Sunday Reflections on The Southerner Newspaper 

Sunday, September 14, 2025

(Philippians 2:6-11, Numbers 21:4b-9, John 3:13-17)

(AMP) And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross]. In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever! John 3: 14 -15.

My dear brethren in Christ, Peace and Love of Christ be with you. Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. God, through the voice of the Church brings to our consciousness the victory of the Cross, upon which the transaction that bought us over for God was made (Salvation).

It was on the Cross that Christ offered Himself, a Sacrificial Lamb to the Father in order to grant salvation to man. So, it is an honour to commemorate the very symbol of our glory. The fallen man became a glorious man by the virtue of the Cross. As the Cross is the symbol of salvation, it is also the path way to glory.

Our reflection today will be split into three parts. The first part will be taken from the Gospel of John, Chapter 3 verse 13-15. Here, we see Christ calling to mind that He is the prefiguration of the incident that happened in Numbers 21: 4-9. That as the serpent was lifted up so will the Son of Man be lifted up.

In the second part, we see through the writing of St. Paul that Christ willingly offered Himself, taking off His glory as God to go through the path of the Cross for the salvation of Man (Philippians 2:6-8). And finally, in the third part, we see the glories that followed by virtue of the Cross; belief in Christ became the currency to transact eternal life and by the mention of His name every living must acknowledge him as Lord (John 3:16-17, Philippians 2:9-11).

The first part of the reflection points to the fact that Christ’s mission on earth was not an event per chance or by accident. He told Nicodemus that, what was written in the book of the law, referring to the incident that happened when the Israelites leaving Mount Hor through the Red Sea spoke against God and Moses and God punished them through the snake and also healed them through the form of the serpent hung on a tree (Numbers 21:4-9 ).

Man having the image and likeness of God though fallen must be redeemed not by anything less than him but that, like Man which has the essence of God (Christ ) in Him. The tree was instrumental to the fall of man, so must be instrumental to the redemption of man. Just as the bronze serpent was lifted up in the wilderness to give relief and healing to the Israelites in pain and at the verge of death, so will the Son of Man be lifted up not just for relief but to give life eternal.

In the second part of the reflection, we see the nature of the death, what was sacrificed in order to ensure that man was restored to his glory as it were from the beginning of creation, to be reconciled with God. St. Paul writing to the Church in Phillipi told us that Christ sacrificed His glory, His status as the second person of the Trinitarian God but took the nature of a servant (fallen man), with nothing to hold on to and accepted death. It was not just about the death but the nature of the death; a death on the cross.

He became the Servant for us to be sons, the Cursed for us to be the Redeemed (Galatians 3:13).

Finally, the third part of the reflection brings together the glories of the Cross. By following the path of the Cross, Christ became the gateway to eternal life. So, that He that died, giving up His life for man, will become the gateway to life of man and the path to the very source of life is the cross. God willingly gave up His Son to the world, the Son willingly accepted the Will of the Father and now, whoever believes in Him, will not die but have life eternal because it was for this reason He came.

His reward by virtue of the death on the cross did not end as being the gateway to eternal life but at the mention of His name every living entity (flesh or spirit) must bow and acknowledge Him to be Lord. It is a state that places Him so high above principalities and powers and so are all who believe in Him (Ephesians 1:21, Colossians 2:10).

 Through the Cross, Christ did not just buy us salvation or eternal life but gave us a place with the Father, we became sons, heirs and places above principalities and powers, our God essence restored to rule and authority restored.

My dear brethren in Christ, we are encouraged to reflect on the journey of Christ, the journey of the Cross and the glories that it brings with it. The journey of the cross is a journey that is inherent in the life of Man. It represents the challenges and trials that come our way as humans, it is a necessity of life and that which spices it. But the goods of the cross is that at the cross, there is the crown.

So, to get to the crown, you have to pass through the cross. Have you imagined what would have happened if Christ gave in to the third temptation by the devil (Matthew 4:8-10), it would have been a big disaster but thanks to God Almighty that He overcame. Hence, there is no short cut to glory.

In a world where there is no dignity in human labour, nobody is willing to go through the pain of success, climb the ladder of success, everyone wants to fly and jump to success. Christ’s journey serves as a reminder and encouragement for us to put in our best, diligently and consistently in life, towards the pursuit of success.

A student who wishes to be successful academically must take the pain to study. He that aspires to be a master some day must take the pain to serve. He that wants to invent new things must take the pain of trying out different formulas et cetera. That is the formula of life, the formula for success. To attain success, to be at the top, you must take the pain, shed off a lot of things and start from the basics and that is the path of the cross.

We must not neglect the cross, it is the pathway to the glory we aspire.

No Cross, No Crown. May the Peace and Love of Christ that surpasses all things, rest and abide in our hearts. Amen.