The Bronze Serpent - Look Up!

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him." (John 3:14-15)

Three years ago I wrote a blog on "Learning to Finish Well" to commemorate the passing of two great persons - Moses and Jesus. I wrote about the "Serpentine cross" recalling the story in Numbers 21 where the Israelites were traveling towards the Red Sea after the Lord had just helped them destroy their enemies. "But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”" (Numbers 21:4-5). "This miserable food" was manna, a miraculous provision from heaven which they were complaining about! As a punishment for their impatience and ungratefulness "the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died."(Numbers 21:6). But when they repented of their sin the Lord sent them healing: "So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived." (Numbers 21:9). But they had to look up to get healed. No doubt a few died because they didn't believe in doing such a silly thing.

Here in John 3 which I was reading this morning, Jesus was speaking to Nicodemus, a highly religious and educated man. He had to be very familiar with the bronze snake story. Jesus was trying to explain to him the meaning of being "born again" in order to have eternal life. Nicodemus, like most fervent believers of the Old Covenant promise, believed that all Israelites would be saved by virtue of being the descendants of Abraham (i.e. through natural birth). When the promised messiah came the Jews would become prominent on earth again (i.e. dominant militarily). But Jesus told him that the New Covenant required that he had to believe in a different kind of a messiah, one who would die on a cross bearing the sin of the world, as symbolized by a bronze snake (sin) hung on a pole. Those who would believe in that would be saved.

So once more I remind myself - have I been impatient? Have I been grumbling at God that He had not come through with His promises? Have I been jeering at God's miracles? Then look up at the cross and be healed!

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

I found this Seven Wonders of John 3:16 from this commentary:

How I desire to experience this every single day of my life!