June 4, 2026
Do You Like a Mystery? - Part 4
John 3:13-16
06/04/2026
13 No one has ascended into heaven except he who
descended from heaven, the Son of Man.
14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal
life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life. (ESV)
This week we are looking at the Trinity, the Church's
understanding of God, by studying the third chapter of Saint
John's Gospel. How did Jesus explain the mystery of faith to
Nicodemus? He looked back to the days when the children of
Israel were in the wilderness. Because they grumbled against
Moses, and therefore grumbled against God, they were plagued by
venomous snakes. A lot of people were bitten and died.
When the people repented, God told Moses to make a bronze
image of a snake and elevate it on a pole. Those who were bitten
and looked in faith to the bronze serpent did not die.
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended
from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man
be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have
eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life.
The second Person of the Trinity, the One who came down from
heaven, would also be lifted up on a wooden cross. Those who
look to the cross, those who trust that the death of the Son of
God paid for their rebellion, will have life.
The Father, out of love, sent His Son to bear the sins of
the world. That is the mystery of the faith.
May our Lord grant that we may look in faith to Christ Jesus
for the forgiveness of our sins. Amen.