“As Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever looks at him may have life.” (Jn. 3:14)
In the Book of Numbers 21:8–9, we read the account of the bronze serpent (Nehushtan) being lifted up, and how the Israelites who had been bitten by serpents overcame death by looking at it. As punishment for the people’s disbelief and murmuring (their impatience, grumbling against God and Moses), God sent fiery serpents among them. The lesson this event conveys is that disbelief and hardness of heart can be as deadly as death itself. To reflect on the way of overcoming serpent-bite: God commanded those bitten to look at the bronze serpent that had been lifted up. The serpent-bite itself was the punishment for sin, and the means to overcome that punishment was to look at the image of the serpent. It is noteworthy that not merely the act of Moses lifting up the bronze serpent, but the people’s willingness to look at it, was what enabled them to overcome death. “Was it to make us die in the wilderness that you brought us out of Egypt?”—this was the murmuring of the Israelites. For the people who disbelieved in the divine promise of the land, the way to life was to believe in another divine promise: “Whoever looks at the bronze serpent will live.” Even at the moment of serpent-bite, remembering the divine promise and acting in faith by looking at the bronze serpent became the way of salvation from the punishment that was the result of disbelief.
The Aramaic Targum, the ancient Aramaic translation of the Old Testament, interprets “looking at the bronze serpent” as “turning one’s heart toward God.” In the biblical list of sins deserving punishment, hardness of heart has its place. Hardness of heart means failing to recognize God’s mercy and providence. Every complaint, every murmur of disbelief, is a sign of the hardening of the heart.
In Jewish context, the word “to look” also carries the meaning of “to believe.” Thus, the meaning of Jesus’ words, “Whoever looks at the Son of Man lifted up will have life,” is to believe in the crucified Messiah as the sacrificial offering for the remission of sins. In the words, “Whoever looks at him will have life,” both the manner of Jesus’ death and its purpose are revealed. John describes three occasions where Jesus explains how he is to “die” (Jn. 3:14; 8:28; 12:32). In all three instances, John uses the word hypsōthēnai (“to be lifted up”). Biblical commentators point out that this Greek word reflects the double meaning in John’s theology of the cross. For at the time of crucifixion, Jesus was physically lifted up from the earth, while at the same time he was glorified by heaven. Secondly, through the word hypsōthēnai, John presents the manner of Jesus’ death: the Romans crucified by lifting the cross approximately six feet above the ground. Therefore, John uses hypsōthēnai to foreshadow the death of Jesus by being lifted up on the cross.
In the words “Whoever looks at him will have life,” the purpose of Jesus’ death is revealed. The lifting up of Jesus is to become the source of immortality for those who believe in him. Eternal life, in John’s divine vision, is the ultimate goal of the messianic events that began with the Incarnation and were completed in the glorification of Jesus. The similarity between the lifted-up Son of Man and the lifted-up bronze serpent lies in both being “lifted up” and in “those who looked at it received life.”
Finally, in the event of the bronze serpent, there was a historical error on the part of the Israelites: they failed to grasp the inner meaning of God’s command “to look at the bronze serpent,” which truly meant turning wholeheartedly toward God and believing in Him. Instead, they misunderstood and believed that the bronze serpent itself was the source of healing, attributing to the image of the serpent some mysterious power. For nearly a thousand years, they preserved it as though it were an idol and offered incense to it. The bronze serpent, called Nehushtan, was finally destroyed during the religious reforms of Hezekiah. This event teaches us yet another spiritual lesson: many things that begin with noble intentions, if practiced later without understanding their true meaning, can turn into mere customs, eventually replacing God and becoming idolatrous.
Rev. Dr. Tom Olikkarott
