And 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.
John 3:14-15 (ESV)
There is a strange story in Numbers 21:4-9. As Israel traveled through the wilderness, they began to grumble against Moses and the Lord. In response, God sent fiery serpents to them who bit and killed many people. The people repented and cried out to Moses for help. And God told Moses to make a bronze cast of a fiery serpent and put it on a pole. And one who was bit could then look at the serpent on a pole and live.
There was nothing magical about this bronze serpent. And putting it up on a pole did nothing to help those who serpents had bitten. It was only when an individual made the effort of looking at the bronze serpent that they were healed.
Even so, Jesus told Nicodemus that the Son of Man would be lifted up. This ‘lifted up’ expression is used in John two other times (Jn. 8:28; 12:34), both referring to the cross and Jesus’ crucifixion.
Unlike the serpent on a pole, Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross had value in itself. However, it has no individual value apart from believing in Jesus. But, for those who believe in him, the result is eternal life.
The serpent on a pole had the potential to heal everyone, but it was effective only for those who chose to look. Even so, Jesus’ death on the cross has the potential to bring eternal life to everyone. But only those who look to the cross and believe experience the benefit of the cross.
