There’s a story about a monk who joined a monastery and took a vow of silence. After the first 10 years his superior called him in and asked, “Do you have anything to say?” The monk replied, “Food bad.”
After another 10 years the monk again had opportunity to voice his thoughts. He said, “Bed hard.”
Another 10 years went by and again he was called in before his superior. When asked if he had anything to say, he responded, “I quit.” At that the superior retorted, “It doesn’t surprise me a bit. You’ve done nothing but complain ever since you got here!”
Six words, that’s all the monk said. But they were enough to brand this monk as the problem. Three complaints, that’s all the Israelites voiced. But it was enough to make the snakes bite.
Our lesson from the book of Numbers reminds us what our faith journey is often like. The people of Israel discovered that a journey that should have been maybe two-three years stretched into four, ten, then unbelievably, 40 years of wandering. At this point in the journey, two beloved leaders, Miriam and Aaron, had died. Then the Edomites wouldn’t let the Israelites pass through their land, forcing them on a long detour. Next the Canaanites picked a fight with them. The closer they came to the promised land, the more obstacles seemed to be in the way. Has life ever seemed that way to you? One obstacle after another? One delay, then another? When that happens, it’s easy, like it was for the monk, to focus on the negative and respond with complaints.
Look at the people of Israel. by the time they reached Mt. Hor, they have had it with hard times. Enough is enough! So, they raise their voices in discontent. Why have you brought us out of the land of Egypt to let us die in the wilderness? There is no food! No water! We detest this miserable food!
Seemingly innocent complaints. But God was so fed up with the constant complaints that he sent poisonous serpents to bite them. Many people died. Only then did the people recognize their sin and ask Moses to pray on their behalf.
When does complaining shift from voicing legitimate concerns to such a din of grumbling that God’s voice is drowned out? Our holy purposes obscured? Our blessings become hidden? Despite the harshness of the Israelite’s journey, God always provided, year after year after year. God provided guidance, in a pillar of smoke by day and pillar of fire by night. God gave a means to live and become community through the Law. God raised up leadership in Moses, Aaron and Miriam. God never forgot to send manna and water. God made Israel a covenant people. So, the complaining here was not just about the bad food and the scarcity of water. The complaining was a chronic denial of blessing. It was a choice to ignore God’s blessings and focus on the negative. And in this predicament, the snakes of resentment, the snakes of resistance, the snakes of despair coiled around their ankles and delivered their fatal bites.
The poet Maya Angelou remembers her grandmother’s constant admonition “watch yourself complaining, Sister. What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain." The people of Israel couldn’t change the way they thought. They couldn’t change God. They chose complaining.
Despite all the hardships and setbacks over the years, it is interesting to note that the only person in this passage who is not complaining is Moses. Moses learned he couldn’t change the people. He couldn’t change God. So, he changed himself. The people asked for prayer, so he prayed. “God said, “put a snake up on a bronze pole and anyone who has been bitten will live.” Moses did as God commanded, without question, not knowing if he would be bitten in the process. Out of the calamity God brought healing– just as Jesus’ suffering on the cross brings us forgiveness and salvation.
God sent the people a message of hope: Just look up at the serpent on the pole. And the people who obeyed this command were healed.
The experience of healing from the serpent on the pole became such a powerful encounter for the people - that – over time - the people actually began to worship the serpent on the pole. According to the scriptures, hundreds of years after the incident of the snakes in the wilderness, the King of Judah had to remove the bronze snake on the pole from the temple in Jerusalem -because people continued to burn incense to it instead of to the living God (2 Kings 18:4).
Fast forward another seven centuries - we see how Jesus identifies himself with the bronze serpent. It is an image that the people would connect with immediately. Jesus took on the sin of humanity as he was lifted up on the cross. Jesus states on of the most powerful scriptures that is now impressed on our hearts: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whomsoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send the Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. In turning our eyes toward Jesus, we are born again by the power of the Spirit. We are saved. We find eternal life.
We are saved not by anything we do but by the faith in the one who is lifted up. Our task is to keep our eyes on Jesus and do what he does. So, God calls us to live in the presence of snakes but not be poisoned by the snakes’ venom. We can do this by looking up, not down, keeping our eyes focused on the cross.
Which way shall we turn? Up? Down? It reminds me of a story about a woman whose husband had Parkinson’s disease. Struggling with her fears, she boarded a plane to Cleveland. She noticed something peculiar. From her window she could see only a dark and threatening sky – but on the other side of the plane was a beautiful sunset with gorgeous colors.
At that moment the woman sensed the Lord telling her that only she could determine her perspective. You can dwell on the gloomy picture, or you can focus on the bright things in your life and leave the dark ominous situations to me. But no matter which window you look through, the plane is still going to Cleveland. Your final destination isn’t changed by what you see or feel along the way.
Our scriptures in these final weeks of Lent encourage us to focus on Jesus lifted up on the cross. We are called to choose: to look away from those snakes that would bite and kill our spirit. The truth is there is always something to complain about. But there’s always something to be grateful for. Remember the words of Paul the apostle, who despite his sufferings tells us “Do everything without complaining or arguing Phil. 2:14.”
No matter where we are at in our wilderness, Let us choose the grace to pray. The grace to choose the good. The grace to look at the One lifted high for us. And God who has the power to change us, heal us, offer us eternal life in Christ- will gladly see us through our wilderness times to the promised land. Amen