The Bronze Serpent
John 3: 14-15, ESV.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life
Continuing to explore some of the Bible’s different ways of expressing salvation, today we turn to one which Jesus himself used.
It’s always impressive when someone flexes a niche scriptural reference. Jesus obviously had this talent in his locker, and here in John 3 he uses it for Nicodemus. When he describes Moses ‘lifting up’ a serpent, Jesus is alluding to a short, six-verse passage from Numbers chapter 21. In these verses, an account is given of how God punished Israel’s repetitive disobedience by sending some pesky ‘fiery serpents’ (woah).
As the people’s ambassador, Moses pleaded with God in repentance. Responding with mercy, God instructed that Moses should fashion a serpent out of bronze and place it high on a pole for all to see. From this moment on, every wounded and snake-bitten person who looked upon the bronze serpent was healed. It was that simple.
This story is a beautiful scriptural prelude to the Cross. Much worse than fiery serpents, humanity was plagued by sin and death. So, Jesus, a far greater ‘ambassador’ for us than Moses (Heb. 3: 5-6), came before the Father as our mediator (Heb. 8: 6). In the story of the bronze serpent, God determined that the very thing which afflicted the people – a serpent, raised on high – would become their healing. So, on the Cross, Jesus completed a profound parallel. As he was crucified, Jesus became death – the very thing which was our affliction – to bring our ultimate healing. As the bronze sculpture was raised high on a pole, remedying the venom of the serpents by becoming their image, so too was Jesus raised high upon the Cross, conquering death by death.
Today, let’s thank Jesus for becoming our Bronze Serpent. Now, ‘whoever believes in him may have eternal life’. It is that simple.
Prayer — Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. Today, please restore a sense of wonder in me as I think of what you did.