The Bronze Snake
Numbers 21:4-9
4 They
traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea to go around Edom. But
the people grew impatient on the way; 5 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!” 6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and
many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we
spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes
away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is
bitten can look at it and live.” 9 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.
Imagine having to look up at
a bronze figure of a snake on top of a pole in order to be healed from a deadly
poisonous snake bite. It would take an act of faith to follow God's direction.
1400 years later, Jesus referred to the bronze serpent as a foreshadowing of His
crucifixion. The serpent, a symbol of sin and judgment, was lifted up from the
earth and put on a pole, which was a symbol of Jesus being cursed with our sins and being lifted up on the
cross.
Christ takes away sin from anyone who
looks up to Him in faith, asking for forgiveness. Paul reminds us that Jesus
became a curse for us, although He was blameless and sinless.
“God
made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so
that in him we might become the righteousness of God”
( 2 Corinthians 5:21 )
In the Gospel of John, Jesus
had a discussion with a Jewish teacher named Nicodemus and made a comparison
between the raising up of the Son of Man and the act of the serpent being
raised up by Moses for the healing of the people.
3 Jesus
replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they
are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus
asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be
born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives
birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be
surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it
pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where
it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” 9 “How can this be?”
Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not
understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we
know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept
our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not
believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has
ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven - the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the
wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes
may have eternal life in him.” 16 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.
Rephrased: For God so loved the world (a world that is dying from
the poison of sin) that He gave His only begotten Son (He made His Son to take on all of our sins), that whoever believes
in Him (that whoever looks at the bronze
serpent hanging on the pole) should not perish (from the poison of sin) but have eternal life (that we might live forever in God’s presence in His Kingdom).