Exodus 15 — Thoughts

Is Jesus Made of Wood?

Researchers at MIT recently discovered the possibility of purifying water with wood — but I don't think that is what happened when Moses threw wood into the waters at Mara.

The point of this story isn't about the practicality of the method. God could have purified that bitter water any way He chose. What matters instead is what God is communicating to us by using wood to make the difference.

As you might guess, I see the Gospel in this story.

Sin has made us all like the bitter waters of Mara. And we can do nothing to become freshwater — to save ourselves. So God stepped in.

He gave us Jesus, and when Jesus enters our lives, He transforms us. Because of His work on the cross, we've changed from lost to found, darkness to light, and death to life. We were bitter water before Jesus; we are freshwater with Him.

And I don't think it's a coincidence that wood features in both stories. It was a piece of wood that made the bitter waters fresh, and it was Jesus' death on a cross of wood that takes away our sin.

Jesus is the wood that makes the bitter waters of our lives fresh. As God says at the end of this story, "I am the Lord, who heals you.”

(Originally written May 1, 2022)