Every family has traditions.
My wife and I have one…where we hide an Easter bunny for the other to find.
It has been found in a dresser drawer.
The bunny might show up in a suitcase…when you’re off on a trip.
What does it represent?
You are remembered. You are cared for, even from a distance. You are loved.
Sometimes it disappears for months at a time…or even years.
Then it makes its appearance again when you least expect it,
communicating its message of love and care.
We need more little bunnies in our lives.
You don’t need a stuffed animal to give a bunny away.
They are sometimes called warm fuzzies.
They take the forms of: A gentle, caring hug/ a word of affirmation and support/
a gentle touch/ an act of kindness.
Warm fuzzies make you feel good. They make you feel loved.
It’s like being surrounded by a soft, thick, luxurious bath robe.
It’s like sinking into your soft, cushy recliner.
Little bunnies. Warm fuzzies.
There are no bunnies named in the Bible. Not a single one.
Although we can assume that there was a pair on the ark.
But there are no Bible verses that refer to rabbits…
and warm fuzzies is not a biblical, theological term.
Instead, what we find in the Bible are snakes.
Wait a minute. What did you say? Snakes?
Talk about being the opposite of bunnies.
There are a few things I hate. Snakes are high on the list.
They touch some deep, primordial fear within me.
Snakes live in dark, secret places.
They surprise you when you are not looking.
They bite you when you are not paying attention.
I like bunnies, but I want to stay far away from snakes.
In our Gospel reading today, Jesus is teaching the Pharisee Nicodemus.
As he did, he used Old Testament images to convey theological truth.
I notice two in particular: wilderness and serpent.
He didn’t hold up a Christian t-shirt…or a 3:16 sign at a football game.
He held up wilderness and serpent.
Jesus and Nicodemus were not on the same theological page.
But both knew their history, and God’s hand revealed in nature.
As St. Paul told the church in Rome, Ever since the creation of the world
His eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are,
Have been understood and seen through the things he has made (Rom 1:20).
Wilderness and serpent.
Let’s plumb those natural elements…
To see why Jesus chose them in particular to communicate holy truth.
The wilderness…is not where you want to live.
It is the geography from which you try to stay away.
Crops? Forget about it.
Grazing of animals? No.
Wilderness is not conducive to life.
In the Exodus, ancient Israel was in the wilderness…
As they made their way from the Red Sea to the Promised Land.
For like, overnight? No.
For like, 40 years.
In the wilderness, the people were hungry.
They cried out to God.
And God sent food from heaven for them—manna.
But that was a long time ago.
Now, the people were tired.
They had lost their spirit.
They had been eating this manna day after day.
They told God they were sick of it.
These people had the gall to say,