The exalted Son of Man

In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus mentioned an interesting parallel between a snake in the desert and himself: "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." (Joh 3,14-15).

What does Jesus mean by this? Jesus refers to a story from the Old Testament about the people of Israel. The Israelites were in the desert and had not yet entered the promised land. They were impatient and complained: “The people grew weary on the road and spoke against God and against Moses, saying, ‘Why did you bring us out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread or water here, and we are disgusted by this meager food.’” (4. Mose 21,4-5).

What was the significance of the manna? “They all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them; and that rock was Christ.” (1. Kor 10,3-4).

Jesus Christ is the rock, the spiritual drink, and what was the spiritual food that they ate? It was the manna, the bread, that God dropped all over the camp of Israel. What was it? Jesus symbolizes the manna, he is the true bread from heaven. The Israelites despised heavenly bread, and what happened?

Poisonous reptiles came, they bit, and many of the people died. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. “So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it up high. And when anyone was bitten by a snake, he looked at the bronze serpent and lived.” (4. Mose 21,9).

The Israelites were ungrateful and blind to what God was doing for them. They had forgotten that he had saved them from slavery in Egypt through miraculous plagues and provided them with food.
Our only hope is in the provision that comes from God, not from something we do but from the one lifted up on the cross. The term "exalted" is a term for the crucifixion of Jesus and is the only remedy for the condition of all humanity and for the discontented people of Israel.

The brazen serpent was just a symbol that made physical healing possible for some Israelites and pointed to the ultimate One, Jesus Christ, who offers spiritual healing to all of humanity. Our only hope of escaping death depends on paying attention to this destiny that God has made. We must look to and believe in the Son of Man, who has been exalted, if we are to be saved from death and given eternal life. This is the gospel message recorded in the story of Israel's wandering in the desert.

If you, dear reader, have been bitten by the serpent, look to the Son of God lifted up on the cross, believe in him, then you will receive eternal life.

by Barry Robinson