I Was Dragged to the Cross

There’s no food, no water, and we’re getting board of these light wafers that keep showing up every morning. Moses why did you and God bring us out of Egypt into this desolate place but to watch us die?

This was the attitude of Israel while wandering in the wilderness. They had light sweet bread wafers that were on the ground in the morning so that they didn’t need to make any, quail just walked into the camp each day so that Israel had meat to eat, and a rock followed them that gushed fresh clear water every day. Yet their collective moaning and complaining could be heard more and more.

So, God sent snakes into the camp and Israel discovered quickly that their bite was venomous – those bitten died.

Israel came to Moses and repented and asked him to pray for the removal of the snakes. In answer to Moses’ prayer, God instructed him to make a snake of brass, attach it to a pole and put it up so that Israel could see it. Moses then told the people that, if bitten, they should look up at the brazen snake and they would be healed of the venom.

Jesus refers to this event in Israel’s national history (Numbers 21:4-9) in a conversation with Nicodemus and says, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” (John 3:14 KJV) He later told His disciples that if He, indeed, would be lifted up (on the cross), that He would draw everyone to Himself. (John 12:32)

There are aspects of this passage with which everyone seems to agree: that the serpent in the wilderness was symbolic of Christ on the cross, that Israel’s saving gaze upon it speaks of God’s grace, and that the power of the cross is to draw everyone to the saving power of Christ. Something, then, is added that is not in the scripture – that, while everyone is drawn to Christ, not everyone will respond.

It is interesting to note that the word used in the original, helkuo, to “draw” is a relatively strong word whose meaning seems closer to “dragging” given the context in which it is used in the New Testament. When Jesus instructed the fishermen to cast their net on the other side of their boat, they caught so many fish that they were unable to “draw”, or maybe drag, pull, or wrestle the net into the boat. After casting a fortunetelling spirit out of a young woman, the townspeople “drew” (or maybe dragged) Paul and Silas to the town square accusing them of troubling the city. (Acts 16:16-20)

The point here is that Jesus doesn’t seem to be talking about a soft tug on the heartstrings, easily resisted, when He says that He will helkuo (draw) all men to Himself. It seems more like a wrestling going on, the characterization of which many can identify with by their own conversion experiences. I know it took years after God started actively drawing on me. It was more like dragging me to the cross of reconciliation.

This look at Christ, having been lifted up on the cross, dragging all men to Himself is not a definitive argument for Universal Reconciliation on its own, but is strong when included with the discussion of other passages that seem to speak to the salvation of the whole world by the power of the cross, notwithstanding commentary that the passages in question do not contain.

No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me [helkuo, drag] him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44 KJV

Who is being dragged? We just read it in John 12:32, “all men”, everyone, all of humanity. John is telling us here that none of them can come to the cross of Christ except God drags them there. Once there, Christ promises to raise them up at the last day.

It is the contention of the Biblical Universalist that God is dragging all of humanity to the cross and will continue to do so, even past the grave, all the way to the final judgment and beyond to the day that Christ’s reign ends and His mediatorial role is finished and He submits Himself to the Father and God becomes all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:22-28)