Cursed and Crucified: The Snake and the Savior

"An as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life." ~ John 3:14-15

I've never actually considered this verse to mean more than what the notes say in my Bible. The Israelites angered God and He sent snakes to bite and kill them, but He told Moses to make a bronze snake, put it on a pole, and everyone who looked at it would be saved from death. What a clear-cut foreshadowing of the Cross. Pure and simple, look to Jesus and be saved from death by sin. Period. But wait, that's not all...

As is often the case with Scripture, there is more behind the apparent meaning if we only understood the nature of Christ's words and world. I'm not talking crazy Da Vinci Code or Bible Code crap, but the truth and power of the Word of God. Flashback to the Wilderness. The Israelites are complaining about everything, including Manna, God's Heavenly food supply, and so God sends snakes, which bite and kill. Moses prays and God relents, saying to make a bronze image of the snake, put it on a pole, and then everyone who looks on the snake won't die from venom; however, there is something behind this that I have always missed until listening to John Piper's recent sermon. The snake was a cursed, unclean, reviled animal. God cursed the serpent in the Garden and it is the embodiment of sin, death, corruption, deception, etc. Even in our society today it is the embodiment of evil and deception. So, when God said make a bronze serpent and that would be source of salvation from death, there is some crazy meaning behind that. The embodiment of sin would become the source of salvation from death.

Now, fast forward to the night meeting between Jesus and Nicodemus. The talk turns to eternal life, new birth, etc. Then Jesus, choosing a symbol to convey the meaning of His death as He always did, chose an odd example to describe the nature of His dying. Instead of using the lamb metaphor, as would later be used, He chose the snake in the desert. Just like Moses posted the embodiment of sin and death on a pole so it could serve as the source of salvation, so the Son of Man would be lifted up. He compared Himself to the serpent, the very symbol of evil. Do you see the power behind that? God lifted the snake up to save the Israelites, and in the same way He would raise up Sin to bring salvation. Jesus would become the embodiment of sin, corruption, death, etc. so that mankind could be saved the death that comes by sin. He became unclean, cursed, and reviled so that I could be saved. "He became sin who knew no sin." He didn't just die in our place, but became the embodiment of all mankind's sin, the symbol of the curse and the fall, and was lifted up so that all who look to Him in faith could be saved from death. The Savior became our Snake so that we could be saved.

I'm not comparing Jesus to Satan or saying that Jesus is in anyway evil, but He became the embodiment and the symbol of sin, death, and the curse so that we could look upon His defiled, broken body and find salvation. Every time the Israelites looked at the snake I wonder if they remembered not only their sin in angering God but also the curse, as this unclean animal became the image of salvation. We are the snake, not Jesus, and yet He became snake-like to remove the poison of sin and the destiny of Hell, so we could stand redeemed. Now we, as Christians, how do we view the Cross? A nice charm to wear? A great story? A reason to hide eggs and eat chocolate? No, the cross is not a beautiful piece of gold jewelry, not a nice decorative item, but it is as the old hymn says, "the emblem of suffering and shame"

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross, where my trophies at last I'll lay down. I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown. Thank you for the Cross, Lord Jesus the Christ!