"so must the Son of Man be lifted up."
These were the words of the gospel of John in describing how the Son of Man shall bring eternal life to those who believe in him.
A wholistic view of the Johannine gospel reveals to us that “to be lifted up” means two things: crucifixion and resurrection. Jesus the Christ was “lifted up” when he was mounted on the cross, nailed to it and left to die. He was lifted from the earth and hunged on the cross. The Son of Man was lifted up on the cross. Also, Jesus the Christ was “lifted up” when three days later, he rose from the dead. He was lifted from the bondage of death, to the glory of the Father’s love. The Son of Man was lifted up to heaven [although this statement may be taken as referring to Ascension alone, the mystery of Ascension forms part of the wider mystery of the glory of Jesus that begins in his Resurrection]. For the gospel of John, to be lifted up is to be crucified and to rise again. The death and the new life of Jesus, this is the act of being “lifted up.” This union we find in the cross. On the cross Jesus died. Through the cross he rose again.
The cross which was a sign of death, shame and injustice, was transformed into a sign of life, hope and salvation. Death and life become one in the triumph of the cross of Jesus Christ. As formerly the Jews are afraid of the cross, today, we Christians, embrace the cross, for in the cross we find new life, strength and courage. In the cross we find freedom, victory and triumph. For united in every cross of this world, in every trial, pain, suffering and poverty, is the promise of hope, “inheritance of the land,” life eternal and salvation.
The cross calls us to face squarely the hurts and challenges of this life. But we do not face them with eyes closed, or with trepid hearts. We face them with faith and love for we know we shall overcome; we shall be “lifted up.”
