the third chapter of John is verse sixteen.For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. However, I challenge us to wonder… did God send Jesus into the world to condemn the world? Verse seventeen appears to say otherwise:Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. Have we somehow turned John 3:16 into a snake which we use to condemn those who don’t believe exactly as we do when it comes to matters of faith, life, or even politics? Is it really “my way or the highway” when it comes right down to it? Here in the United States, as the primaries continue, I fear that it will become even more contentious inside and outside of the church. Therefore, I believe that the message of Love and cooperation is imperative.

The Jesus I know challenged the Empire and the Religious establishment for the way in which they treated those on the margins. In him I see the fulfillment of Micah 6:8 —what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God? Believe me, many times a day I hear him asking me: Michael, how does what you say or what you do reflect the word of the Prophet Micah? And how do you live out my summation of the Law: ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

As Merton said: If in loving them [our neighbors] we do not love what they are, but only their potential likeness to ourselves, then we do not love them: we only love the reflection of ourselves we find in them. Dear reader, may we seek to see others as they were created by God according to Genesis 1:27 — So God created humans in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.