Bronze Serpent and Cross

On the fourth Sunday of Lent, today’s Old Testament reading unfolds the story of the ‘bronze serpent,’ captivating our attention with astonishing signs and wonders. We may have a slight nagging doubt in our minds as to ‘could actually survive only looking at a bronze serpent’, but we want to see such miracles, and if we could see such signs, perhaps we might move forward in fearless faith. The ‘poisonous snakes’ episode is frequently read as a story of ‘judgement’ on disbelief for blaming God. If we read that God sent vipers to judge everyone because they blamed God for their situation, none of us would be safe.

Have you ever met a snake during a walk? Perhaps someone enjoys snakes–not the jelly kind, which is regarded as bold.  One day, when going near my home near Mount Wellington, I noticed a snake crossing in front of me; since then, I haven’t taken that routine again. In the East, snakes are considered sacred; they are used for medicine, alcohol manufacturing, and as a symbol of strength.

Beginning with the serpent in the Garden of Eden, the Bible strongly associates snakes with negativity, representing the world and evil. But today’s reading in Numbers shows that the serpent is used as a tool of punishment and as a means of healing. In John’s Gospel, Jesus refers to the Numbers event, saying that just as Moses lifted the serpent in the wilderness, the Son of Man must be lifted up for people who believe to have eternal life.

The Israelites had spent 40 years in the desert after leaving Egypt, and Aaron had died on Mount Hor. As they neared the end of their desert life and were preparing to enter the land of Canaan, they once again complained, not only to Moses but also against God.

Instead of giving them food when they are hungry and water when they are thirsty, God punished them this time by sending poisonous serpents into the camp, resulting in many Israelites’ deaths. This crisis became a turning point for the people, leading them to recognise that their actions had incurred God’s wrath, and they turned to Moses, desperate to seek help. Moses prayed on their behalf, and God provided a solution to make a bronze snake and place it on a pole for all to see.

Those who looked at the bronze serpent were ‘living’. They didn’t have to roast the snake or eat it for medicine; all they had to do was look at the bronze statue to live and be saved. It wasn’t the snake itself that saved the people; it was not the bronze serpent’s power. It was the redemptive power of God and God’s love and grace through the bronze serpent. Later, King Hezekiah discovered that the people worshipped it and broke it to pieces. In essence, the bronze snake represented the saving power of God rather than being an object of worship.

 It’s not the cross itself, but what Jesus Christ accomplishes through the cross.

In the book of Numbers, the people look to the lifted-up serpent and live, and in today’s Gospel of John, in verse 14, the Son of Man is to be lifted up; that is, the people look to the Son of Man and believe they have eternal life. This verse obviously points to Jesus being lifted up on the cross and dying.

Before today’s reading, John, Jesus had a private and important Q&A time with Nicodemus, a religious leader who came to him in a “night-time conversation. Nicodemus knew Jesus as a teacher and came from God, but he like us, struggled to fully understand the significance of Jesus’ words; you’ve got to start over! You’ve got to be reborn again; you’ve got to be born from above; You are to become childlike, vulnerable, innocent, and dependent, and you must let go of all the things that make you self-sufficient and that take you away from the wonder of God’s gift. But Nicodemus leaves with these odd words of Jesus in his head. Nicodemus knew that these were not easy words; instead, it was an invitation to be reborn as a pure, vulnerable, dependent being to fixate on the One who was crucified.

‘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.’

Just as in the book of Numbers, God does not judge to punish the people, but to ‘live’ his children in the right way, so in John 3:16, God is not a punitive God who sends Jesus to die for our sins, but to open the way to salvation, where God’s perfect love is given through Jesus Christ.

Like the Israelites were saved, all we can do is look to Jesus and trust in him – see God’s saving love fully revealed in him – and put our trust in him. The cross is at the heart of who God is: he is now known as God the Father and God the Son. The Son is the one who was ‘lifted’ in death, taking on the weight of the world’s evil, and now all who come to him, and all who look to him, are saved and open up to a transformed new life.

Christ came to give us life, even to offer his own life, and all we have to do is look up and see what he is offering. This is where we can experience a limitless life. The thrill of living. A space without judgment. A place for acceptance and A place of welcome, fun, and food to share together as we celebrate the abundant joy of life. That is why we are here.

I conclude with the words, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) As the Apostle Paul confesses, this is God’s promise to us, engraved on us. Today, as we believe in the salvation of God, who raised Jesus from the dead through the ‘cross,’ a promise that grants eternal life, God will surely save us. Believe in this God. Amen.”