Sermons For Lent and Easter, Cycle B
In the Holy Gospel appointed for today our Lord refers to the manner in which Moses "lifted up the serpent in the wilderness." The incident to which our Lord referred is narrated in the First Lesson. The occasion was the outburst of frustration when the Children of Israel had to backtrack from Mount Hor down to the Sea of Reeds to detour around Edom. The reason for the runaround was that the Edomites would not grant the Israelites a permit to pass through their land. Consequently, as the Israelites started their dreary march back into the desert, they started to moan and complain.
