Loading today's devotional...
No devotional available for this date.
Lifted Up So That All Might Live
Where We Are
Alleluia! Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter continues our reading of John 3, the nighttime conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. Yesterday we heard about being born again of water and Spirit; today the evangelist John takes us deeper into the mystery of why the Son of God came into the world. In Acts, the early community lives in radical generosity: they are of one heart and soul, and no one claims private ownership of possessions. The Resurrection does not just change beliefs; it transforms how people relate to one another and to their material goods.
The Word
In Acts, the community of believers is of one heart and soul. No one claims possessions as their own; they share everything. The apostles give testimony to the Resurrection with great power, and abundant grace is upon them all. Barnabas is singled out as an example of generosity. In John's Gospel, Jesus continues his teaching to Nicodemus: "No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes may have eternal life." This "lifting up" in John always carries a double meaning: the cross and the glory. What looks like defeat is actually exaltation.
Continue Reading
Sign in to read the full devotional and receive it in your inbox each morning - a quiet moment of reflection to start your day.
By signing in, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Reflect
The image of being "lifted up" is one of the most layered metaphors in John's Gospel. On the surface, Jesus refers to his crucifixion: he will be physically raised on the cross. But in John's theology, the cross is simultaneously the moment of glorification. Jesus is not lifted up in shame but in triumph. The cross is his throne.
The parallel to Moses's bronze serpent is illuminating. In the desert, when the people of Israel were dying from snakebites, God told Moses to make a serpent of bronze and set it on a pole. Anyone who looked at it would live. The cure was not in the serpent itself but in the act of looking, of trusting God's provision. Jesus says the same pattern holds for him: look upon the one who is lifted up, and you will live.
This is faith in its most essential form: not intellectual assent to a set of propositions, but a turning of the gaze toward the crucified and risen Christ. It is not our understanding that saves us; it is our willingness to look.
The Acts reading shows us the fruit of this gaze. People who have looked upon the Risen Christ become radically generous. They hold nothing back. They see their possessions not as private property but as resources for the common good. This is what happens when the Resurrection sinks from the head to the heart: our grip on things loosens, because we have found something worth more than anything we could own.
Barnabas, whose name means "son of encouragement," models this beautifully. He sells his field and brings the money to the apostles. No fanfare, no conditions. Just open hands.
Living It
Today, practice the discipline of looking. Spend a few minutes gazing at a crucifix or an image of the Risen Christ. Let your eyes rest there without trying to analyze or theologize. Simply look, as the Israelites looked at the bronze serpent. Then ask: What am I holding too tightly? The early Church's generosity flowed from their encounter with the Resurrection. Choose one possession, one resource, one hour of your time, and give it away today without conditions. Be a Barnabas: a son or daughter of encouragement, with open hands and an open heart.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you were lifted up on the cross so that everyone who looks to you might live. We turn our gaze to you today, not with perfect understanding, but with trust. Loosen our grip on the things we cling to. Make us generous like the early Church, who held everything in common because they had found something more precious than property. Give us Barnabas's open hands and open heart. We look to you, the one who was lifted up, and we live. Alleluia. Amen.
Signed in as ·
