John 3:14 says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Why is a snake being symbolized here as like Jesus being lifted up when we know a snake was already cursed by God because it was used by Satan to deceive Adam and Eve?
This is a great question. We need to look first at the account of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness in Numbers 21:4-9: “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: ‘Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die on the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.’ So, the LORD sent FIERY SERPENTS among the people and THEY BIT THE PEOPLE; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore, the people came to Moses, and said, ‘WE HAVE SINNED, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a FIERY SERPENT, and SET IT ON A POLE; and it shall be that EVERYONE WHO IS BITTEN, WHEN HE LOOKS AT IT, SHALL LIVE.’ So, Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, WHEN HE LOOKED AT THE BRONZE SERPENT, HE LIVED.”
We must keep in mind four things: 1) the SERPENT bit them; 2) the people admitted they had SINNED; 3) a SERPENT OF BRONZE was put on a pole; and 4) the people who had been bitten and LOOKED AT THE SERPENT LIVED. Think of the faith it took for those who had been bitten and were dying to believe that one look at a “serpent lifted up on a pole would save them.” Perhaps some were hoping for a salve of some kind to be applied to their wounds or to have someone suck out the venom. But God wanted them to “look in faith to the serpent on the pole to live” and those who did lived!
This is the simple object lesson that Jesus gave to Nicodemus to teach him (and us!) a very valuable life-giving message. We have all been “bitten by SIN.” It started when the SERPENT (Satan) tempted the woman and then she and Adam ate of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:1-6). Because of this we read, “Therefore through one man SIN entered into the world, and DEATH THROUGH SIN, and thus death spread to all men, because ALL SINNED” (Romans 3:23). All have been “born in sin” (Psalm 51:5); all “have sinned” (Romans 3:23); and “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Not only that, but Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to DIE once, but after that the JUDGMENT.” This means that after physical death there is eternal death in the lake of fire (see Revelation 20:11-15). Yet “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God had His Son become a Man to “take man’s place in death and judgment on the cross.” Just as the serpent of bronze was “lifted up on a pole,” the Lord Jesus was “lifted up on the cross.” Bronze (brass) in Scripture speaks of JUDGMENT and on the cross Jesus was “JUDGED for our SINS.” Isaiah 53:5-6 speak of this, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our sins was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” During the last three hours on the cross God poured out His wrath on the Lord Jesus because He had OUR SINS laid on Him and in love, He suffered the punishment that we so richly deserved (Isaiah 53:10; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). After He exhausted God’s judgment, He willingly laid down His life as a final payment for our sins (Luke 23:46; John 19:30).
Now we are called upon to “look and live.” Just as the Israelites who were bitten by snakes looked by faith on the serpent on the pole and lived, we who have been bitten by sin can look by faith to Jesus on the cross and receive eternal life. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” If we do look by faith WE SEE OUR SINS, but WE ALSO SEE OUR SINS BEING JUDGED in our blessed Savior, the Lord Jesus. And because they have been judged, God gives us eternal life and we will never perish (in the lake of fire). Jesus said in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, HAS ETERNAL LIFE, and DOES NOT COME INTO JUDGMENT, but has PASSED OUT OF DEATH INTO LIFE” (NASB). Has my reader “looked and lived?” (DO) (628.5)