Daily Catholic Lectio
Tue, 24 March 2026
Fifth Week of Lent, Tuesday
Num 21:4–9. Jn 8:21–30
“Being Exalted”
As we draw closer to Holy Week, the Word of God gently leads us into the mystery of the Cross. Today, one word connects both readings and opens for us a deep spiritual path: “being exalted.” At first, it may sound like glory, honour, or lifting up in victory. But in the language of the Gospel of John, “being exalted” first means something unexpected—it means being lifted up on the Cross.
In the first reading, the people of Israel are in the desert. They grow impatient, they complain, and they turn away from God. As a result, they experience suffering in the form of poisonous serpents. When they repent, God instructs Moses to lift up a bronze serpent on a pole. Whoever looks at it is healed and lives.
This is a striking image. The very sign of their suffering becomes the instrument of their healing. The serpent, a symbol of death, becomes a source of life when it is lifted up.
Jesus takes this image and applies it to himself. In the Gospel, he says: “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM.” His exaltation is not first on a throne, but on the Cross. The Cross is not a defeat—it is the moment of revelation.
In John’s Gospel, “being exalted” has a deeper meaning. It includes three movements.
First, healing. Just as those who looked at the bronze serpent were healed, those who look upon the crucified Jesus are healed from sin. But here, “to look” does not mean simply to see with the eyes. It means to believe. It means to turn one’s heart toward him.
Second, knowing God. Jesus says, “Then you will know that I AM.” This is not just a statement; it is the divine name revealed to Moses. On the Cross, Jesus reveals who he truly is—the Son who is one with the Father. The Cross becomes a place of revelation.
Third, union with the Father. Later in John’s Gospel, Jesus will say that when he is lifted up, he will draw all people to himself. Exaltation leads to communion. The Cross becomes a bridge between heaven and earth.
Yet, there is a tension in today’s Gospel. Jesus speaks from above, but the people understand from below. He speaks of going away; they think of death in a human sense. He speaks of divine identity; they struggle to accept it. He speaks of the Father; they cannot grasp such intimacy.
This is the tragedy of misunderstanding. Those who remain “below” cannot understand what comes from “above.” Jesus invites them—and us—to rise to a higher way of seeing.
“Being exalted,” then, is not only about Jesus. It is also about us.
To be exalted with Christ is to learn to see differently. It is to move from a lower way of thinking—centred on fear, self, and confusion—to a higher way of thinking—rooted in faith, trust, and surrender.
The world often repeats one message: “Save yourself.” Think of yourself. Protect yourself. But Jesus shows another way. He does not save himself; he gives himself. And precisely in giving himself, he is exalted.
There is also a profound intimacy in Jesus’ words today: “I do nothing on my own… the one who sent me is with me… I always do what is pleasing to him.” This is the secret of his exaltation. It is not power. It is not success. It is relationship. His entire life is rooted in the Father. He is never alone. He does only what pleases the Father.
Here is the invitation for us.
When we look at the crucified Jesus, what happens within us? Do we simply see suffering? Or do we see love? Do we remain the same? Or are we healed? To look at him is to believe. To believe is to be healed. To be healed is to begin to live differently.
Every time we lift our eyes to the Cross, we are asked: Am I ready to be lifted up with him—not in pride, but in love? Am I ready to rise from a lower way of thinking to a higher way of faith? Am I ready to live in communion with the Father, doing what is pleasing to him?
“Being exalted” is not about escaping suffering. It is about transforming it. It is about discovering that even the Cross can become the place of life, healing, and union with God.
And so today, let us look at the One who is lifted up.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
Leave a comment