Twice in today's passage Jesus says of himself "I AM", an expression we saw yesterday and which was used directly of God himself. With Moses at the burning bush, God identified himself as "I AM who I AM". When they "have lifted up the Son of Man", then they will know who Jesus really is and realise that everything that Jesus has said and done comes from God himself because, as he will say later, "I and the Father are one". "Lifted up" not only refers to Jesus being lifted up on the cross but also includes the glorification of Jesus, his lifting up to sit at the Father's right hand. For John the cross is Jesus' moment of glory, the triumphant climax of his mission. And, because of these words, we are told, "many" came to believe in him but most of the Pharisees were not among them. This is a time for us also to examine our allegiance to Christ and what he means for us in our lives. Is our following of him truly a healing and liberating experience not only for ourselves but also for other people with whom we come in contact?