Homily | March 24, 2026 | What If The One Thing You Avoid Is Your Cure (Episode 66)

Jesus refuses soft language and tells the truth: without faith in who he is, we remain in sin and its deadly spiritual consequences. We connect the desert story of the bronze serpent to the Cross and ask what it looks like to stop minimizing sin and finally look at Christ for healing. 
• Jesus’ warning as direct diagnosis rather than condemnation 
• The Israelites’ complaints as a mirror of our own impatience 
• Sin as spiritually deadly rather than a mere weakness 
• God’s simple remedy and the call to look 
• The bronze serpent as a foreshadowing of the Cross 
• Why we avoid the truth that looking requires humility 
• A personal examen of what we justify or ignore 
• Believing enough to change rather than staying comfortable 

Look, believe, and live in Him.

Thank you for listening! Visit us at www.saintaugustinechurch.org

Transcript

Jesus Makes A Hard Claim

SPEAKER_00 0:01

In today's gospel, we see Jesus say, if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. That's not symbolic. That's not poetic. That's not exaggerated. That is as direct as it gets. And the question is, do we believe that? Or have we created a version of Christianity that's softer, safer, more comfortable? Because Jesus doesn't say, if you don't believe in me, it's fine. If you don't believe in me, well, you'll figure out later. And no, he says, you will die in your sins.

Complaints In The Desert

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Now go to the first reading because this is where it begins. The people are tired, frustrated, impatient, and they start to complain, not just about Moses, but about God. Why have you brought us here? There's nothing to eat. We're disgusted. Sounds familiar. Because this is not ancient history. This is who we are. This is our human condition. When life gets hard, when things don't go our way, when we can't control the situation, can't control the narrative. When God doesn't act on our timeline, we complain. We question. We

Sin Kills And God Reveals It

SPEAKER_00 1:16

turn inward, and then something happens. Serpents, they bite, people begin to die. Now don't misunderstand this. God is not being petty. This is not random punishment. This is revelation. Sin kills, destroys the soul. That's the point. And here's the problem. We don't believe that anymore. We think sin is a mistake, a weakness, a personality trait. But scripture is clear. Sin is deadly, not emotionally, not symbolically, spiritually deadly. So what does God do? Gives them a remedy. Not complicated, not hidden, a bronze serpent. Lift it up. And he says, look at it. And if you look at it, you will live. Think about that. The very thing that wounded them becomes the instrument of their healing.

The Bronze Serpent And The Cross

SPEAKER_00 2:15

Now, if you go to the gospel, Jesus says, When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I am. There it is. That's the key. He's talking about the cross. The cross is the bronze serpent. Lift it up so that anyone who looks at it and believes will live. Here's the problem people don't want to look. Because to look at the cross is to face the truth. That sin is real, that sin is serious, that sin has its consequences, and that we need saving. And that's what Jesus is saying. If you do not believe that I am, if you do not believe who I am, what I've come to do, what sin actually is, you will die in your sins. It's not common condemnation, it's a diagnosis.

Why We Refuse To Look

SPEAKER_00 3:10

So here's the challenge, and this is where it gets personal. What are you refusing to look at? What in your life have you minimized, justified, ignored? Because the Israelites had to do something very simple. Look. That's it. Not explain, not fix, not argue. Look at the bronze serpent. We struggle with that. Because looking means being honest, having humility, surrendering. Some of us are trying to manage our lives without God. Some of us, yes, we believe in God, but not enough to

What Are You Minimizing

SPEAKER_00 3:50

change. Some of us know exactly what needs to happen. But Jesus is not vague today. He's not soft. He's not trying to impress you. He's not trying to scare you or shame you. He's trying to save you. If you do not believe that I am, not if you do not believe that I exist, if you do not believe that I am the Son, the Savior, the one who died for you, the one who was lifted up for you, then what happens? You stay where you are. And where you are is not neutral.

Look At The Cross And Change

SPEAKER_00 4:27

So here's what you, so here's what you do today. Very simple, but very, but not easy. Stop minimizing sin, call it for what it is. Look at the cross, not casually, intentionally, and then believe enough to change. Not just feel, but real change. Because the cross is not decoration, it's not jewelry, it's not background, it is the answer to everything. The same Jesus who says, You will die in your sins, is the same Jesus who says, look at me. If you do, you will live.

Look Believe Live

SPEAKER_00 5:04

So don't walk away, don't avoid, don't delay. Look, believe, and live in Him. Amen.