Snake on a Stick - A Reflection on John 3:13-17

 


No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just 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.“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.  “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.


Arguably the most famous verses in Scripture, John 3:16 and 17 summarizes the Christian faith. We have reflected upon them many times before, so let us consider the preceding verse. “As Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Is Jesus really comparing himself to a snake? Well, that can be pretty shocking, but it all makes sense once we understand the meaning of both events.

 

Let us examine the first event first. During the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land, the Israelites were denied permission by the Edomites to cross through their land. God told Moses not to fight but to go around. Forgetting everything the Lord had done for them up until that point, the people started to grumble. “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.”  As a result, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people as judgment. You see, it’s a bad idea to grumble!

 

Anyway, the people acknowledged their sin and asked Moses to pray for forgiveness. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it on a pole. Everyone who had been bitten would live if they looked at the serpent. This might sound very strange, considering God’s commandment not to make any graven images, but it proves a few points that we will look at another time. In any event, those who looked at the serpent lived. And years later, those who looked at Jesus would live too.

 

Now, there are five important things to note about what happened in the wilderness. One, the people committed sin which led to death. Two, God provided the solution for the wrongdoing. Three, the solution involved a “lifting up”. Four, the only thing the sinful people needed to do was to look in faith at what God had given them as a solution. And five, the result was life. If we compare the story of the serpent and Jesus, we will find the same parallels. 

 

One, we have all sinned (see Romans 3:23), and as we know, the wages of sin is death (see Romans 6:23). Two, God provided the sacrifice of his son as the remedy (see John 3:16). Three, Jesus was lifted up from the dead (see Mark 16:6). Four, all we need to look upon Jesus in faith expressed through repentance and baptism (see Acts 2:38). And five, we have eternal life in Christ Jesus (see John 3:14). So, see. It all makes sense, doesn’t it? 

 

God bless you.


Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here: https://youtu.be/Y94LV5yRgh8 

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