In the first thirteen verses of John 3, Nicodemus did not understand what Jesus was talking about. It was nonsense to him. When Jesus said verse fourteen to him, Nicodemus finally understood Jesus. Here it is:
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up…” (John 3:14).
The reason it made sense to Nicodemus was because he knew of the event that Jesus spoke of. People who had been bitten by a serpent could look at the bronze snake and did not die. Nicodemus knew the Bible story.
Here it is:
“Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 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. 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.’ 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” (Numbers 21:6-9).
Jesus identified that He, the Son of Man, would be lifted up on a cross. He was not a symbol as the bronze serpent was. He was the real thing. We receive everlasting life by looking to Him.
“But we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 1:23).
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36).
Preaching Jesus and His death on the cross were central and primary teachings of Paul and Peter.
In the days of Hezekiah, seven hundred years after the bronze serpent, the people were still praying and offering incense to the bronze snake.
“He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.)” (2 Kings 18:4).
We are guilty of the same thing, only it is 2,000 years after the crucifixion. We are praying to and worshiping the crucifix and the cross. People kiss it, bow down to it, and pray to it. When I say “we,” I mean millions of Protestants and Catholics.
“For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy” (Hebrews 10:14).
The cross was one event for all time, and the bronze snake
was one event for that time. If Hezekiah were king today, he would burn all of
the crucifixes.
This post coordinates with today's reading in the To the Word! Bible Reading Challenge. If you are not in a daily reading plan, please join us at TotheWord.com. We would love to have you reading with us.
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